Researching the Great Salt Lake crisis, I keep coming to this conclusion: the problem could be solved by the organization most responsible for creating it: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the nineteenth century, by and large, white Americans and European immigrants settled along the Wasatch corridor in search of spiritual freedom and fellowship.
Now, as a result of millions of new settlers diverting water, the ecosystems of Great Salt Lake are teetering toward collapse. Carcinogenic dust is blowing into our houses and schools. This pattern is not unique to the American southwest. The life around every terminal lake on Earth is threatened by humans. But the problem here must be solved by us — soon — and only one organization in Utah is exceptionally well-poised to do what must be done. The LDS Church, with a widely reported-on portfolio in excess of $100 billion.
Here is what they could do, using only a fraction of their wealth: (1) build grain silos so that farmers can switch from growing alfalfa to the less thirsty, and more lucrative, growing of wheat; (2) foot the bill for upgrading irrigation systems; (3) buy water rights from owners willing to sell and then ensure that water gets to brine shrimp and birds; (4) xeriscape the grounds of every church, setting an example of living gently on the land; (5) directly support the conservation efforts of water districts. They could do all of these things as charity without hurting their balance sheet.
Matthew Ivan Bennett, Midvale
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