DWR breaks ground on new wildlife education center at Great Salt Lake wetlands

DWR breaks ground on new wildlife education center at Great Salt Lake wetlands

(Dave Cawley, KSL)


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FARMINGTON — A buggy, sometimes stinky, but strangely scenic portion of the Great Salt Lake shoreline will soon play host to a new wildlife center.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources broke ground Thursday on three new buildings at the northern end of the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. When complete, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center will sit at 1700 W. Glover's Lane in Farmington.

The facilities, which will include educational space dubbed the L.S. Skaggs Wetland Discovery Classroom, an exhibit hall and an auditorium, will allow visitors to learn about the role marshlands along the lake play in protecting migratory birds.

"It's for students, it's for wildlife enthusiasts, it's for families to bring their kids out or grandkids out and learn about the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake," DWR Executive Director Greg Sheehan said.

DWR staff have long dreamed about building such a facility, but struggled to secure the funding. The center is being funded through collaboration between the state legislature, DWR and private donations from the ASLAM Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Utah Wildlife Conservation Foundation.

A Peregrine Falcon on display at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center in Farmington, Utah during groundbreaking ceremonies on Sept. 8, 2016. (Photo: Dave Cawley, KSL)
A Peregrine Falcon on display at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center in Farmington, Utah during groundbreaking ceremonies on Sept. 8, 2016. (Photo: Dave Cawley, KSL)

Architectural renderings for the buildings show they're designed to blend in with the natural landscape along the lakeshore.

"We didn't want to go out in these wonderful wetlands around the Great Salt Lake and build a big tall building," Sheehan said. "Even the rooftops of these buildings will have vegetation on them."

Elementary school teacher Stephanie Povey spent years bringing her classes to the wetlands before her retirement last year.

"I would get my big rubber boots on and get down in the water and scoop up water and let the kids see all the life," Povey said. "I can't think of a better way to help kids understand the ecosystem of the wetlands than bringing them to the wetlands. They get it."

Those kinds of educational field trips have proved intimidating to many other educators, in part because of the lack of proper facilities at Farmington Bay.

"As we overcome our fears as teachers to take kids places, I just know the kids will do better," Povey said.

Backers of the project see similar goals. Eccles foundation chairman and CEO Spencer Eccles said encouraging kids to experience the wetlands in person can lead to a lifetime of stewardship.

"The lake is so important to our ecosystem, but it's important to our weather and to our snow, which means the water to fill the reservoirs," Eccles said. "We ski on it all winter and drink it all summer."

When the center is not being used for official functions, DWR anticipates renting it our for public events or exhibitions. Organizers expect construction on the three buildings to be completed by late 2017.

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