Utah Lake planting parties give community ‘active role’ in restoration
7,500 native plants set along lake's shore
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- Addy Valdez checks up on the plants along Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
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- Bulrush plants grow on the Utah Lake shore in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
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- Bulrush plants grow on the Utah Lake shore in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
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- Bulrush plants grow on the Utah Lake shore in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
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- A group of volunteers plant native plants at Utah Lake for an Earth Day event on Monday, April 22, 2024.
In a series of “planting parties,” around 400 volunteers helped the Utah Lake Authority plant about 7,500 native plants on the shoreline of Utah Lake, part of a larger effort to rejuvenate and conserve the lake.
The lake authority helped organize eight events this spring and early summer, with the agency partnering with cities, community organizations or private groups to host the events.
Over a few months, the volunteers worked to plant about nine different native plant species in five areas around the lake — Sandy Beach, Saratoga Springs Marina, Vineyard Beach, Inlet Park and Powell Slough. Some of the events had just around 25 people, while others were larger, such as one event in Vineyard that had over 120 volunteers working.
All the locations recently had been treated to remove phragmites, an invasive grass that dominates the shoreline, and the native plants being placed to restore the lake’s natural environment and prevent invasive species from returning.
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.
Addy Valdez, ULA conservation biologist, revisited all eight planting sites Thursday to check up on the plants. She said the plants are doing better than expected, with around a 50% survival rate.
At one of the sites in Saratoga Springs, where the lake authority hosted a planting party with Conserve Utah Valley in April, many of the plants had grown significantly, spreading through the portion of the shoreline where the greenery was placed.
Valdez said utilizing volunteers in the planting has helped get the community actively involved in the lake’s restoration and combat the “reputation problem” Utah Lake has.
“So giving these people an experience that’s in a positive light with the lake creates a better sense of place that this is a part of where they live, this is a part of their home. And that prompts them to want to care about it and take care of it more,” she said.
Valdez said getting the community involved not only lets them engage with the lake but also see the progress that is happening behind the scenes.
“A lot of what our next phase of perception alteration is, you know, making sure that people know that work is being done on Utah Lake to make it better,” she said. “A lot of people think it’s stagnant. Nothing’s ever been done, but it’s been through a lot of great changes in the last decade or so.”
Valdez noted that while there is still a lot of work to be done, phragmites have reduced by 74%, the common carp population has fluctuated downward and the June suckers have been downlisted from endangered to threatened.
ULA plans to continue hosting planting parties this fall once the weather is cooler, Valdez said, likely around late September or October.
The agency is working on creating a volunteer page on its website to allow people to sign up to attend or for groups to pick a time to have their own event. Groups who want to organize an event will need to have around 30 people.
Valdez said they also hope to continue partnering with cities and Utah Valley organizations that they have already worked with.
