Request for Grant Applications 2025
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (“Division”) requests proposals for research projects that will further knowledge of Great Salt Lake (“GSL”). Research projects will provide lake managers with a better understanding of the complexities of GSL in order to best inform management decisions. Research project deliverables will be publicly accessible for use and dissemination.
Last year, our Research and Grants Subcommittee chose four broad “Hot Topics” that encompass a variety of research potential on Great Salt Lake. We have chosen to keep those Hot Topics for this FY 2025 cycle due to their ability to cast a wide net. The Hot Topics are as follows:
- Impacts of Water Level and Water Quality on GSL Biota
- Mapping, Surveying, and Data Repository
- Ecosystem Dynamics
- Water Budget and In-Lake Routing
The Division was appropriated extra funds in the 2023 Legislative Session to put towards research on Great Salt Lake. FY 2025 applicants will have the opportunity to request larger dollar amounts per project, compared to previous grant cycles.
We look forward to another year of research on Great Salt Lake that helps our Division inform better management, and we appreciate your new or continued participation in this grant program.
2025 Request for Grant Application – deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024, at 5:00 PM.
Please contact Angela Gong, agong@utah.gov with any questions.
Request for Grant Applications 2024
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.
The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were:
- Impacts of Water Level and Water Quality on GSL Biota
- Mapping, Surveying, and Data Repository
- Ecosystem Dynamics
- Water Budget and In-Lake Routing
Request for Grant Applications 2023
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.
The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were:
- Causeway breach flow
- Microbialites
- Water delivery to GSL wetlands
- Wetland health and shorebird use
- GSL and dust
- Lakebed mapping
Request for Grant Applications 2022
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.
The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were:
- Great Salt Lake salt mass balance
- Nest success on Great Salt Lake marshes
- Assessing water delivery and water needs of Great Salt Lake wetlands
- Native wetland revegetation to restore wetland habitat
- Invasive plants in wetlands
- Sources of microplastics to Great Salt Lake
- Water banking to increase or maintain flows to Great Salt Lake
- Archaeological investigation
Request for Grant Applications 2021
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.
The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were:
- Gunnison Bay salt crust
- Great Salt Lake waterfowl production
- Wetland revegetation and restoring ecosystem services
- Microbial primary production
- Quantifying the connection between groundwater input to Great Salt Lake and active microbialite communities
- Groundwater and shoreline surface crust mechanics
- Modeling the flow through the openings in the causeway
Request for Grant Applications 2020
The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands at the recommendation of the Research and Grants subcommittee of the Great Salt Lake Technical Team awarded grants for research project work on the Great Salt Lake. Proposals came from universities, government agencies, and private consulting and/or research firms.
The “hot topics” the Great Salt Lake Technical Team addressed with this round of funding were:
- Effects of low lake levels on air quality
- Salt balance in Great Salt Lake
- Dynamics of the deep brine layer
- Heavy metal distribution in soils and plants of Great Salt Lake wetlands
- Wetland revegetation and restoring ecosystem services
- Causeway flow
- Farmington Bay inundation
- Microplastics in the Great Salt Lake
Cover Sheets for all 2020 proposed projects
Projects that received grants are marked with an *