The Nature Conservancy in Utah and Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape partners have been awarded $8.2 million in federal funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to launch the Great Salt Lake Agricultural Easement Program. According to a November 3 statement, this initiative represents the first effort of its kind in Utah designed to sustain working farms while delivering agricultural return flows to the Great Salt Lake.
Project partners are providing a required non-federal match of $8.6 million, creating a total investment of $16.8 million for agricultural preservation, watershed health, and community resilience. The program seeks to identify farm-specific water conservation actions to support long-term production amid increasing pressure to convert agricultural lands. By focusing on lands with high conservation value, the program aims to preserve vital wetland habitat created by agricultural return flows that support approximately 12 million migratory birds every year.
Danna Baxley, The Nature Conservancy's water and agricultural strategy director in Utah, said that protecting the Great Salt Lake requires collaboration at an unprecedented scale. Baxley noted that the funding allows the group to pilot a new approach, learn from producers, and work toward solutions demonstrating how agriculture and the Great Salt Lake can thrive together. Travis Mote, Acting State Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, stated that the project demonstrates how the Regional Conservation Partnership Program promotes strategic partnerships to turn shared priorities into lasting conservation benefits for Utah's farm families and future generations.
The Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape focuses on enhancing military readiness and national security through nature-based solutions. This includes safeguarding agricultural land around Utah's military installations to preserve critical open space buffers for testing and training. The landscape also supports securing water for the Great Salt Lake to conserve wildlife habitat and mitigate hazardous dust events that threaten community health and disrupt military operations.
To implement the program, The Nature Conservancy will collaborate with several regional partners. These include the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, National Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, Bear River Land Conservancy, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner, and Utah State University.
