The Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, an initiative established in 2024, spans over 2.7 million acres in northern Utah to protect the region's vital ecosystems and military training capabilities. The landscape encompasses four military installations and includes both the Western Hemisphere's largest saline lake and Utah's largest natural freshwater lake.
Military and Ecological Importance
The expansive landscape includes Hill Air Force Base, Camp Williams, Tooele Army Depot, and the Air Force Little Mountain Test Facility. These installations provide essential training, testing, and logistical support for all military services. Additionally, Hill Air Force Base oversees the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), which is recognized as the largest block of contiguous special-use airspace in the continental United States.
Environmental and Economic Pressures
The Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake, and various tributaries serve as vital waterways that support both Utah's ecosystems and its defense communities. However, the increasingly arid Great Salt Lake Basin has created a host of challenges for the state. As one of the nation's fastest-growing and driest states, Utah is currently grappling with a limited water supply amidst rising demand.
Challenges of Population Growth
The drying of the Great Salt Lake poses significant threats to several critical areas, including wildlife habitat, air quality, snowpack, and recreation. Furthermore, the environmental shifts impact Utah's broader economy. Beyond ecological concerns, rapid population growth in the Great Salt Lake basin has led to incompatible development around military installations, which places new constraints on essential training activities.
Collaborative Conservation Efforts
To combat these issues, partners of the Sentinel Landscape are working to align interests and maximize resources. The goal is to build resilience within Utah's military installations, defense communities, and ecosystems for decades to come. The initiative involves a broad coalition of federal, state, local, and private partners.
A Network of Partners
The partnership includes diverse federal entities such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Department of War, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program also serves as a federal partner.
State and Local Involvement
State-level collaboration is driven by several agencies, including the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Other state partners include the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, the Utah Defense Alliance, the Utah Department of Veteran and Military Affairs, the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, the Utah Trust Lands Administration, and the Utah State University Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air.
Private and Local Support
Local and private organizations also play a critical role in the landscape's management. Local partners include the cities of Eagle Mountain, Herriman, and Layton, as well as the Mountainland Association of Governments, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, and the Utah National Guard at Camp Williams. Private partners contributing to the mission include the Bear River Land Conservancy, the Compatible Lands Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance, the Intermountain Joint Venture, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Conservation Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the Utah Wildlife Federation, and the Western Rivers Conservancy.
