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A group of volunteers plant native plants at Utah Lake for an Earth Day event on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Volunteers plant a row of native plants at Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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A freshly planted plug of Nebraska sedge pokes up from the soil around Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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A group of volunteers plants native plants at Utah Lake for an Earth Day event Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Volunteers carry a tray of plant plugs at Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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A freshly planted plug of bulrush pokes out of the soil on the edge of Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Rows of freshly planted native plants dot the shoreline of Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Volunteers plant native plants at Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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A group of volunteers plant native plants at Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Volunteers carry a tray of plant plugs at Utah Lake on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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To celebrate Earth Day, the Utah Lake Authority has been inviting volunteers to help plant native species on the shore of Utah Lake.

About 25 volunteers, including children, showed up Monday evening and, in about an hour, planted about 700 starts in the muddy shoreline near Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs. The lake authority also held a similar event in Vineyard on Saturday morning in partnership with Vineyard City.

Addy Valdez, a conservation biologist with the Utah Lake Authority, said the group had volunteers planting in spots on the shoreline that are ready for revegetation after being treated for phragmites, an invasive grass.

“Putting those native species in there really just helps the shoreline be more of a long-lasting and healthy ecosystem, kind of bringing it back to what it was pre-phragmites. But it’s definitely a challenge and it’s gonna take some time,” she said.

Phragmites are not native to the lake and cause a host of problems, such as crowding out native plants, blocking waterways and negatively impacting wildlife habitats.

During the Vineyard event, Valdez said about 120 volunteers planted around 3,000 plugs in over an hour in five different spots along the shore.

In Saratoga Springs, community members planted native wetland species, including three different varieties of bulrush, which grow in the water, and Nebraska sedge, which Valdez said does well on a high water line without being submerged in water.

“These species are going to do really well and perform well going in the ground right now,” she said. “I’m excited to see how they turn out.”

Wendy Cone, a Saratoga Springs resident, said she came to the event because she believes it’s important to look after the land.

“Too many times, we leave it to someone else to do,” she said. “And I’ve always taught my children that it starts with you.”

With Utah being in a higher water year, Valdez said they hope a native “seed bank” will be able to establish on the shoreline, allowing for the native plants to have a continued presence year after year.

“As the water fluctuates, goes up and down, we’ll be able to have that seed bank to rely on even if those original plants aren’t in place anymore,” she said. “So it’s kind of just planning for the longevity of the shoreline as well as the resilience against phragmites.”

The lake authority also partnered with Conserve Utah Valley for the event.

Teri Harman, director of public outreach for Conserve Utah Valley, said they got involved in the event to encourage more community involvement regarding Utah Lake in the northern Utah County area.

Harman said Utah Lake has a “reputation issue,” leading to some residents having a poor perception of the lake, and added that it’s important to have people visit it.

“Getting people to the lake to see how amazing it is and have a physical and emotional connection to the lake is so important for helping protect it,” she said.

Valdez also noted the importance of Utahns visiting the lake to “appreciate what it’s like to live on a lake.”

“It’s always great just to be out on the trails around Utah Lake and learning about what you’re growing up around and what you’re living with,” she said.

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