Programs

FRIENDS hosts multiple programs throughout our focus areas of Education, Research, Advocacy, and The Arts. 

Education:

Lakeside Learning - Each year we bring over 2,000 students from Utah Elementary Schools to Great Salt Lake for inquiry-based field trips that promote stewardship of the Lake. 

Summer Camps -  For three weeks each summer, We partner with the Natural History Museum of Utah and University of Utah Youth Education to offer exciting and adventurous summer camps based on the science and ecology of Great Salt Lake.

Research:

Great Salt Lake Issues Forum - Every two years, FRIENDS hosts a Great Salt Lake Issues Forum. The purpose of the forum is to encourage constructive dialogue about the future of the Lake’s ecosystem and its resources, and to illuminate the complexities involved in research, management, and planning for the Lake. The next Issues Forum will happen in May 2026. 

Doyle W. Stephens Research Program - In honor of Stephens' research, this scholarship provides support to undergraduate and graduate students engaged in new or on-going research that focuses on Great Salt Lake and its ecosystem.

Advocacy:

We strive to build collaborative partnerships to promote Great Salt Lake watershed health and habitat sustainability. Our advocacy work takes many shapes, including participation on advisory committees, working with policy-makers, participating in important comment periods, and when necessary, working with legal resources to elevate the importance of these issues to get the attention needed for responsible results. 

The Arts:

Alfred Lambourne Arts Program - Since 2014, FRIENDS has celebrated the relationship between local artists and one of Utah’s most precious natural resources, Great Salt Lake in the Alfred Lambourne Arts Program. Through artistic expression, we enhance our capacity to build awareness about the Lake and our need to preserve and protect it for the future.