Researchers began work on a study to measure that impact in the Mountain West. Holmes said there is a definite correlation between the amount of water and the number of birds in the refuge. The priority has been getting enough water into a 4,000-acre impoundment inside the Refugee's auto tour loop. "The way we have to deal with it is, we have to be a little bit more selective about where we're putting the water that we do have," she explained. Not that the refuge is ever going away, but with less water coming in from the Bear River, its water rights have delivered less water. "And we don't have that now because we're not able to provide that." "People used to call it wings of thunder because of what it would sound like," Holmes said. She said fewer birds are stopping at the wetlands as it loses water. We get millions of birds on any given day of the fall and the spring that come out here," said Erin Holmes, the project manager at the Bear River Migratory Refuge. This is a premier migratory bird stopover. Managers said the refuge is very different from what it was 30 years ago and they're getting a better picture of how that's affecting bird populations at the popular attraction for birders. The refuge sits on 80,000 acres and a lot of it is thirsty these days. The rest stop for millions of birds has a lot more dry spots than it had in past decades. One of those areas the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. LAKETOWN - With the water in the Great Salt Lake at the lowest level ever, surrounding areas are also drying up. Reading or replaying the story in itsĪrchived form does not constitute a republication of the story.Įditor's note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake - and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Only for your personal, non-commercial use.
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