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Planning - 2010

Sovereign Lands at the Great Salt Lake

Final Draft of the Great Salt Lake CMP and Mineral Leasing Plan

The Great Salt Lake is a terminal basin located within Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Tooele counties. It is the largest contiguous area managed by the State of Utah, approximately 1.35 million acres. Its ecosystem is of worldwide importance for migratory bird populations, brine shrimp and mineral extraction industries; it is also one of the premier wetlands areas of the United States and a major recreational and aesthetic resource for Utah. As pressure increases regarding its usage and/or protection, so does the responsibility to manage this resource wisely.

The (Utah) Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is charged by law to manage this resource for multiple use and sustained yield. The 2000 Great Salt Lake Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and the 1996 Great Salt Lake Mineral Leasing Plan are considered the governing documents for the management of the sovereign lands and resources. The Division is coordinating with multiple agencies and environmental planning consultants to initiate the review and/or revision of the CMP, to address current issues and concerns regarding the resource, and to ensure that management decisions reflect the Division’s public trust responsibilities.

In August, 2009, the Division placed a withdrawal of all sovereign lands within the bed of Great Salt Lake from any new leasing and permitting until the completion of the review and/or revision of the CMP. Through a rigorous bidding and selection process, an environmental planning consultant has been selected to facilitate the planning process, in cooperation with a planning team and with participation and input from various stakeholder groups and the public.

The planning process is more than just a procedure to put together a plan that directs the management and the responsibilities for that management in and around the lake. It is to provide the public an opportunity to provide input into the plan, so their voices are heard, their concerns can be addressed, and the issues can be dealt with. Conflict is inevitable, but there is a spirit of consensus that is achieved if there is a collaborative process to get the work done. That is the goal of this planning process. Not just a document, but a collaboration of those stakeholders, users, stewards, and others who have an interest in the lake, by law or love, or somewhere in between.

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