Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University

Congratulations to our data analysis team leader, Kori Kurtzeborn, on successfully defending her graduate thesis today. Go Aggies!

?? One of the funnest small projects we've launched over the past couple of years helps people discover Utah’s world-class dark skies through a Dark Sky Passport. ?? Utah leads the nation in designated dark-sky locations, and our Passport guides you to the best spots, introduces you to the Bortle Scale, and offers fun activities for families. Learn more and order a few if you're interested. Happy exploring! https://lnkd.in/gJv-6mPx

Join us! Career opportunity as the Janet Quinney Lawson Endowed Chair in Colorado River Studies. We welcome applications from scientists, scholars or policy-makers with a Ph.D. in any relevant biological, physical, or social science or engineering field, or with a J.D. degree, who possess a strong record of funded research or policy experience relevant to the Colorado River Basin. This tenure-track, full-time (nine-month) position will be administratively based at the USU main campus in Logan, Utah; however, we would consider applicants desiring a strong presence at any of USU’s Statewide Campuses, including Moab, Vernal, Blanding, Monument Valley, or Salt Lake City. The position starts August 2025.? More info and apply: https://lnkd.in/dPhAARR6

Phragmites, a tall and dense reed, has become a major problem in wetlands across the United States. Tens of thousands of acres in Utah are covered by thick bunches that crowd everything else out. To get rid of them, land managers have to spray herbicide over thousands of acres. After that, the massive amount of dead plant material has to be chopped up or burned. The trouble is, once the reed is poisoned and mowed down, what's left is a blank slate of mud — the perfect environment for phragmites to come right back. That's why ecologists in Utah, such as QCNR's Karin Kettenring and graduate student Hailey Machnikowski, are trying to figure out how to get native plants growing there quickly, to prevent phragmites from taking hold once again. One promising method has researchers scattering seeds from a carefully chosen mix of nearly two dozen native species on a series of experimental plots. They included everything from drought-tolerant plants to ones that like to have their feet wet, hoping that something within that mix is going to thrive in those environmental conditions. Some seeds they've tried have been a bust. Others are doing surprisingly well, like a native plant called pickleweed and a type of beggartick that has bright yellow flowers. https://lnkd.in/gDQwp7Yp

Check out our new report on water markets and climate resilience in the American West! Thank you for participation from Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University, Utah Division of Water Resources, Utah Division of Water Rights, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Utah State University, University of Utah, Emily E. Lewis, Bear River Canal Company, and Cache Water District. With support from Secure Water Future and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A few weeks ago, I was able to join Utah state officials on a trip to California to learn about the imperiled terminal lakes in the Golden State. Specifically, we toured Owens Lake and Mono Lake. To be clear, Owens isn’t really a lake anymore. The body of water dried out in the early 1900s after the City of Los Angeles diverted the entire flow of the Owens River some 230 miles south to allow the city to continue its rapid growth. In the time since that decision, the desiccated lakebed has caused local economic hardship and tremendous environmental problems. At one point, Owens was identified as the largest single source of dust emissions in the U.S. To resolve this issue, federal regulators have required that the state manage the dust. The Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program - the largest air quality improvement project in the United States -- has been a very pricy endeavor. Each year, Californians spend $100 million and 60,000 acre feet of water (enough for 240,000 households) maintaining dust mitigation efforts at Owens. To date, they have spent over $2.6 billion on the project —all for a lake less than 1/16th?the size of Great Salt Lake. Mono Lake, while still in existence, is still struggling to recover from large losses last century when water diversions from its tributaries lowered the lake level by approximately 45 feet. Major litigation ensued, leading to the state setting a management level in 1994. Despite this, lake levels still remain at least 8 feet below that level. Mono Lake recovery efforts have also cost California taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, with no end in sight. Our trip to California reminded me of the precious resource we have in the Great Salt Lake and provided a stark reminder of what we risk if we don’t act to stabilize and recover our local saline lake ecosystem. Yet, despite some pretty depressing content throughout the tour, I came away from the trip more optimistic. I’m convinced that we can and will save the Great Salt Lake. We face hard choices ahead and there will be tradeoffs, but with proactive choices today, we have the ability to carve a bright future for the Great Salt Lake. In this case, an ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure. Have a great week! Brian Steed Executive Director

At USU, art meets science in a photo exhibit by Jared Ragland for the Bear Lake Needs Assessment Project facilitated by the Institute for Land, Water, and Air. Jared Ragland and his Art 3830 students photographed various aspects of the Bear Lake Valley and several researchers at work for the Bear Lake Needs Assessment Project. The project is funded by the Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands and facilitated by the Institute for Land, Water, and Air. As one of the 10 grants funded by the project to USU researchers, Jared and his students used visual storytelling to document Bear Lake's natural resources, communities, and human impact on the lake. Photographs include various perspectives of the lake, the changes from new developments, nearby farmland, summer tourism, recreation, and images people who are working to preserve the lake in both Utah and Idaho. One set of 12 photos are cyanotypes of Eurasian Watermilfoil, an invasive plant species threatening Bear Lake's waters. The cyanotypes also reflect the unique blue color of Bear Lake. The exhibit is on display at the Tippetts Art Gallery on the USU Logan Campus through the end of November.

Our Managing Director, Anna McEntire has been enjoyed learning from saline lakes experts from around the world, as well as our own Utah colleagues, at the International Conference on Salt Lake Research this week in Antalya, Turkey. Photo Featuring: Tim Davis, Ben Abbott, Lynn DeFreitas, Bonnie K. Baxter, Ph.D., Christine Rumsey, Georgie Corkery, David Parrott

Two of the Institute's student workers, Miranda Lorenc and Sierra Campbell attended the Wuda Ogwa planting event Saturday to help the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation get plants in the ground before the winter sets in. We were honored to get to participate in this incredible restoration project and we look forward to seeing how the land changes as a result of these events.

Thank you to our friends at Utah Foundation for facilitating a great discussion on their 2024 Utah Priorities Project on campus in Logan today.?Our ILWA student chapter enjoyed hearing from you!