The lake is dying, and so are we: Utah's inaction is poisoning our future
Autumn Featherstone, 19, and friends wore gas masks and bright T-shirts listing their demands of how the Utah Legislature should help the Great Salt Lake as they sat the Utah House gallery in a protest on Feb. 24, 2025. They were quickly removed. (Courtesy of Autumn Featherstone)
On Feb. 24, 2025, my friends and I were kicked out of the Utah House of Representatives gallery. Why? Because after House Speaker Mike Schultz ignored multiple phone calls and emails, we tried to deliver a petition to him directly. When our petition was refused once again, we donned gas masks and bright T-shirts inscribed with our demands and walked silently into the House gallery. Within minutes, we were removed by security.
We wrote our petition in response to Schultz's call for a 'pause' on Great Salt Lake-related water legislation for the 2025 session, and the announcement that Utah would be hosting the 2034 Olympics. We demanded the following actions to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake by 2034:
No new water diversions or developments that would further deplete the Great Salt Lake.
Increase water flow to the Great Salt Lake by 1 million acre-feet per year, restoring the lake to a minimum elevation of 4,198 feet.
Commit to continuous assessment of water policy, ensuring that solutions are adaptive and responsive to the evolving crisis.
Nearly 250 Utahns signed this petition, but it still hasn't reached the legislator's desk.
I have lived my entire life less than an hour from the Great Salt Lake. Yet, like it was for many residents of Utah, the lake was simply an afterthought. It was only when I heard about the serious risks tied to its drying up that I started to pay attention. The Great Salt Lake is a breathtaking, unique ecosystem that is a vital stopover for millions of birds during migration. It is also a thin blanket that protects millions of people from decades of buildup of toxic metals in the lakebed. Currently, over 900 square miles of lakebed are exposed, and 2.8 million Utahns breathe the pollution downwind — including me.
The lake is essential to my survival and future as a young person. I am 19 years old and I want to spend the rest of my life here in this beautiful state, but if our legislators continue to ignore this ongoing crisis, I will have to leave my home behind. I am inheriting a world that has been discarded by legislators who make decisions about my future while shutting out my voice. They are silencing youth and refusing to take action on the issues that matter to us, while putting their energy towards legislation that actively harms us.
Despite the massive impacts of the lake drying up, Mike Schultz placed a moratorium on major water bills, citing the need for 'a break.' But the legislature seemed to have plenty of energy for legislation that harms youth rather than helping us. This legislative session, Utah became the first state to ban pride flags in all school and government buildings, making it harder for queer youth to find safe spaces in their schools. Lawmakers also passed legislation barring transgender students from living in dorms that align with their gender identity, and approved another bill that restricts comprehensive health education in schools. They're also trying to end collective bargaining rights for the upcoming generation of public sector workers.
These issues on education, workers' rights, public health, LGBTQ+ rights, and lack of adequate environmental policy all stem from the same crisis: a government that ignores science, dismisses the voices of young people and other marginalized communities, and targets the most vulnerable instead of protecting us. By spending so much time and resources actively infringing on our human rights, they are passively infringing on our right to a healthy environment. Air pollution shortens our lives by two years — queer people, educators, and unions do not. But instead of addressing existential issues head-on, legislators are 'rearranging deck chairs' on a sinking ship. They need to get their priorities straight.
Utah claims to be the country's most 'family-friendly' state, yet its policies are anything but. The Utah legislature is ignoring the issues that matter most to young people while spending all their time pushing bills that disproportionately harm us. Despite the legislature's best efforts, youth are still fighting. Even though our emails, calls, text messages, and in-person requests to deliver the petition were ignored, we are not giving up. We are continuing to demand that the state take the necessary steps to protect the Great Salt Lake and our future.
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