The Once and Future Lake

Since 1850, Great Salt Lake has lost 73 percent of its water. In response to this depletion, The Once and Future Lake brings together nature writers, scientists, and storytellers to reveal how saving Great Salt Lake is an epic, environmental success story for the ages--as long as we act before it's too late.

"A politically conscious collection making a difference in the open space of democracy."
--Terry Tempest Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Hour of Land and Refuge

Although it is one of the largest saltwater lakes on Earth, most people only know Utah's Great Salt Lake from the window of a plane . . . if they know it at all.

For thousands of years, Great Salt Lake has played a surprisingly central role in the lives of humans and animals across continents. By its very existence, the lake keeps vast swathes of the western United States habitable by keeping naturally occurring arsenic, toxic dust, and other health hazards trapped safely in the earth. Its economic impact--through skiing, tourism, and industry--is measured in the billions, even as it provides refuge for more than 330 species of birds on their travels across North and South America. And it could vanish entirely in the next five years.

In The Once and Future Lake, renowned scientists, nature writers, poets, and advocates guide readers through the grandeur, complexity, fragility, and resilience of Great Salt Lake. Iconic writers like Terry Tempest Williams and Paisley Rekdal are joined by a new generation of voices, immersing us in the lake's remarkable ecology and illuminating the complex challenges that threaten Great Salt Lake's existence.

Today, the American West stands at a crossroads between two possible futures. In less than a decade, communities across the region may face a potential, colossal, toxic Dust Bowl of our own making. Or, as we come to understand just how intertwined Great Salt Lake's fate is with our own, rewilding and restoring Great Salt Lake is not just wishful thinking. It's possible, practical, ambitious, and essential--and it's time to get to work.