Dakota Jones organized a 260-mile relay run around Utah’s Great Salt Lake to raise awareness regarding the lake's rapid disappearance and the effects of climate change. The project, titled Where the Water Was, aimed to also raise funds for the protection of the lake.
The five-day relay began on October 13, starting at the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City. On the first day, Jones and his supporters covered 43 miles in relay fashion to the city of Ogden along the east side of the lake. The group carried a baton around the perimeter and finished the relay at the Gallivan Center, a community-based park in downtown Salt Lake City.
While Jones originally intended to run the entire route himself, a foot injury required him to organize a relay with friends and supporters instead. Jones, the founder of the non-profit Footprints Running, described the injury as an unintentional but great move for the project. The event included 63 other participants and raised more than $3,800.
Jones stated that the project highlights how climate change and water management impact the size and depth of the Great Salt Lake, affecting the local ecosystem and human population. Because the lake is shallow, a reduction in water levels causes the shoreline to retreat significant distances. This retreat threatens wildlife, specifically by removing safe spaces for migratory birds that rely on wetlands as stopover points. Additionally, Jones noted an urgent worry for humans regarding toxic dust containing arsenic and other heavy metals being blown off exposed ground toward nearby neighborhoods.
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and is located in the Great Basin west of the Wasatch Front in Utah. Because it has no outlet to the ocean, water can only leave through evaporation, creating a unique ecosystem of salts and minerals that supports millions of resident and migratory birds. Jones, who has been an outspoken environmental advocate, previously organized a 1,300-mile bike ride from Salt Lake City to Olympic Valley, California, in 2023 and is a member of the non-profit Protect Our Winters.
