Church of Jesus Christ donates $3M to Utah's effort to remove phragmites along Great Salt Lake

Editor's note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative with funding from Love the Lake, an initiative of the nonprofit Great Salt Lake Alliance. Editorial decisions are made independently by the Collaborative and partner newsrooms.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah received a big donation as it seeks to remove an invasive plant species affecting the Great Salt Lake.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has agreed to donate $3 million toward the state's efforts to remove phragmites that surround the struggling lake. The donation will help improve habitat restoration, protect shoreline wetlands and boost natural water inflows into the lake, said Gov. Spencer Cox, who announced the donation on Thursday.

"The Great Salt Lake is fundamental to Utah's environment, economy and quality of life, and protecting it will take all of us working together – individuals, institutions and industry, alike. We are grateful to the Church for this generous contribution," he said in a statement.

Phragmites is a reed species that can grow 10 to 15 feet tall. They began popping up over the last few decades, spreading faster than the state can handle them, Keith Hambrecht, restoration and invasive species program manager for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Land, told state lawmakers in September.

They're so dense that they can block "sheet flow" of water across the lakebed and trap sediment that raises the ground's elevation, he explained at the time. They also absorb much more water than native plants, like inland saltgrass.

"Phragmites has a significant impact on the hydrology of Great Salt Lake," Great Salt Lake Commissioner Hannah Freeze said Thursday.

State officials estimate that phragmites still covers more than 50,000 acres around the lake. They estimate the lake could save 82,000 acre-feet of water annually if the state can convert the area into 40,800 acres of inland saltgrass.

Approximately $800,000 in annual ongoing state funds are dedicated to the project, meaning the church's donation will help expand the state's efforts, Cox said.

"This generous donation allows us to continue vital treatment schedules and align those with seasonal ecological windows for multi-phase mitigation, mechanical land clearing and long-term shoreline restoration," Freeze added.

The donation comes as the lake tumbled again in 2026.

Levels around the lake's southern arm dropped by approximately 2½ feet over the summer to 4,189.8 feet elevation, while its northern arm is listed at 4,189.6 feet elevation. Both arms are more than 8 feet below their minimum healthy level and only a foot above their lowest recorded point.