Johnson was on hand Saturday as two buildings, a deck and a parking lot were officially dedicated as the Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay.
It is about time, he said.
"Even back in those days we had a bunch of school kids visiting. Times have changed, but school kids are still interested in what happens at the marsh," said Johnson, who remembers leading up to 3,000 students a year on Farmington Bay during his 10 years as the manager. "This is long, long overdue."
And there's more. In addition to educating people about the importance of the Great Salt Lake and its marshes, the nature center has helped kick off a statewide effort to fund similar programs aimed at supporting native wildlife through the Utah Wildlife and Conservation Foundation.
A nature center of sorts has been on the grounds of Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (WMA) since 2002. The mobile education center, funded by The Great Salt Lake Interpretive Trust, was built by Davis County high school construction students. Volunteers have been leading an average of three or four field trips each week, hosting about 10,000 students, scouts and special interest groups each year since it opened.
Saturday's dedication was held to celebrate the "reopening" of the buildings after they were moved from another part of the WMA, which is managed by the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
The state wildlife agency will also manage the nature center. Gates to the new buildings will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week.
Justina Parsons-Bernstein, an education specialist at Farmington Bay, said she hopes to get the facilities open until dusk once there are enough volunteer naturalists to help manage the buildings.
Among the elite gathered for the dedication Saturday was a Swainson's hawk. The bold raptor made several spectacular loops over the center's back deck before settling in on the corner of one of the buildings, much to the pleasure of the families and dignitaries attending the event.
The dedication marked the end of the center's first phase. The second involves raising about $4.5 million for a permanent 14,000-square-foot building that will serve as visitor and education center, with access to a trail and boardwalk system on the nearby land. Plans include a 100-seat auditorium, a learning center, a meeting room, a gift shop and administrative space.
DWR director Jim Karpowitz learned about the nature center through the agency's involvement in the project. He realized the value of a private effort to raise money for wildlife education and came up with the proposal for the new foundation with a statewide scope.
The Great Salt Lake Interpretive Trust changed its name earlier this year and morphed into the Utah Wildlife and Conservation Foundation, with a mission to support native wildlife conservation across the state. Karpowitz offered his support by naming Bob Hasenyager, then director of the DWR's Northern Region, as interim executive director of the foundation.
"We looked at the proposal very carefully. We liked the idea, but we were concerned it might detract and divert our focus for completion of the nature center at Farmington Bay," said Bob Springmeyer, president of the Utah Wildlife and Conservation Foundation (UWCF). "In the end we decided it was a great opportunity to serve the wildlife and the people of Utah."
UWCF is in the process of recruiting new board members to better reflect the statewide responsibility. Once the board is determined, UWCF will seek financial support from the public and private sources to fund facilities like the nature center at Farmington Bay. Projects will not be limited to buildings, but could also include habitat preservation, research and relocation of wildlife, among others.
"We are a not-for-profit fundraising partner with the Division of Wildlife Resources, not another state agency," Springmeyer said. "We will serve as stewards of the money and make sure it doesn't go into a black hole. People will be able to make species-specific donations, give money for ongoing projects or provide money for us to decide the best possible use of. Projects will not be decided by the state, but we clearly see the advantages of partnering with them."
The state wildlife agency relies almost entirely on money generated from hunting and fishing licenses. Because of that, most of the budget goes back into species that are pursued by hunters or anglers. Karpowitz sees the foundation as working for people who do not hunt or fish, but still want to contribute money to preserve native wildlife in the state.
For example, more than 80,000 people visit Farmington Bay WMA each year. More than 10,000 of those visits happen during the annual migration of bald eagles to Farmington Bay in January and February.
Only 15,000 of the annual visits are from hunters. That is important because hunters fund the management of the refuge through state and federal monies and hunter numbers continue to decline across America.
"I worry about the future. Declining duck hunting numbers means there won't be money to keep places like Farmington Bay," Johnson said. "People don't realize that hunters are paying the bills. It is important that the general public wake up and help foot the bill to maintain these areas. Otherwise we might lose the land to a housing development and the kids will have no place to learn about the marsh."
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* BRETT PRETTYMAN can be contacted at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902.
Directions
The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay is at 1700 W. Glover Lane (925 South), Farmington.
From Salt Lake:
Travel north on I-15 to the Centerville exit, No. 319. The exit ramp will put you on Parrish Lane eastbound. Turn left (north) at the first light, which is Marketplace Drive. Marketplace Drive will merge with the frontage road. Continue north on the frontage road. After about three miles, you will reach a stop sign at Glover Lane. Turn left (west) on Glover Lane, which will cross over I-15. Continue west on Glover Lane to 1700 West. Turn left (south) into the Great Salt Lake Nature Center paved road and park in the lot.
From Ogden:
Travel south on I-15 to the Farmington exit, No. 325 - Lagoon/Park Lane. The exit ramp will deliver you to Park Lane. Turn right (west) on Park Lane. Park Lane will bear south, and will run into Clark Lane. Turn right (west) onto Clark Lane and continue to the first four-way stop, which is 1525 West. Turn left (south) onto 1525 West and continue for about a mile until the street ends at Glover Lane. Turn right (west) onto Glover Lane and continue for about two blocks until you come to 1700 West. Turn left (south) into the Great Salt Lake Nature Center paved road and park in the lot.
