I’m convinced that my friend Jaimi Butler has been, and continues to be, our most persistent and effective voice in the battle to save the disappearing Great Salt Lake. When it comes to the lake she’s a highly knowledgeable, passionate and eloquent firecracker and I love that in her.
I first met Jaimi, Coordinator for Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College, maybe ten years ago when she asked to use some of my photos for an ongoing research project tracking toxic mercury compounds moving through the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. We hit it off at the get-go and we’ve been friends ever since.
Jaimi is a passionate advocate of the lake. She spends endless hours with GSLI staff and students traipsing around the remote margins of the lake doing research, she’s pretty much the go-to person for news media regarding lake issues and she works closely with our legislators regarding the lake.
If an issue involves the Great Salt Lake, Jaimi will almost certainly be part of the equation.
Copyright Jaimi Butler – photo used by permission
This tiny, spartan, canvas-sided camper on Antelope Island has been Jaimi’s home all week and it will continue to be for several more days. She, as scientist-in-residence and Nan Seymour, local poet and founder of River Writing, are winter camping on the island during an intense effort by many to bring attention to the lake and its issues during our current legislative session. I won’t go into all of the details here but much more information about the effort can be found by following this link.
I follow Jaimi and GSLI closely on social media so a few days ago when she posted the above photo on Facebook I posted on her timeline. We’re in the midst of our coldest spell all winter, daytime temps barely reach freezing and nighttime temps are typically in the low teens, so I empathized with Jaimi’s camping situation. Jaimi and Nan are in separate camping units and Jaimi doesn’t even have running water – she’s dry camping in early February. Jaimi is hardcore.
I’ve copied and pasted our Facebook conversation below.
I didn’t respond to Jaimi’s request so she didn’t know if I was coming or not.
But I figured she deserved some moral support so yesterday morning I semi-surprised her by knocking on her camper door just after 9 AM.
Even though I interrupted her brushing her teeth she greeted me with her typical huge and charming smile. I have to be extra careful with Covid so we visited for quite a while outside her camper. The only thing that kept us from jabbering longer was a group of high school students that were scheduled to do a lake walk with her at 11 AM.
And you knew I’d be bringing the whiskey she requested, which widened her smile to the breaking point. Since she didn’t know for sure if I was coming I knew she might not be there when I arrived so I attached a note to the bottle so she’d know where it came from if I had to leave it on the step of her camper.
It was the last of my whiskey supply but I figured she deserved it more than I did.
As I type this at 4 AM my thermometer reads 16° F. and it’s usually significantly colder on Antelope Island than it is here in the city so my thoughts are with Jaimi. Badass Jaimi.
If you have any inkling to support Jaimi and Nan and so many others in their efforts to save the Great Salt Lake please visit the link I included under the first photo for suggestions. There are many ways to provide support – financial, moral and otherwise.
We simply have to save that lake.
Ron
Thanks so much, Ron, for this post about Jamie’s work… we sent our pennies in, too, and for love of birds, this lake is so important!
I remember well arriving on the east side of the lake, heading north to a scientific illustration seminar in Montana, and stopping, I guess near Antelope Island, to enjoy snacks I had brought with me. This was many years ago now, and I was so impressed with the vast numbers of birds there!
Dan and I drove through in later years, returning from a visit to Colorado with a friend, on the way back to Oregon. It is such an impressive place… so glad Jamie is out there, spiriting the work to save it!
I read your post this morning but then got sucked into a bureaucratic hell of a day. So I just sent some $ to GLSI. Hard to believe those Utah politicians are actually considering doing something to address the situation. I’ll be surprised if their talk turns to anything close to real solutions.
“Hard to believe those Utah politicians are actually considering doing something to address the situation”
Lyle, I had that very discussion with Jaimi that morning. But she says that our legislators are (finally) concerned enough to do something about saving the lake. She says she’s optimistic and I think she’s a realist by nature.
Thank you for helping.
When I was a kid, we often traveled the (I-15?) route up the valley on our way to Saskatchewan … how I loved the Great Salt Lake, so forbidding yet so appealing. So glad GSL has such committed & brave souls as Jaimi & Nan (as well as many others) to give their all to its preservation. (And thanks to you, for reminding us of what’s at stake and donating that much-appreciated hooch! 😉)
Yup, that would have been I-15, Chris. I’ve pretty much lived along the I-15 corridor (or old US 91 which I-15 replaced) for my entire life from 1947 to today – in California, in Utah and in Montana. There’s a section of old US 91 in southwest Montana that is decommissioned but still semi-useable that I like to drive while looking for birds. I can still remember some of those landmarks from when I was a little kid on our trips between MT and CA. Back then we made that trip twice every year. The 1500 miles took us three long days but provided many wonderful memories.
I don’t mind giving my hooch away to friends, especially to Jaimi, but when it’s the last I have it gives me pause. Medicinal purposes ya know…
She is badass for sure.
Yup.
Thank you Ron for bringing this issue to our attention and well done Jaimi.
My contribution has been made.
Thank you very much, Gary.
You know the best people, Ron! I guess like attracts like. Jaimi is the epitome of badassery — Nan too — for walking the walk (or camping the camp, in this instance). Will be sending a few shekels to the cause.
“You know the best people”
I know some pretty scruffy ones too, Marty. I be one of the latter…
Shekels always appreciated. Thanks so much.
Anyone who will share the last of his whiskey is a mensch in my book! ❤️
Don’t give me too much credit. The liquor store was open by the time I got back to town so I stopped there to replenish my supply. If it had been Sunday or a holiday Jaimi just might have been SOL.
Wait, what?!?!?
Kidding, Jaimi. Just kidding!
👇 Oh, man, I LOVE this girl! 😂😂😂😂
Well, I guess that shoulda been 👆
So many people like her do not get the recognition they deserve so thanks for giving her a shoutout🤗 A dedicated badass for sure❗️
“thanks for giving her a shoutout”
Credit where credit’s due, Diana.
Thank you to Jaimi and all you under appreciated Do Gooders everywhere who quietly carry on with their work and are not given enough recognition. And for that reason thank you Ron for this great post, a shout out for these scientists…you, of course are one, too. I’ll be sharing.
Thank you, Susan. Yes, please share.
Yes, I love Jaimi’s work. I have been a follower of the GSLI for a number of years and have participated in some of their activities. Jaimi does such a fantastic job connecting the right people together to inform political officials, the public and keep the dire condition of the GSL in the news and minds of Utah citizens. Thank You Jaimi!
You’ve summed up Jaimi’s ongoing contribution(s) very well, April.
Hooray for Jaimi. The world needs a LOT more badasses in just her mould. Big shoes to fill though.
It sure does, EC. And yes, big mukluks…
Very, very cool post! I am so glad there are Jamie’s out there who are fighting to save the lake and nature.
Take Care,
Kaye
Thank you, Kaye.
Thanks for the awareness Ron. The Great Salt Lake is an American icon and must be protected. Jaimi is absolutely bad-assy! Love her comment about being sometimes dumb-assy! Hilarious. BTW-donation made 🙂
You’re right about the lake, Kathleen. The lake ecosystem is a nursery and migration stopover for millions of birds that make their way to many parts of North America and points south.. So anyone who loves birds should really care about the lake, whether they live in Utah or not.
She sounds like a wonderful scientist and advocate. I donated and shared to the big blue app.
“She sounds like a wonderful scientist and advocate”
She’s both, Cathy. She’s a lot of fun too. Thanks for the donation and the share.
This is inspiring. I will see what I can do. And I will boost the signal by sharing that link in my own social media.
Good. Please share away, Arwen.
I did. And I sent it to someone of moderate fame who lives in SLC. I don’t know them. I’m just a fan. Maybe he will see it and boost the signal as well.
The Conservation movement needs more Badass researchers like her. You Rock Jaimi!
Agreed!
Great reminder, Ron. Jamie DOES seem to be a great (bad-ass) person. 🙂 Glad you got to visit and bring her a “booster”. 🙂 Kings-X on action being taken before things get any worse than they are.
Just did the jump 20 degrees in a few minutes thing here – from 8 to 29 – glad I won’t be on the road this morning!
Whiskey as a “booster”. Perfect, I love it Judy.
Wow Ron – what a dedicated scientist and advocate she is. Remarkable and dedicated woman. Just thinking about being out there in that little rig in that cold makes me shiver. I have been to SLC and the area a few times on business or skiing and cannot even imagine that area with a very dried up Great Salt Lake. My very first memory of that area was a post card sent to me in 1943 when I was almost 6 from my dad who was on his way to Pearl Harbor. Thank goodness we have these dedicated advocates for the environment and our wildlife. Thanks for posting this.
Everett, someone on Facebook said this about Jaimi – “She is the perfect combination of scientist and Carhartt” I thought that summed it up pretty well.
Excellent – You go gal save the lake!!
❤
Always good to learn about badasses doing good work! Thanks for posting, Ron.
Debbie
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