![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/eared-grebes-8159-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"eared-grebes-8159-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nWatching it brings tears to my eyes and these old eyes don’t mist up easily.<\/p>\n
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Eared Grebes on Great Salt Lake<\/em><\/p>\n Great Salt Lake is on life support. The end is likely near.<\/p>\n This is an older image of a scene I no longer see – hundreds of thousands of Eared Grebes packed tightly on the surface of Great Salt Lake for as far as the eye can see. I no longer see it, and others like it, primarily for two reasons:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yesterday the Salt Lake Tribune published their list of 24 candidates for Utahn of the Year for 2022<\/a><\/span><\/span>. Among the list of politicians, sports figures, business leaders, religious leaders, mosquitos (yes, mosquitos) and others is Dr. Bonnie Baxter, Director of Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College. Dr. Baxter has been studying the microbial communities and general ecology of Great Salt Lake for decades and Bonnie and my good friend “Badass” Jaimi Butler<\/a><\/span><\/span>, who until recently was Coordinator for GSLI, are among the lake’s fiercest and most vocal defenders. If there’s a public discussion about the lake, you can almost count on Bonnie or Jaimi, or both, being in the mix.<\/p>\n Recently Bonnie and Jaimi wrote an obituary for Great Salt Lake and a video of Bonnie reading it on the shore of the lake uploaded to YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/span> is getting a lot of attention. Which is part of the reason for her nomination, but only part. I<\/span>f you choose to watch it and you care about birds and the planet we call home, be prepared…<\/p>\n The Tribune urges readers to vote for their choice for the honor and anyone is eligible to vote, local or not. I voted yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n If we lose the lake, as it looks like we’re going to, it would be an ecological and human disaster of epic proportions. So it seems to me that Bonnie’s immense contributions over many years in an effort to promote and save the lake deserve to be recognized. If you’re so inclined, please consider voting for your candidate of choice and I hope you’ll seriously consider Bonnie as a worthy contender.<\/p>\n Once again, here’s the link where you can vote<\/a> <\/span><\/span>if you choose to.<\/p>\n If Senator Mikey Lee or Representative Burgess Owens wins I might be tempted to drown myself in the last few gallons of Great Salt Lake as it dries up.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: If you’d like to know more about the implications of Great Salt Lake disappearing, here’s an excellent source<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Watching it brings tears to my eyes and these old eyes don’t mist up easily.<\/p>\n\n