Scientists Carly Biedul, Bonnie Baxter and Heidi Hoven look for migratory birds on the eerily dry south shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.In these challenging times, the need for reliable local reporting has never been greater. Put a value on the impact of our year-round coverage. Help us continue to highlight LA stories, hold the powerful accountable, and amplify community voices. Your support keeps our reporting free for all to use. Stand with us today.
"It's because of so many years of drought and climate change and water diversions, and we can't keep going like that," says Bonnie Baxter, director of the Great Salt Lake Institute. "You can actually see it over your shoulder," she gestures."It's this advancement of large, distribution warehouses that are within a mile from the sanctuary now where it used to be open land."
"Otherworldly is a great word," she says."It's crazy. We're at Great Salt Lake right now but there's no water. The other places where I go and sample there's water there at least. But here we're still at the lake and it's dry.""It's just so shocking, and you know, it's a shock to me every time I see it," she says."But to see someone view it for the first time. You can really see them taking it in.