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The State And Fate Of The Great Salt Lake

Renee Bright / KUER

There’s no sugarcoating it: The Great Salt Lake is dying. In fact, the obituary has already been written, and according to the people studying the problem, we may only have a matter of months before the fate of the lake and all that it supports is sealed for good.

Contrary to what some people may think, the Great Salt Lake is more than a stinky, bug-infested, hydrological dead-end. It supports close to two billion dollars in economic activity, serves as a crucial migratory stop for 10 million birds a year, and if catch it in the right mood at the right place, says the molecular biologist Bonnie Baxter, it’s just plain beautiful. Baxter has studied the lake for 25 years, and she joins us on the show this week at noon to lay out why we should value the Great Salt Lake and why we should act to save it before it’s too late.

GUESTS:

-Karen Piper: Professor of English at the University of Missouri

-Lindsay Whitehurst: Reporter for the Associated Press

-Bonnie Baxter: Professor of Biology at Westminster College, Director of the Great Salt Lake Institute

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.