Letters of Support for GSL

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Faith groups wrote these Faith-Based Call to Action letters for Great Salt Lake, which were signed by faith leaders and then presented to Utah state senators and legislators during a press conference at the Capitol on February 16, 2023.

Protestant and Jewish:

A Faith-Based Call to Action for the Great Salt Lake Despite differences in the beliefs and practices that define our faith-based
traditions, we share a common experience and conviction that nature, including our Great Salt Lake, is a place of profound spiritual inspiration, renewal,
connection and nourishment. The astounding beauty, utter vastness, and
enveloping silence of wild places like Great Salt Lake awaken our sense of awe
and connect us to something larger than ourselves—God, Allah, Yahweh, the Divine, Spirit, the unnameable mystery of life.
As a Creation Justice Church, Holladay United Church of Christ seeks to embody God’s extravagant love through care for Creation while seeking justice for all
people, all life, and the planet. We are guided by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus’ lead to responsibly care for and love all of God’s Creation. Jesus’ second greatest
commandment was to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves.’ Our neighbors include the millions of birds and other creatures who critically depend on Great Salt Lake
for their survival, as well as all the people who inhabit the Salt Lake Valley area.
Evidence is indisputable that Great Salt Lake is vital to the health and well-being of people living in the Salt Lake Valley and neighboring areas. This is especially true for people living closest to the lake who are already facing social and environmental justice issues. Poor air quality and resultant health risks are worsened when parts of the lake bottom are dry, and people are then exposed to dust from toxic chemicals.
The HUCC Creation Justice Team wrote this Faith-Based Call to Action for the Great Salt Lake, which was presented to Utah state senators and legislators during a press conference at the Capitol on February 16, 2023.

Scientists note that the foraging habitat for birds

has declined over the last decade because of

ongoing drought and decreased water levels. Many birds depend on Great Salt Lake for food during their migrations, and some species are already being impacted by changes in their habitat, water quality, and food sources. Many faith traditions call on us to protect and preserve the natural world and each other. We believe that protective stewardship of Utah’s wild lands, waters, and resources preserves our spiritual and physical well-being and demonstrates respect

for the sanctity of this place we call home.

We call on Utah leaders to join us in recognizing the

critical importance of Great Salt Lake and to act

now to help ensure its survival and the well-being of our communities now and into the future.

Sincerely,

Rev. Chelsea Page, Associate Minister

Rev. Brent Gundlah, Senior Minister Holladay United Church of Christ

HUCC's letter was also signed by: Rev. AJ Bush (First Methodist Church and Centenary UMC, Salt Lake City); Rev. Brigette Weier (ELCA); Rev. Hansen Wendlandt (Presbyterian Church USA, Utah); Rev. Jenny Boteler (Union Congregational United Church of Christ, Green River, Wyoming); Rev. Scott Wipperman (Trinity Presbyterian Church, Ogden); Rev. Dr. Chris Pritchett (Mount Olympus Presbyterian Church,

Salt Lake City); Rev. Lisa A. Petty, Senior Pastor (Christ United Methodist Church, Salt Lake City); Rev.

David Nichols (Mount Tabor Lutheran Church, ELCA, Salt Lake City);

 

and signing a similar (but non-Christian)  letter was Chavurah B’Yachad, Salt Lake City’s Reconstructionist Jewish congregation. Rachel Fischbein & Jim Gebhardt, co-presidents

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A Utah Unitarian Universalist Faith-Based Call to Action for Great Salt Lake:

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Unitarian Universalists are inspired by the wisdom of the world’s religions including
Earth-centered traditions that instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of
nature. Our spiritual practice is guided by eight principles that we hold as strong
values and moral guides. Among these are justice, equity and compassion in human
relations, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, respect for the
interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part, and working to build a diverse multicultural community. In consideration of these principles, it is clear that
the ecological crisis facing Great Salt Lake is also a crisis of faith.
Human overuse of water could cause the Great Salt Lake to disappear within five
years, triggering long-term cycles of environmental, health, and economic
suffering. Salt Lake City’s diverse west side neighborhoods are already
disproportionately affected by pollution. The degradation of the lake’s ecosystem
could greatly worsen Salt Lake City's air quality, especially for these west side communities. Our principles of justice and equity require action to protect people by using water more wisely and with more gratitude.

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Utah’s wild lands are places of spiritual inspiration, awe and wonder. Witnessing the vastness of the lake, the hemispheric migration of millions of birds, or a glorious blaze of sunset reflected from salt crystals gives us a sense of something greater and more powerful than ourselves. Utah’s Official State Artwork, Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty was inspired by a sense of awe. Great Salt Lake itself can be viewed as a spiritual being. Our respect for the web of all existence means living near Great Salt Lake makes us stewards of a unique saline lake ecosystem that supports half a world’s worth of migrating birds. It is a big responsibility, but we cannot allow ourselves to fail.

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Unitarian Universalist congregations in Utah hear a call to action in the recent report, “Emergency Measures Needed to Rescue Great Salt Lake from Ongoing Collapse” (2023). This report warns that we are underestimating the consequences of losing the lake. The lake needs to receive at least 2.5 million acre/feet of water per year to reverse its decline. The current crisis requires immediate action in this legislative session. We call on Utah leaders to support stewardship for the human, spiritual and natural values embodied by Great Salt Lake.         

 

Rev. Monica Dobbins, Assistant Minister First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City; Rev. Ian White Maher, Interim Minister First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City; Rev. Lora Young, Minister South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society; Dylan Zwick, Board President  Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden; Ethan Payne, President, Board of Trustees Cache Valley Unitarian Universalists; Ann Foster, President, Board of TrusteesUnitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southwest Utah

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