Looking at the same area today, few would guess it was a hot spot for off-road enthusiasts a year ago were it not for a now-abandoned dirt pathway. But more than a reminder of recreational ruin, this land now serves a refuge for the snowy plover, a small blackish-brown bird found around the world. The largest inland plover population, however, lives at the Great Salt Lake in the prime habitat provided by the area's saline flats. The birds live in symbiotic relationships with the lake's brine flies.

However, the snowy plover is now deemed an endangered species. Much of its habitat has been destroyed. The tiger beetle, pickleweed, shadscale, Indian rice grass and many birds also have been affected by the heavy traffic of the area.

The Salt Lake chapter of the National Audubon Society and FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake, among others, decided to get involved.

"When we first got out here, it was a mess," said Lynn deFreitas of FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake. "Refrigerators and tires - you name it, you found it."

In 2004, the Lee Creek Natural Area, part of Gilbert Bay, was accepted as a BirdLife International and National Audubon Important Bird Area. Since then, the National Audubon Society, Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, The Nature Conservancy, the Mitigation Commission and the Utah Division of Water Quality have teamed up to acquire the Lee Creek property and begin a restoration program.

To educate the public about the nature of the land and the need to preserve it, FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake recently led a group of community members to explore the area.

Garbed in galoshes and raincoats, and equipped with plastic grocery bags, the group cleaned as they trod through the muddy shores to learn about the wildlife-rich environment.

Westminster College biology professor Ty Harrison guided the group and explained the miracle of wonderful regrowth during the past year.

"Here you see a glimpse into the past and the future," Harrison told the trekkers. "Native plants are coming back as a result of succession."

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake has already led several cleanups of the area and plan to venture out again in the spring when things are in bloom.

"We want to give people the opportunity to get out there and enjoy the area," said FRIENDS member Katie Pearce.

DeFreitas concurs, adding the closer development comes to the lake, the more important it becomes to preserve the region. Lee Creek already dodged one potential problem. It was once designated as a site for large commercial billboards, but that plan was later nixed because it was deemed disruptive to the environment.

*For more information about the area, visit the Web at http://www.fogsl.org, or at http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/leecreek.

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Westminster College biology professor

Brittanie Morris/Close-Up Correspondent

Kody Wallace of Salt Lake observes as Ty Harrison describes the salt storage qualities of the shadscale plant. FRIENDS of the Great Salt Lake and other groups are getting involved to clean up the delicate - and refuse-ridden - wildlife habitats around the lake.

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