Great Salt Lake Research Grants

Request for Grant Applications Fiscal Year 2026

The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands requests proposals for research projects that will improve management of Great Salt Lake. 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.

Differently than in the past, FFSL is now inviting and encouraging two-year projects as well as one-year projects. Of FFSL’s FY2026 grant funds, a portion will be used for one-year projects, and the remaining funds will be reserved for the Year 1 expenses for two-year projects. 

The Great Salt Lake Technical Team, through its Research and Grants Subcommittee, has identified nine general “hot topics” that research proposals might address, either individually or in combination. Proposals are solicited for one- and two-year research projects that address an aspect of one or more of the “hot topics” listed below. Research proposals that do not adhere to any “hot topics,” but pose a significant enhancement of GSL knowledge and/or management need will also be evaluated.

1. Extremes of salinity matrix–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. The effects of very low and/or high salinity on key species (brine flies, brine shrimp, corixids, some vegetation), especially with respect to life cycle phases
2. Other
2. Microbialites–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Spatial and elevation distribution throughout lake
2. Recovery rates and conditions after prolonged exposure to air or salinity extremes
3. Relationship to brine flies: when and where are microbialites most key to brine fly life cycles
4. Other
3. Water budget and management–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Baseline historic natural and return inflows to the lake
2. Quantity, chemistry, location and mode of groundwater flow to GSL. What is the role of groundwater in sustaining wetlands and microbialites, and GSL water levels, and GSL brine chemistry balance?
3. Quantity and timing of water needed to support healthy, functioning wetlands of different types
4. Elevation and gaging measurements for Bear River Bay and Willard Spur
5. Relationships between vegetation and water budget
6. Other
4. Brine flies–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Population and health
2. Spatial distribution, success rates of maturation, microbialite health, correlation with bird populations, and/or correlations with environmental parameters like salinity and temperature, especially with respect to life cycle stage
3. Effective monitoring techniques through ground truthing various methods
4. Other
5. Salt balance–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Salt loss from the lake due to erosion of playa salt and aerosols from lake
2. Other
6. Phragmites and wetland vegetation–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Spatial extent and temporal distribution of phragmites in GSL wetlands
2. Reestablishment of native vegetation at treated sites through both active and passive reestablishment
3. Changes in water availability in response to phragmites treatment
4. Bird responses to managed areas
5. Effectiveness of novel techniques (e.g., drone imagery and data collection, tasked satellite imagery, computer learning algorithms) applied to GSL vegetation modeling
6. Other
7. Lake bathymetry–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Temporal and physical scales and variation of sediment distribution, thickness (salt layers vs. other) and control factors for the variation
2. Sub-lake floor expressions of key features such as flooding vs. exposure surfaces, microbialite and other mounds
3. Location of major fault systems, their slip history, and potential impact of future slip events
4. Subbottom expression and distribution of fluid flow, seeps, gases, etc.
5. Other
8. Microbiome inventory and database–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Baseline microbial taxonomy biodiversity in lake and wetlands
2. Impacts of salinity extremes and low water levels on microbial communities
3. Impacts on food web
4. Other
9. Dust characterization–To inform/improve management, we need to understand:
1. Surface crust dynamics, dust-associated contaminants, and dust hot spots
2. Remote sensing to estimate and monitor crust and hot spot development, and identify areas to monitor mitigation effectiveness
3. Other
10. Other
1. Other areas not included that could inform/improve management of Great Salt Lake

All proposals must be electronic and received attached to an email as a PDF document. Each proposal must be received no later than Friday, April 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM. Absolutely no exceptions will be made for proposals not received by the appointed time. Proposals shall be submitted to Angela Gong at the email address below. Questions regarding the Request for Grant Applications should also be addressed to Angela Gong.

Application Materials

Frequently Asked Questions

Angela Gong
Great Salt Lake Program Manager
Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
agong@utah.gov
(385) 226-3333

Research Grants Final Reports

State of Utah Fiscal Years run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.