Great Salt Lake is recognized regionally, nationally, and around the world for its extensive wetlands and its tremendous and often unparalleled values to migratory birds. These values are derived from the lake's unique physical features, including its immense size, dynamic water levels, diversity of aquatic environments, extensive wetlands, and geographic position in avian migration corridors. These features create a mosaic of habitat types that are attractive to literally millions of migratory birds that use the lake extensively for breeding, staging, and in some cases, a wintering destination.

Over 7.5 million birds, represented by 257 species, utilize the lake
•Over 2.5 million eared grebes, at times over half the North American population
•Up to 20,000 breeding adult pelicans on Gunnison Island
•About 500,000 phalaropes, largest staging concentration in the world, representing 1/3 of world population

As an ecosystem, Great Salt Lake offers an opportunity to study a constantly changing environment that supports unique and diverse organisms from microscopic algae to the resident
bison on Antelope Island.

USEFUL LINKS:

http://www.fws.gov/bearriver/Refuge_Plantlist.pdf less ↑