FARMINGTON BAY, Utah — Three of Utah's most prominent and wealthy families donated millions toward efforts to reverse the Great Salt Lake's declines.
Through their businesses and family philanthropic foundations, the Miller, Maggelet and Marriott families each pledged $10 million to Great Salt Lake Rising, a group created by businessman Josh Romney to raise private funding to help the lake. At an event here on Monday, they announced the donations.
"I really think it sends a powerful message about these big families, pillars of our communities, family foundations and businesses stepping up in a massive way to say the lake’s important to us," said Tim Hawkes, a former state lawmaker who is the director of Great Salt Lake Rising.
Each of the donors had reasons for contributing millions. Drew Maggelet, a member of the board of Maverik, which is Utah's largest convenience store chain, said he was alarmed at the lake's decline.
"Especially as a young parent, I understand how critical the lake is to the future of the Wasatch Front. We wanted to make sure we're in early and that we were in strong to do everything we can to preserve the lake," he told FOX 13 News.
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His mother, Crystal Maggelet, the CEO of Maverik's parent company, FJ Management, said she wanted to see her money be used to buy water rights for the Great Salt Lake or invest in new technologies that conserve water.
"If we don’t step up and do something about it? We’re not going to have the opportunity, if we wait. So we’re committed to making it better," Gail Miller, the head of the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation, told FOX 13 News.
The financial donations by the three families is significant, said Dr. Ben Abbott of the environmental group Grow the Flow. With more than 80% of the lake's declines tied to human use, there are many things that money can buy. For example, they can purchase water rights, help fund efforts to get agriculture producers to switch to technologies that grow crops with less water, or better promote water conservation.
"This isn’t just throwing money into the fire, right?" Dr. Abbott said. "It’s really putting fuel into the engine to put the lake rescue forward."
Governor Spencer Cox has set a goal to get the Great Salt Lake to a healthy level by 2034. Utah political leaders have spent roughly $1 billion and pushed numerous pieces of legislation aimed at helping the lake and promoting water conservation. The lake has declined dramatically, impacted by water diversions, drought and changes to our climate. It presents an ecological crisis for the state with reduced snowpack that provides a lot of drinking water for Utahns, dust storms that push toxic chemicals into communities (arsenic is among the naturally-occurring minerals in the lake bed) from an exposed playa, and impacts to public health and wildlife.
Drew Maggelet called on other businesses across Utah to step up and get more involved in lake rescue efforts. Crystal Maggelet said Maverik may also implement steps to save water at their stores.
"There’s not one individual in the state that can’t think about water conservation. No matter what your economic means are, you can conserve water," she said. "You can water your grass less, you can wash your car less. That’s really fundamentally what everyone can do."
Hawkes said Great Salt Lake Rising is working to secure other private donations for lake restoration efforts. But he called on everyone to help the lake.
"It's so important for us to just step up and not say what can somebody else do save the lake? But say what can I do to save the lake? Individually do. How can I contribute and make a difference?" he said. "If everybody did that? We'd be a lot further along in this process."
This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.
