Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA is North America’s largest and most ecologically important terminal basin lake. The lake sits at the confluence of the Pacific and Central flyways and serves as a migratory hub for ten million birds across two continents. Its central geography and rich food supply makes Great Salt Lake and the surrounding wetlands the single most important bird habitat in the American West. After decades of unchecked water diversion and severe drought, the Great Salt Lake ecosystem is under threat and the future of this globally important habitat is uncertain.

Bordered by alpine mountains to the east and stark desert to the west, Great Salt Lake is a visual wonderland. The lake is so large that at some points the horizon disappears due to the curvature of the earth, and the landscape conspires with space and light to produce surreal effects at times. Despite its severity, Great Salt Lake is full of life and color - and this is the side of the lake that I try to portray. My “Ten Million Birds” project seeks to reinvent our conceptions around Great Salt Lake - to portray this lake as a treasure, a wild place of astonishing beauty, and one of the most important wildlife habitats on the continent.

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