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Salt Lake City moves to sell airport-adjacent land to protect Great Salt Lake wetlands

Salt Lake City moves to sell airport-adjacent land to protect Great Salt Lake wetlands

Money Moves Salt Lake City, UT local

The city wants to give the state nearly 1,000 acres of airport wetland. Bird advocates and council members want the easement terms settled first.

October 6th, 2026: Council hears wetland objections, defers vote

Overview

Updated 7 days ago

Salt Lake City wants to hand nearly 1,000 acres of airport wetland to the state, at no charge, under a conservation easement that would bar development. The parcel sits northwest of Salt Lake City International Airport, near the Great Salt Lake.

A City Council hearing on October 6 drew more than a dozen speakers who asked the city to pause and publish the easement terms, citing hunting and disturbance to migrating birds. Council members agreed to slow the transfer, and a vote tentatively set for October 20 is now unlikely, a spokesman for the mayor said. The deal also needs consent from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Why it matters

The sale would move nearly 1,000 acres of wetland from city to state control, locking in habitat protection beside the shrinking Great Salt Lake.

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Key Indicators

951
Acres proposed for sale
Wetland acreage near Salt Lake City International Airport, per the city's public hearing notice.
$3.8M–$5.1M
Appraised land value
Range from appraisals of the airport wetland. The city would waive the purchase price in exchange for the conservation easement.
$60M
2026 lakebed settlement
Money Utah received from the federal government for 22,311 acres of Great Salt Lake lakebed.
22,311
Acres in 2026 lakebed deal
State-owned lakebed transferred to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in March 2026.

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People Involved

Erin Mendenhall
Erin Mendenhall
Salt Lake City Mayor
Oversees the city-owned airport authority that controls the land proposed for sale
 Spencer Cox
Spencer Cox
Utah Governor
Republican governor whose administration has funded lake restoration and brokered preservation land deals
 Brian Steed
Brian Steed
Utah Great Salt Lake Commissioner
Coordinates the state's response to the lake's decline, including land acquisitions and water conservation
PK
Punita Koustubhan
Founder and chairperson, Bird Safe Utah
Opposing the airport wetland sale
 Bill Wyatt
Bill Wyatt
Executive Director, Salt Lake City Department of Airports
Brought the wetland sale proposal to the mayor's office

Organizations Involved

Salt Lake City Department of Airports
Salt Lake City Department of Airports
Municipal agency
Owns the roughly 951 acres; the transfer is on hold while easement terms are negotiated

The city agency that operates Salt Lake City International Airport, which grew from a 100-acre field in 1920 to more than 8,000 acres today.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
State Agency
Not the buyer or manager in the airport wetland proposal; that land would go to the Department of Natural Resources and its Division of Wildlife Resources

State agency that manages Utah's sovereign lands, including the Great Salt Lake lakebed.
Great Salt Lake Commissioner's Office
Great Salt Lake Commissioner's Office
State Government Office
Coordinates preservation strategy, including land and water acquisitions

Utah office created in 2023 to lead the state's response to the Great Salt Lake's decline.
Utah Open Lands
Utah Open Lands
Nonprofit
Would hold the conservation easement; still negotiating its terms with the city and the Division of Wildlife Resources

Utah nonprofit land trust that would accept the conservation easement on the airport wetlands.
BS
Bird Safe Utah
Nonprofit
Opposing the sale; its founder asked the City Council on October 6 to pause the transfer and publish the easement terms

Utah bird conservation group opposing the airport wetland sale.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
State Agency
Named to manage the airport wetlands as a waterfowl management area if the sale closes

The Utah Department of Natural Resources division that would run the airport wetland as a waterfowl management area.

Timeline

November 2022 October 2026

9 events Latest: October 6th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Council hears wetland objections, defers vote

    Latest Public Hearing

    More than a dozen speakers asked the City Council to pause the sale and make the conservation easement terms public, raising hunting and disturbance to migrating birds. Council members agreed to slow the process instead of voting.

  2. Bird advocates launch petition against airport wetland sale

    Community Opposition

    Bird Safe Utah started a public petition urging the Salt Lake City Council to block the proposed sale or add stricter terms, citing concerns about hunting, public access, and grazing.

  3. Mayor's office says it is in no rush on wetland transfer

    Announcement

    A spokesman said the city is still working through easement terms with Utah Open Lands and the Division of Wildlife Resources. A council vote tentatively planned for October 20 is unlikely, and FAA and Army Corps consent is still needed.

  4. Federal Great Salt Lake land settlement finalized

    Legal

    Utah and the federal government finalized an agreement transferring 22,311 acres of lakebed to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge for $60 million, ending a two-decade dispute.

  5. City seeks state purchase of airport wetlands

    Land Transfer Proposal

    Salt Lake City proposes selling 950+ acres near the airport to the state for wetland preservation.

  6. Utah Inland Port Authority pledges $7.5M for lake buffer

    Funding

    The authority committed $7.5 million toward land conservation on the Great Salt Lake's southeast shore. The money adds to state efforts to buy and preserve wetlands as a buffer between development and the shrinking lake.

  7. Utah approves lakebed sale to federal refuge

    Legal Settlement

    Legislature approves selling 22,311 acres of lakebed to Bear River refuge for $60 million.

  8. Utah Legislature passes Great Salt Lake bills

    Legislation

    Lawmakers create the Great Salt Lake Commissioner position and fund lake restoration research.

  9. Great Salt Lake hits record-low elevation

    Environmental

    Lake drops to 4,188.5 feet, its lowest level in recorded history, exposing toxic dust risk.

Scenarios

1

State acquires airport wetlands, protecting habitat

Likely Resolves by Mar 1, 2027

Discussed by: Salt Lake City Mayor's office; Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands

The city and state agree on a price and the transfer closes. The state designates the land as protected Great Salt Lake wetland habitat, restricting future airport expansion or development. The state schedules required legislative consent for the purchase, which takes effect in the 2027 session.

2

Airport wetland sale stalls over price or terms

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Utah State Legislature budget analysts; Salt Lake City real property division

Negotiations over the sale price or the scope of the conservation designation break down. The city retains ownership, and the land remains undeveloped but unprotected from potential future airport use or private sale.

3

Airport expansion designates wetlands for aviation use

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Aviation industry analysts; Utah air quality advocates

The sale fails and the airport's next master plan identifies the parcel for aviation infrastructure, including runway extensions or cargo facilities. Wetlands would be filled or degraded, undercutting the lake's ecosystem.

4

Council approves easement only with limits on hunting

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Bird Safe Utah; Salt Lake City Council

The council grants the conservation easement and the no-cost sale only after the terms restrict hunting or public access on the wetlands. Bird Safe Utah has asked for those limits; city officials say the terms are still being negotiated.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 2022

Great Salt Lake Record Low (2022)

The lake dropped to 4,188.5 feet elevation, its lowest level since record-keeping began. The exposure of large lakebed areas raised alarms about arsenic-laced dust blowing into Salt Lake City.

Then

Utah lawmakers passed a 2023 legislative package creating the Great Salt Lake Commissioner position and funding research and water conservation.

Now

The crisis elevated the lake from a regional concern to a defined policy priority, enabling land and water deals like the airport sale.

Why this matters now

The record low made wetland preservation politically viable, creating the conditions for the airport land sale.

March 2026

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Settlement (2026)

Utah lawmakers approved a settlement (HJR30) recognizing federal ownership of 22,311 acres of Great Salt Lake land in the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, in exchange for $60 million from the federal government for Great Salt Lake projects, ending a dispute going back to 1929.

Then

State-owned lakebed transferred to federal management as protected bird habitat, with proceeds earmarked for lake benefit.

Now

The deal marked a shift in Utah's posture from resisting federal control of lake lands to actively pursuing preservation partnerships.

Why this matters now

Like the airport sale, the Bear River deal used land transfer to lock in wetland protection as the lake shrinks.

Sources

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KSL.com The Salt Lake Tribune / Great Salt Lake Collaborative Utah News Dispatch Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City Government Deseret News KPCW Congressional Research Service FOX 13 News Utah Public Notice Website Salt Lake City Weekly Open Utah Deseret News KSL.com Deseret News KSL.com KSL.com