Audubon’s Bold Work in Western Water

Every time I return home from a trip to one of Audubon’s Western Water priority sites, I’m energized by the incredibly important and ambitious work Audubon and our partners are doing to address water scarcity and improve bird habitats.

This week I went to Salt Lake City to meet with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust (Trust) Advisory Council, the Nature Conservancy, and the Great Salt Lake Commissioner as we work together to protect the lake—to save the lake—by securing water and improving wetlands. The Trust Advisory Council is made up of some of the most important Utah leaders with professions connected to Great Salt Lake. Their many perspectives—from farming and wastewater treatment to mineral extraction and duck hunting—make our work better.

At the Trust Advisory Council meeting, members deliberated grant proposals for wetland protection and restoration projects to recommend funding in partnership with the State of Utah’s Forestry Fire and State Lands. There are still some steps before final decisions are announced this week but we have several new wetlands projects that will receive funding to help protect and restore wetlands habitat around Great Salt Lake. This could bring restoration of natural habitats and improved water control structures to more than 19,000 acres of wetlands in just a few years. Stunning work in a very short time, fueled by the Utah State Legislature’s investment in the Trust. Not to mention the water transactions adding inflows to Great Salt Lake on the Jordan, Weber, and Bear Rivers.

In our discussions and collaboration with the Commissioner’s Office, we are working to leverage the state’s investments in Great Salt Lake with federal and private funds and amplify the efforts that can only come from non-profit and government partnerships. In fact, last week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) announced that it will invest $50 million for drought mitigation in the Great Salt Lake Basin. The funding, from the Inflation Reduction Act, will be applied toward ecosystem restoration projects along the lake and to support a water delivery program aimed at ensuring an ongoing and resilient water supply in the basin. 

Yes, this work in western water is daunting. There’s not a day that goes by without a news article on drought, long-term climate impacts on water resources, groundwater depletion, increased temperatures and decreased soil moisture, and on and on. And we know these negatively impact birds too through drying lakes, rivers, and wetlands, diminished health of habitats and other environmental stressors. That’s why our Audubon team is applying savvy skills to protect water resources and habitats in the West.

Birds are telling us that Great Salt Lake is too important to fail. Ten million birds annually depend on Great Salt Lake. Enormous percentages of entire populations of birds like Eared Grebe, Wilson’s Phalarope, and American Avocet depend on Great Salt Lake for their survival.

The dire condition of Great Salt Lake didn’t happen overnight. Saline lakes like Great Salt Lake have dried up—shockingly—in places around the world, costing billions of dollars in lost jobs and economies, and affecting the health of nearby residents. And even with the launch of the Trust, we know our efforts are one of many solutions needed to save this amazing and unique resource. And the funding needs are exponentially greater than the funding dedicated to the lake.

What energizes me is the breadth of Audubon’s work to dive into these water crises for birds and communities. We’re not just focused on the urgent need to improve the health of Great Salt Lake. We have teams working with partners to focus on saving the Colorado River Basin and its Delta, the Salton Sea, the Rio Grande, and more. A few weeks ago, Audubon testified before Congress on Colorado River bills that support wildlife habitat amid a changing climate. Audubon’s experts are trusted by government officials, the media, academics, and beyond.

Audubon leaders work on water policy at the federal and state level—engaging and educating policy experts, helping to craft and advocate for laws, funding, and regulations that will improve conditions for birds. Linked to the birds of Great Salt Lake, other saline lakes in the Great Basin of the American West—like Mono Lake and Owens Lake in California and Lake Abert in Oregon—are included in the USGS scientific assessment for Saline Lakes. It’s a mix of policy and science that is bringing attention to this network of saline lakes.

On the Colorado River, we’ve long advocated for a collaborative approach across the basin. With a 2026 deadline looming for the expiration of existing federal guidelines for river operations, water supply and river habitats could be at risk—especially with increasingly arid years. To address this, earlier this year, Audubon joined with conservation partners in submitting our Cooperative Conservation Alternative to Reclamation for consideration. Cooperative Conservation is designed to improve water supply reliability, provide opportunities to make management more equitable, and create mechanisms to improve environmental outcomes. We are urging all Colorado River Basin parties to consider our approach as they proceed through negotiations.

In California this year, we made a big announcement about wetland protection legislation. And in New Mexico, lawmakers—with Audubon’s backing—appropriated an historic $300 million for water conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation. In Colorado, Audubon, working with many partners, joined state officials in providing technical expertise to assist legislators to create a state permitting and protection program—under the passed legislation HB24-1379 Regulate Dredge & Fill Activities in State Waters. This made Colorado the first state in the nation to pass legislation that addresses the stream and wetlands protection gap created by the Supreme Court in their 2023 Sackett vs. Environmental Protection Agency decision. The rule-making for this new law is underway to create a state program that works for Colorado’s intermountain semi-arid waterways. These are some examples of the policy work we prioritize in Western Water.

Audubon also restores habitats at priority sites, working with partners at Bombay Beach at the Salton Sea, with Raise the River partners and the Cocopah Indian Tribe for the Colorado River Delta, along the middle Rio Grande in New Mexico, with ranch partners across Colorado, and more. At times, Audubon develops habitat restoration plans with partners and shares water and wildlife management guidance. We also engage restoration practitioners to understand new regulations and to develop and implement best practices.

Audubon gathers bird survey data, enlisting the help of many volunteers, state wildlife agencies, and other biologists to gain a better understanding of what birds need and when. And our science experts analyze this bird data to drive our conservation actions.

Audubon’s significant work to help communities and birds thrive in the arid West builds towards long-lasting solutions to preserve our environment and the people and economies that rely on these water resources for generations to come.

Of course we can do and need to do more. With Flight Plan, we are aiming our sights higher. We know there’s a power in Audubon’s approach and expertise and that our growth trajectory is to take more of these solutions that work to scale. And we can’t do it alone.

As we finish out this year and look to challenges ahead, please join Audubon’s efforts as a partner and supporter. There’s a role for everyone in the work that needs to be done to protect and restore these water oases in the arid West. You can join our network and help us advocate for these solutions, sign up as a volunteer bird surveyor, donate, or get involved with your local Audubon chapter. I hope you find inspiration and energy in this incredible work too.