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Great Salt Lake Research Grant opportunity now open! The Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands is 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 to best inform management decisions. Research project deliverables will be publicly accessible for use and dissemination.

About the Grant

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.

The successful applicant must indicate the relevance and importance of the work to GSL, demonstrate how it will benefit the overall understanding of GSL, show how it builds on previous or current research, and connect the work to improved management of GSL. Additionally, proposed projects should advance the goals and objectives of the GSL Comprehensive Management Plan and GSL Commissioner’s Strategic Plan.

Hot Topics

• 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
  • Other related topics
• 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
  • Other related topics
• 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
  • Other related topics
• Brine flies – To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
  • Population and health
  • 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
  • Other related topics
• 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
  • Other related topics
• 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
  • Other related topics
• 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.
  • Other related topics
• 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
  • Impacts on food web
  • Other related topics
• 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 related topics
• Other areas not included that could inform/improve management of Great Salt Lake

Application Details

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. 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.

Contact

Questions regarding the Request for Grant Applications should be addressed to:

Angela Gong
Great Salt Lake Program Manager
Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
agong@utah.gov
(385) 226-3333

Resources

• Request for Proposals and Application Materials
• Fillable Application Forms
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Research Grants Final Reports

Previous Awardees

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.