New Team Members, A Rare Bumble Bee, and Wasatch Wildlife Watch Making Waves
We're excited to welcome the newest member of our team, Rose Smith! Rose has an extensive background in ecosystem ecology and stream work and will be focusing on our Stream & Riparian Restoration program.
Rose Smith, our new Stream Ecologist, building a stream restoration structure to heal one of Utah's degraded streams.
Rose says, "Conservation is important to me for so many reasons. On a pragmatic level, we humans require a habitat, clean water, and clean air to survive just like any other species. There is also inherent value in conservation beyond direct benefits to people. To quote Terry Tempest Williams, "We are not the only species that lives and loves and breathes and grieves on this miraculous planet called Earth...". We have the tools to repair our relationship with the natural world through restoration, stewardship, and education."
Western Bumble Bee, found and photographed by Skye Sieber.
First Western Bumble Bee Documented On Our Project
Pollinator volunteers, your hard work is paying off. We're thrilled to announce that volunteer Skye Sieber documented the first sighting of a Western Bumble Bee on our project!
This bee has seen drastic population declines in recent years. Documenting individuals, habitats, and other species information supports planning for their conservation.
More Stream Dates Posted
Stream restoration on a small degraded stream in Utah.
Join us on our Stream Restoration project for a fun day outside restoring Utah's degraded streams. You'll meet other volunteers, learn about the landscape, and make a difference for wildlife. (You can even sometimes see the habitat start to change for the better during just one day out working!) Visit our project page to see the newest dates we've posted and sign up to join upcoming projects.
If you're not able to volunteer, you can still provide crucial support by donating or sharing our work.
Wasatch Wildlife Watch Making Waves for Wildlife Conservation
Wasatch Wildlife Watch project leads Mary Pendergast and Austin Green recently participated in a study on how wildlife respond to urban development.
In a recent interview with UPR about this research, Austin described the study questions, saying, “Could we identify species that were pre-susceptible to the effects of urbanization based on their biological traits or their life history? We wanted to see if these traits could predict how species may respond to urbanization.”
This research supports development and planning that not only considers human needs, but also includes the needs of wildlife.
Volunteers of the Month
Steven Schmidt
Becky Yeager
Steven Schmidt setting up a wildlife camera
"Our community is fortunate to have a large population of volunteers that value nature and wildlife. Northern Utah is growing rapidly and there is a need for green space, parks, forests and wilderness. Protecting wildlife and their habitat is crucial in providing recreation and learning opportunities for our residents. A way to have an impact is to get involved, provide some sweat equity, and have your voice heard."
Steven volunteers on the Wasatch Wildlife Watch project.
Becky examines milkweed plants for signs of monarchs
"Pollinators are indicators of the overall health of our environment. When pollinators decline, we know that we are also harming our Earth, our food sources, and ourselves. I believe we all need to do our part to reduce those impacts by preserving habitat and movement corridors, reducing our chemical use, and participating in citizen scientist programs to help collect vital data. We can do better!"
Becky volunteers on the Utah Pollinator Pursuit project.
A huge thank you to these and all our amazing volunteers and donors. Our projects are only possible because of your commitment to wildlife.
Just a few of the hundreds of tiny toadlets documented on one site visit.
Surveying for boreal toads on a field trip.
Hundreds of Baby Boreal Toads in a Time of Drought
We were excited to see over 100 tiny boreal toadlets—plus one tadpole—on a recent survey camp trip! Thank you to the volunteers, project partners, and interns who spent a few days in the rain and braving long back roads for this project.
We were also happy to see some bonus herpetofauna (a word that refers to reptiles and amphibians in a region) on the trip: boreal chorus frogs, tiger salamanders, and a few garter snakes.
On the same trip, other sites where our team normally sees boreal toads this time of year were dried up. This unfortunate reality highlights why data from you, our community scientists, is so crucial. With information gathered on toad populations over the past few years, scientists are better equipped to understand how populations may be impacted by factors like this year's drought. They can also use this data to plan for future conservation.
Without this project, made possible by volunteers and donors like you, it would be difficult to determine the ways boreal toad populations are shifting and how best to approach their conservation. Community scientists offer hope for conservation in challenging circumstances.
Welcoming Our New Board Chair
Jaimi Butler, incoming Board Chair, with two of her passions: pelicans and Great Salt Lake
Jaimi Butler has been on the Wild Utah Project Board since 2020, and we're excited to welcome her as our new Board Chair! Currently, Jaimi is the coordinator and co-creator of Great Salt Lake Instituteat Westminster College, where she is passionate about connecting people to Great Salt Lake through research and education. With a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from Utah State University, as well as 20 years of experience in field biology, wildlife research and management, and community-based science (among many other areas of specialty), we're thrilled to have her continue in this added capacity.
Check out Jaimi's recent interviews for NPR's "Utah's Great Salt Lake Is Turning Into Dust" and CNN's "Great Salt Lake is shrinking fast. Scientists demand action before it becomes a toxic dustbin."
Joe Donaldson, outgoing Board Chair
A huge thank you to outgoing Board Chair Joe Donaldson. His leadership abilities, deep care for wildlife, and extensive background in conservation areas—ranging from ecological restoration to open space planning to management for endangered species—have made his impact on our work invaluable. He'll still be on the Board, but will be passing on the presidential responsibilities after his dedicated service. Thank you so much, Joe!
Thank You for Joining Us
We were excited to see so many of you at our event with Little City onSaturday, July 31!
Thank you for supporting our work and joining for live music, food, and summer fun. If you didn't get a chance to attend or donate, feel free to do so here.
Photo of the event by Janice Gardner.
Intern Highlights
Field Ecology Intern, University of Utah
Ecology Intern, Westminster College
Field Ecology Intern, Utah State University
Visit the project page on our website or connect with us on social media (see links below) to learn more about our conservation work, and please contact us with any questions or suggestions.