Provo was saved from changing its logo to a carp on Friday morning.

Meeting at the iced-over harbor of Utah Lake State Park, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. joined dozens of state and local officials in signing an agreement to form the Utah Lake Commission.

Lake officials brought a boat filled with 3,000 pounds of carp, glittering in the sun, to demonstrate the work that needs to be done to clean up Utah Lake. Huntsman joked that Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings had threatened to turn Provo's logo into a picture of a carp if the governor did not support the commission.

Billings in turn joked that he would like to introduce to Utah County the lake's new "adopt-a-carp" program.

"Your carp are waiting," he said to those gathered. "Go pick one out."

One of the tasks of the commission will be to apply for grants toward getting rid of the lake's 5 million-plus adult carp, which are ravaging the lake's ecosystem, he said.

The lake has some growing up to do, and the new commission will help determine the lake's future, officials said. Issues surrounding the lake range from disputes over who owns portions of the shoreline, to the future of development here, to efforts to save the June sucker. The fish is native only to Utah Lake and is one of the world's most endangered aquatic species.

Historian Robert Carter said that for the first time in decades, public opinion is beginning to swing in favor of the lake, its ecosystem and its economic potential.

"I've really been gratified with the changes that have occurred in the last five years as far as attitudes toward the lake are concerned," he said. "It really does seem to me like there is the beginning of change."

The June Sucker recovery program, formed to comply with federal regulations after the June sucker was listed as an endangered species, "got the ball rolling" toward changing the public's feeling for the lake, he said. The recovery program's work has included a book about the lake's history, written by Carter, and a documentary based on the book.

State and local government has long ignored the lake because no one wanted to spend money on it or take responsibility, he said.

Billings said the commission will have a start-up budget of $300,000, paid by the cities and agencies that make up the commission. The commission's first action will be to hire two full-time staff members before launching work on a master plan for the lake.

There is a lot of disagreement about how the lake should be managed, but it is a historic sign of cooperation that agencies, municipalities, landowners and concerned residents that share a stake in the lake have supported the commission, Billings said. The commission will have no formal authority over the lake but it will be a way for agencies and cities to work together toward a common vision.

Utah County mayors had to "pick ourselves up off the floor" when state officials first agreed to support a commission led by local cities, Billings said.

Huntsman pledged that state officials would no longer be the ones "saying no to everything" when it comes to managing Utah Lake. The commission's job will be to make Utah Lake the "centerpiece" of Utah County, he said.

"We are not going to make much progress until we all come together with a common sense of destiny and purpose," he said.

Utah County Engineer Clyde Naylor said there had been many previous attempts to form a Utah Lake authority and all failed. The commission was successful because it never asked for taxing authority.

Chris Keleher of the state Department of Natural Resources said the commission marked "a step toward coordination and managing the lake as a whole system ... to improve the lake for the whole community."

"In my opinion it is a historic day," Naylor said.

The importance of the day did not dampen the banter between the governor and Provo's mayor.

"I will put this up on eBay tonight," said Billings, taking the first copy of the agreement signed by Huntsman.

"Tell me what you get," Huntsman said without missing a beat. With that, the hour-long meeting adjourned.

Caleb Warnock can be reached at 443-3263 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A3.