Great Salt Lake Collaborative

Many of us live in Salt Lake or the surrounding area, but historically we haven’t always thought about our city’s namesake — Great Salt Lake — that often. Nowadays this is changing, with the lake getting smaller and smaller (and the consequences entailed) we’re thinking more about the lake and how its survival is vital to all of us. Recognizing that this is a key moment for an extremely important issue, Great Salt Lake Collaborative was created. It is comprised of news, education, and media organizations that have come together to better inform and engage the public about the crisis facing the Great Salt Lake — and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Some of these organizations may even be considered amiable competitors, but they’ve all come together because they believe this issue is too important to cover alone.

The Collaborative came to us to create a site that was informative and engaging, with many of the features you’d expect from a news outlet but with a less traditional “news site” feel. Recognizing that the future of the lake is a serious issue, the Collaborative is largely focused on solutions, so having the site feel positive and vibrant was an early goal. 

The site is set apart from other news sites with elements like interesting facts about the lake, accompanied by a brine shrimp mascot created by the local legend Pat Bagley. The site also highlights quotes and questions from community members, these are taken from a survey the Collaborative has created that you can also fill out and voice your thoughts. Of course since this is a news site, it shares latest stories about Great Salt Lake, with features like viewing related stories, seeing more from the author, seeing all stories from a specific outlet, and links to the stories from their original outlets.

It is incredible that these organizations have come together to cover the issues facing Great Salt Lake. They’ve created this site as a resource for everyone seeking to learn more about the lake and find great journalism from multiple outlets all in one place. We invite you to take a dive into the site, and learn something new about Great Salt Lake.