As youth working and studying in Utah, we’re quite familiar with deadlines. As teen activists in a world of environmental struggles, we’re familiar with a far more perilous one facing Great Salt Lake. Toxic dust and losing billions of dollars of economic activity annually from a drying lakebed are suffocating realizations that threaten our future.
Many applaud young people for taking notice of the issues affecting us; the bitter reality is that we don’t have a choice. The new generation faces the unique struggle of having to fight for our future or risk losing it. With Great Salt Lake projected to dry up in the next five years, we will need to fight harder than ever. We, along with many other youth, find ourselves questioning our future in Utah: Will this wonderful state be a safe home for us in the coming years?
Thus, Youth Coalition for Great Salt Lake calls the residents of Utah and the state Legislature to action. As we enter the 2024 Utah legislative session, we urge citizens to reach out to your state representatives and ask them to get water to Great Salt Lake as soon as possible. This requires establishing long-term target salinity levels, short-term emergency plans, proper water tracking systems to ensure the water actually reaches Great Salt Lake, and dramatically increasing funding for the transition to water-efficient agricultural practices. Establishing more stringent water consumption regulations for Utah’s municipal and industrial water use is also key. We implore the Legislature to take the above actions now, for the future of Great Salt Lake and the youth of Utah is at stake.
Join us at the Utah Capitol for the Rally to Save Great Salt Lake on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. and the vigil for Great Salt Lake throughout the legislative session.
Monika Cinbis and Liam Mountain La Malfa, Youth Coalition for Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City