Great Salt Lake Research Grants

Great Salt Lake Research Grants is sponsored by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. These one-to-two-year research grants focus on current issues facing the Great Salt Lake. The research is used by lake managers to better understand the complex issues.

Great Salt Lake Research Grant | Forestry, Fire & State Lands Website Great Salt Lake Research Grant GSL Research Grant opportunity now open! The Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands is currently requesting proposals for research projects to help improve management of Great Salt Lake (GSL).

Research projects will provide lake managers with a better understanding of the complexities of GSL in order to best inform management decisions. Research project deliverables will be publicly accessible for use and dissemination. Proposals are solicited for one- or two-year research projects that address an aspect of one or more of the “hot topics” listed in the application packet.

Research proposals that do not adhere to any “hot topics,” but offer a significant enhancement of GSL knowledge and/or management needs will also be evaluated. Applications are due by 5 pm on Friday, January 9, 2026. All proposals must be electronic and received attached to an email as a single PDF document.

Absolutely no exceptions will be made for proposals not received by the appointed time. Proposals shall be submitted to Angela Gong at the email address below. Questions regarding the Request for Grant Applications should also be addressed to Angela Gong.

Proposals will be reviewed in December. Grantees will be announced by mid-January. Great Salt Lake Program Manager Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Request for Proposals and Application Materials Fillable Application Forms Frequently Asked Questions Research Grants Final Reports State of Utah Fiscal Years run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

Request for Grant Applications 2026 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team, awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Extremes of salinity matrix–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: The effects of very low and/or high salinity on key species (brine flies, brine shrimp, corixids, some vegetation), especially with respect to life cycle phases Microbialites–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Spatial and elevation distribution throughout lake Recovery rates and conditions after prolonged exposure to air or salinity extremes Relationship to brine flies: when and where are microbialites most key to brine fly life cycles Water budget and management–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Baseline historic natural and return inflows to the lake Quantity, chemistry, location and mode of groundwater flow to GSL.

What is the role of groundwater in sustaining wetlands and microbialites, and GSL water levels, and GSL brine chemistry balance?

Quantity and timing of water needed to support healthy, functioning wetlands of different types Elevation and gaging measurements for Bear River Bay and Willard Spur Relationships between vegetation and water budget Brine flies–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Spatial distribution, success rates of maturation, microbialite health, correlation with bird populations, and/or correlations with environmental parameters like salinity and temperature, especially with respect to life cycle stage Effective monitoring techniques through ground truthing various methods Salt balance–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Salt loss from the lake due to erosion of playa salt and aerosols from lake Phragmites and wetland vegetation–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Spatial extent and temporal distribution of phragmites in GSL wetlands Reestablishment of native vegetation at treated sites through both active and passive reestablishment Changes in water availability in response to phragmites treatment Bird responses to managed areas Effectiveness of novel techniques (e.g., drone imagery and data collection, tasked satellite imagery, computer learning algorithms) applied to GSL vegetation modeling Lake bathymetry–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Temporal and physical scales and variation of sediment distribution, thickness (salt layers vs. other) and control factors for the variation Sub-lake floor expressions of key features such as flooding vs. exposure surfaces, microbialite and other mounds Location of major fault systems, their slip history, and potential impact of future slip events Subbottom expression and distribution of fluid flow, seeps, gases, etc. Microbiome inventory and database–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Baseline microbial taxonomy biodiversity in lake and wetlands Impacts of salinity extremes and low water levels on microbial communities Dust characterization–To inform/improve management, we need to understand: Surface crust dynamics, dust-associated contaminants, and dust hot spots Remote sensing to estimate and monitor crust and hot spot development, and identify areas to monitor mitigation effectiveness Other areas not included that could inform/improve management of Great Salt Lake Congratulations to the FY2026 Great Salt Lake Research Grant awardees: Goodwin/Spangenberg: Phragmites modeling at Farmington Bay WMA Kettenring : Seed-based restoration of Great Salt Lake wetland plant communities in an uncertain water future Neilson : Characterizing Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Inflows via Flow Measurement and Stable Isotope Sampling Putman : Remote Sensing Approaches to Identify Dust Hotspot Vulnerability Reimer : Microbialite Resilience and Ecosystem Implications Schlossnagle : Great Salt Lake Wetlands Integrated Monitoring Project Solomon : Quantifying Groundwater Inflow to Great Salt Lake Our selection process was more challenging than ever this year, with 39 proposals and requests for funding totaling over $4,175,000.

We are grateful to the many people working to understand Great Salt Lake, and are excited to support some of that work. We look forward to using the results of these projects to improve and inform management of the lake and its precious resources.

Request for Grant Applications 2024 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Impacts of Water Level and Water Quality on GSL Biota Mapping, Surveying, and Data Repository Water Budget and In-Lake Routing Request for Grant Applications 2023 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake.

Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Water delivery to GSL wetlands Wetland health and shorebird use Request for Grant Applications 2022 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake.

Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Great Salt Lake salt mass balance Nest success on Great Salt Lake marshes Assessing water delivery and water needs of Great Salt Lake wetlands Native wetland revegetation to restore wetland habitat Invasive plants in wetlands Sources of microplastics to Great Salt Lake Water banking to increase or maintain flows to Great Salt Lake Archaeological investigation Request for Grant Applications 2021 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake.

Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Great Salt Lake waterfowl production Wetland revegetation and restoring ecosystem services Microbial primary production Quantifying the connection between groundwater input to Great Salt Lake and active microbialite communities Groundwater and shoreline surface crust mechanics Modeling the flow through the openings in the causeway Request for Grant Applications 2020 The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake.

Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.

The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were: Effects of low lake levels on air quality Salt balance in Great Salt Lake Dynamics of the deep brine layer Heavy metal distribution in soils and plants of Great Salt Lake wetlands Wetland revegetation and restoring ecosystem services Farmington Bay inundation Microplastics in the Great Salt Lake