Tooele County Commissioner Colleen Johnson stands in front of the county courthouse Thursday morning. Johnson has been appointed to the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council.
The 12-person council was created last month to evaluate the uses of the Great Salt Lake and its surrounding ecosystem and develop a vision for the lake’s future.
“They just want us to study what impact growth is going to have on the lake,” Johnson said, adding the lake is important for numerous reasons, including for migrating birds, extracting mineral resources and recreation. “There are economic, recreation and environmental impacts associated with the lake, so that’s basically what this council will study — what’s going on and what shouldn’t go on.”
The governor appointed individuals representing different areas of the lake to the council. Johnson will be representing Tooele County.
“We have an amazing resource in the Great Salt Lake that offers a very diverse set of opportunities for our citizens,” Huntsman said in an August statement. “This Great Salt Lake Council is a unique collection of people who now need to chart a course for how to best utilize all the features of the lake.”
Council members are from all facets of the community, including industry, business, conservation organizations, government and education.
“It’s a pretty diverse group,” Johnson said.
The governor has asked the council to submit an initial recommendation by the end of this year. Ultimately, the council will make policy recommendations regarding the entire Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
In addition to Johnson, council members include: state Sen. Dan Eastman, Rep. Ben Ferry, Neka Roundy (Kaysville Mayor), Bill Fenimore (Wild Bird Center), Dr. Bonnie Baxter (Westminster College), Corey Milne (Great Salt Lake Minerals), Don Leonard (Utah Brine Shrimp Industry), Wilf Sommerkorn (The Nature Conservancy), Lynn DeFreitas (Friends of the Great Salt Lake), and Leland Myers (South Davis Sewer District).
Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com
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