GSL 5 Easy Steps to Help
You can protect the Great Salt Lake right now without spending a dime. These fast, no-donation actions target invasive Phragmites to save our water and native wetlands. Every simple step you take helps secure vital resources and grants for our local conservation efforts.
By registering with our network, you allow us to aggregate public power and keep you informed when a critical, phragmites-specific petition or funding opportunity arises.
• The Action: Enter your Name, Email, and City or ZIP Code into our custom form below.
• How it Works: We monitor the big 501(c)(3) groups like Ducks Unlimited and FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake[Ducks Unlimited Official Site, FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake]. When a critical water or invasive species funding bill hits the Utah State Senate, we sort our database by legislative districts. We then equip you with a two-click link to show your local Senator exactly how many verified voters in their immediate neighborhood demand action, giving lawmakers the political cover they need to approve multi-million dollar environmental budgets.
Local governments can play an important role in supporting invasive species management, especially on city-owned land and drainage areas. Coordination, funding, and public awareness can all make a meaningful difference.
We’ve created a simple email template you can use to respectfully encourage your local leaders to support these efforts and work alongside state and conservation partners.
The Action: Find your city or town, visit its official website, and look for your mayor, city council, city manager, or public works department.
Next check out the sample email drafts and email your local leader to voice the lake concern
State environmental teams possess the heavy machinery, drones, and funding required to eliminate these weeds, but they cannot spray what they cannot see. They rely heavily on citizen scientists to act as field scouts to map outbreaks before they spread out of control.
• The Identification: Look for dense, towering walls of reeds reaching up to 15 feet tall. They feature woody, hollow stalks, dark green leaves, and prominent, fluffy, purple-to-tan seed heads at the very top.
• The Action: Download the free EDDMapS app (available for iOS and Android) [Utah Weed Control Association]. When you spot phragmites along the Jordan River, local streams, or mountain trail drainages, open the app, snap a clear photo, and upload the location data point [Utah Weed Control Association]. This maps the GPS coordinates directly into the database used by the Utah Geological Survey and state land managers to deploy targeted eradication teams [Utah Geological Survey phragmites mapping].
Utah landowners may be able to get technical guidance—and in some cases financial assistance or access to an existing treatment project.
If you find Phragmites on your property, start by contacting your county weed office. Help varies by county, but some may treat the infestation for free, offer treatment for a fee, provide herbicide, loan application equipment, or give you guidance on the best way to control it. If your county cannot help directly, they can often connect you with a local Conservation District or regional weed-control partnership that may provide technical support, supplies, funding assistance, or help organize treatment when several neighboring landowners are dealing with the same problem. In short, report the problem and ask what assistance is available before trying to handle a large infestation alone.
Discover our game Weeds Garden Takeover
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