“If that lake dries up,” says Fields, “we have an ecological problem, an econom- ic problem, a public health problem, and a reputational problem.” The stakes are personal and profes- sional, he says. “I want to live in Utah. I want to ski powder.” But also, two of the four people in his household use inhalers for asthma—and as temperatures rise and the lake’s surface area shrinks, the dust storms and pollution will only get worse. For all these reasons, Snowbird has felt it imperative to put its time, money, and influence behind a multi-coalition effort to save Great Salt Lake. “We use our resourc- es, both financial and the reach we have, and we support scientific research, not just because it is impacting our snow and run- off is happening earlier,” says Fields. “It’s about the health of our children and one day our grandchildren, and letting them live in the cleanest air possible.” Education. One critical step in that effort was partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a longtime steward of the lake and co-manager of the $40 mil- lion Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhance- ment Trust, to launch an education series, which kicked off in 2019 and then relaunched in 2022 after a Covid hiatus. The annual events take place mid-morning in the Cliff Lodge ball- room, where locals, guests, employees
and other stakeholders—representa- tives from the Forest Service, the Great Salt Lake Commission, Salt Lake County, and the Salt Lake City Division of Water Quality, to name a few—gather to learn about the shifting landscape from sci- entists, water managers, and research- ers who explain dust-on-snow effects, changes in mountain hydrology, the science of Great Salt Lake’s decline, and the public health risks that come with a shrinking terminal lake. Attendance has grown over the years, with some events drawing more than 200 people. Snowbird’s social media promotion of the events can reach hun- dreds of thousands more. Being the catalyst. On paper, the education series is a modest public pro- gram. The direct cost of each presen- tation is about $5,000 (so, Snowbird is about $25,000 all in so far, not including donated labor and meeting space). But it represents something larger: a ski area using its platform to convene a statewide conversation about health, resilience, and responsibility. Arens describes the work as both educational and connec- tive—an effort to bring climate science into a space where people already feel tied to place. Snowbird’s role in this work extends beyond hosting conversations. The edu-
cational effort is backed by a substantial financial commitment from the Play Forever Foundation, the charitable arm of Snowbird’s parent company Powdr, to TNC’s Great Salt Lake programs. Snow- bird is both a contributor to the founda- tion and was instrumental in directing its support toward TNC’s work. Additionally, the mountain sits at the upper end of the Great Salt Lake water- shed, and its winter snowmelt eventu- ally feeds into the Jordan River, one of three Great Salt Lake tributaries. That upstream position drew the resort deep- er into basin-wide water concerns. “We recognize our effect on the lake and the lake’s effect on Snowbird,” says Arens. While the educational talks at Snow- bird helped make that relationship more visible, visibility alone won’t produce the scale of change required to save Great Salt Lake. That recognition, combined with ris- ing statewide concern, led Powdr co-own- er David Cumming to help create the Great Salt Lake Alliance, an effort to align the many organizations working on—or with a stake in—the crisis. The alliance, says Arens, takes “the idea of educating and advocating for the Great Salt Lake further, using not just Snowbird’s voice or Powdr’s, but amplifying the conversation within the state of Utah.” » continued
The Great Salt Lake in 1985 at its most recent high-water mark (left) versus the 2022 low point (right). Lowering levels have set off alarms in the Salt Lake community, the state of Utah, and at Snowbird. Credit: USGS with ESA mods.
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