Utah Finalizes $60 Million Settlement with Federal Government for Great Salt Lake Conservation
Utah and the federal government have finalized a $60 million settlement to resolve a long-standing dispute over 22,311 surface acres near the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Corinne, Box Elder County. The agreement stipulates that the state will receive $60 million over the next few years for Great Salt Lake projects, in exchange for dropping its claims to the land. These acres will be added to the refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Governor Spencer Cox stated that this is a significant win for the health of the Great Salt Lake, transforming a decades-old disagreement into substantial funding for the lake. The dispute over land ownership has existed for at least two decades, stemming from the lake's fluctuating water levels that raised questions about property lines near the refuge, originally established in the 1920s. Utah leaders passed a resolution during the legislative session to facilitate the settlement, which quadrupled the previously offered amount of $15 million f...
