Celebrating Pride and Conservation
Plus, preliminary shorebird survey results, notes on the Great Salt Lake Issues Forum, new interns, and more!
As we celebrate Pride Month, our team wants to emphasize our belief that folks of all identities have unique and critical knowledge to contribute to conservation. When one community suffers or is kept from sharing their wisdom, all of us—including the ecosystems we're connected with—suffer. Flourishing ecologies require the presence and well-being of all communities.
We also believe that joy is a cultural force. Our team is celebrating this month by wrapping up a transformational staff Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training and hosting our second annual LGBTQ+ community event (see the section below for details).
For Pollinators and People: Dr. Emmanuel Santa-Martínez on Diversity In Pollinator Biology. Video by Sarah Woodbury.
In the video above, get to know part of the incredible Sageland community. Board member Dr. Emmanuel Santa-Martínez is a leader in pollinator conservation, the first Hispanic faculty at Salt Lake Community College, and a part of the queer community.
Thank you to Emmanuel and other inspiring leaders for all your work in the intersections of community, social justice, and ecology!
Join Our Pollinator Pride Party
Queer folks and allies, don't miss our Pollinator Pride Party on June 22! Pollinator experts, food, crafts, biking, and general pride and pollinator joy will rule the morning. Make sure to RSVP below so we can plan for food!
Preliminary Shorebird Survey Results
A black-necked stilt. Photo by Janice Gardner.
Despite the rain and cold, our volunteers showed up for the shorebirds! Here's a breakdown of the Spring 2024 Shorebird Survey.
We counted 29,662 shorebirds and 18,639 White-faced Ibis across Great Salt Lake, Amalga Barrens Sanctuary, Utah Lake, and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge.
66 unique areas were surveyed across Utah
93 surveyors contributed over 600 hours to make it happen!
24 species of shorebirds were documented
Rarities
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Dunlin
Most Abundant Shorebirds
American Avocet (AMAV) - 13,111
Black-necked Stilt (BNST) - 5,045
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher (XDOW) - 4,697
We saw fewer birds than last spring, and this data is an important piece of the puzzle to understand shorebird populations and habitat use. We will continue to analyze the data and compare it to regional observations across the Intermountain West. Let's celebrate this accomplishment as we gear up for the next survey!
Great Salt Lake Issues Forum Update
Sageland Collaborative presented and participated in the Great Salt Lake Issues Forum in May. Hosted by Friends of Great Salt Lake, this bi-annual event is the premier forum for collaborative dialogue about the Lake and to explore all aspects of ecology, geology, economy, history, and spirit.
Max Malmquist, our partner at National Audubon Society, and Janice Gardner, Executive Director of Sageland Collaborative, shared results from the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey. Photo: Ken Kraus
Janice Gardner, Rose Smith, and Max Malmquist were lucky to spend time with Marcela Castellino and Pedro César Costa, our Argentinian friends from our sister salt lake, Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina. Photo: Ken Kraus
Janice Gardner, Executive Director of Sageland Collaborative, presented with Max Malmquist, our partner at National Audubon Society. The crowd was eager to learn that Great Salt Lake is providing habitat for half the region's shorebirds during peak migration periods. Photo: Ken Kraus
Thank you to all of our colleagues for sharing your work! To listen to the conference, check out the Friends of Great Salt Lake recording.
For more information on our work with shorebirds, visit our Intermountain West Migratory Shorebird Survey page.
It's Not Too Late to Join Our Projects
Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Our Boreal Toad Project and Utah Pollinator Pursuit projects have started—but it's not too late to join! If you like being outside during the summer, this is a great opportunity to use some of that time to give back to the wildlife and places you love. Plus, you'll learn new skills, meet people, and get to know your local landscapes in a new way.
Visit our project pages below to learn how to get started. ¡También tenemos materiales del proyecto disponibles en español!
Introducing Our Interns
A big welcome to our 2024 summer interns, who have all joined us now! We're lucky to have such incredible young professionals join us every summer.
Danielle Terry - Riverscape Restoration Ecology Intern
Jimena Santana De Niz -Conservation Communications Intern
Alhondra Lopez - Communications & Outreach Intern
Harmony Brenish - Riverscape Restoration Ecology Intern
Summer Staff Recommendation
Time for another staff recommendation, this time from Communications & Outreach Director Sarah Woodbury!
For the Wild - "Local leader Olivia Juarez recommended this podcast to me years ago, which I now listen to religiously! I love the variety of interwoven perspectives, fields, and topics, and that the conversations are in service of the more-than-human world. It has become my favorite podcast."
19 Varieties of Gazelle - "This book of poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye is elegant, raw, and mystical at once. It has helped me keep my heart open and awake while witnessing the genocide of Palestinians. I highly recommend it."
Emm Clark (Avian Ecologist at Sageland Collaborative) and Keith Hambrecht (Restoration Manager at Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands) survey for shorebirds. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Thank you for loving wildlife and lands in the West!
Make your gift today to support the future of conservation.
Visit the project page on our website, check out our Impact Report, or connect with us on social media (see links below) to learn more about our conservation work. Please feel free to contact us any time to share your volunteer stories, questions, or suggestions.