"That Salt is Priceless": Understanding the Environmental Heritage and Place Attachment of Great Salt Lake

Human involvement with Great Salt Lake (GSL) will determine its future; however, sociological research regarding how people perceive the lake is minimal. Current development and water project proposals concerning the lake makes this project timely. With a focus on the revered local social unit of the family, I asked how do west side Salt Lake County residents conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake? Using recruitment flyers and snowball sampling, I collected participants from the community of Magna. Overall, participants connected with the human legacy of the south shoreline of GSL more than they did with the environmental heritage of it. Childhood experience was an indicator for more positive connections with the lake. Participants were in favor of development if it had the potential to help their local community. Overall, there was a lack of knowledge about and disassociation with the lake. Providing people opportunities to connect with the lake is important for conservation efforts. In this way, some development becomes an element of conservation. Understanding how people identify with the lake will inform future advocacy outreach. Further study on this subject is recommended.

Running head: THAT SALT IS PRICELESS "That Salt is Priceless": Understanding the Environmental Heritage and Place Attachment of Great Salt Lake By Tera Clausen A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Community Leadership Westminster College Salt Lake City, UT May 2017 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS i Abstract Human involvement with Great Salt Lake (GSL) will determine its future; however, sociological research regarding how people perceive the lake is minimal. Current development and water project proposals concerning the lake makes this project timely. With a focus on the revered local social unit of the family, I asked how do west side Salt Lake County residents conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake? Using recruitment flyers and snowball sampling, I collected participants from the community of Magna. Overall, participants connected with the human legacy of the south shoreline of GSL more than they did with the environmental heritage of it. Childhood experience was an indicator for more positive connections with the lake. Participants were in favor of development if it had the potential to help their local community. Overall, there was a lack of knowledge about and disassociation with the lake. Providing people opportunities to connect with the lake is important for conservation efforts. In this way, some development becomes an element of conservation. Understanding how people identify with the lake will inform future advocacy outreach. Further study on this subject is recommended. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS ii Dedication For my children, Ember and Aiden. You have brought color to my world in more ways than I could have ever imagined. The beauty you bring to my life is the reason that I care so deeply about creating a better world. It gives me faith in the future when I see the compassion and strength that lives in your hearts. You both provide me with hope, which is a gift I will carry with me always. To my husband, Gerryn. Your love gives me courage to leap because it made me realize I have wings. You have always been the wind at my back pushing me to go one step further. Through your faith, patience, and support, I have been able to achieve things I used to only dream of. Thank you for always encouraging me, and making my dreams a reality. With loving remembrance of my father. When you passed only weeks before the completion of this thesis, I was overwhelmed with a sense of defeat. I was unsure how I would see this project through to the end while I was filled with such sadness. The space that I hold for you in my heart has given me the perseverance I needed at this time. Although you are gone in body, you are here in spirit and live on through your daughter's eyes. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS iii Acknowledgements I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for the participants of my study. Without each of them taking the time to speak with me, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for sharing parts of yourself and helping me further my understanding for this work. Thank you to my project supervisor, Lynn de Freitas with Friends of Great Salt Lake, for providing yourself as a sounding board as I navigated through the research necessary to complete this project. I appreciate that you took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to work with your organization. It is clear to see why you are labeled mother of the lake. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Shelley Erickson, my supervising professor for this project. Your guidance and feedback always made everything more manageable, and your patience with me during the loss of my father made it possible to keep on track for graduation. I would also like to take the opportunity to say thank you to my cohort in the MACL program. It has been an honor getting to know each of you, and you made graduate school an unforgettable experience. It was never short of inspiring to witness your passion and tenacity for the causes you each work on. To all of my family members who have supported me throughout my collegiate career, sincerely, I am so grateful for each of you. More specifically, I would like to thank my motherin-law and father-in-law, Roylene and Gerry, for always being available to help me with my children when I needed to focus on studying. My supportive family members are the unsung heroes of my academic success. Lastly, thank you to my chosen family, and dearest friend, Bernice. Our weekly coffee dates helped bring me back down to Earth at the end of a stressful week. Thank you for not letting me live inside my head. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS iv Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction to the Problem ......................................................................................1 Family Values and Environmental Heritage ................................................................................3 Decision-Making ..........................................................................................................................5 The Root of the Problem ..............................................................................................................6 Human supremacy ....................................................................................................................7 Colonization .............................................................................................................................8 Capitalism .................................................................................................................................8 Patriarchy and gender norms ....................................................................................................9 Project Partner ............................................................................................................................11 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................11 Chapter II: Review of the Literature .........................................................................................13 People-nature Power Dynamic ...................................................................................................14 Nature as a commodity ...........................................................................................................14 Religious Influence and Family Values .....................................................................................15 The Influence of the Human World ...........................................................................................15 Human Supremacy .................................................................................................................15 Colonization ...........................................................................................................................17 Capitalism ...............................................................................................................................18 Patriarchy and gender norms ..................................................................................................18 Saltair .........................................................................................................................................20 Boom and Bust of the Local Community...................................................................................22 Limited access ........................................................................................................................24 Lake Management ......................................................................................................................28 Unique ecosystems and surrounding populations ..................................................................29 Identity and Place Attachment ...................................................................................................31 Water Conservation and Political Identity .................................................................................33 Homogenous Management .........................................................................................................36 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................37 Chapter III: Research Methods ..................................................................................................38 Methods..........................................................................................................................................39 Interviews ...................................................................................................................................39 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS v Participants and Recruitment .....................................................................................................40 Participant Portraits ....................................................................................................................41 "Tracy" ...................................................................................................................................41 "Sophia" .................................................................................................................................42 "Kim" .....................................................................................................................................42 "Sandra" .................................................................................................................................42 "Russell" .................................................................................................................................43 Location and Time .....................................................................................................................43 Analysis ......................................................................................................................................44 Validity .......................................................................................................................................45 Digital Stories .............................................................................................................................46 My personal story ...................................................................................................................47 The stories of participants ......................................................................................................47 Ethical Concerns ........................................................................................................................49 Possible Limitations ...................................................................................................................50 Chapter IV: Findings and Analysis ............................................................................................52 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................52 Intergenerational Appeal and Place Attachment............................................................................53 Connection to Their Community ...................................................................................................58 Saltair .........................................................................................................................................59 Black Rock .................................................................................................................................62 Underutilized Assets and Economic Development........................................................................63 Revitalizing Saltair .....................................................................................................................65 Proposed Projects .......................................................................................................................68 Disassociation of Place ..................................................................................................................71 Lack of Knowledge ....................................................................................................................74 Disassociation of the feminine ...................................................................................................75 Salt of the Earth .............................................................................................................................77 What is Missing?............................................................................................................................78 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................80 Chapter V: Discussion .................................................................................................................82 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................82 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS vi Implications....................................................................................................................................82 Recommendations ..........................................................................................................................84 Limitations .....................................................................................................................................85 Future Research .............................................................................................................................86 Learning Objectives .......................................................................................................................87 Personal Subjectivity .....................................................................................................................88 Personal Reflection ........................................................................................................................90 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................91 References .....................................................................................................................................93 Appendices ..................................................................................................................................100 List of Figures F-A: Salt Lake County shoreline map ..........................................................................................3 F-B: Saltair I ...............................................................................................................................20 F-C: Saltair II .............................................................................................................................21 F-D: Saltair III ............................................................................................................................22 F-E: The Mural ...........................................................................................................................24 F-F: Saltair from a distance ........................................................................................................24 F-G: Marina ................................................................................................................................25 F-H: Current day Black Rock.....................................................................................................26 F-I: Black Rock post card...........................................................................................................26 F-J: Black Rock remnants ..........................................................................................................27 F-K: Black Rock and the smoke stack .......................................................................................27 F-L: Black Rock graffiti ............................................................................................................28 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 1 Chapter I: Introduction to the Problem "For those who share a common heritage there is a sense of belonging and structured self-identity; heritage provides the security of known roots and a shared past" -G. Kearsley and M. Middleton, 2006 If one were to view the Salt Lake Valley from the foothills of the east bench mountain range, one would see a landscape surrounded by majestic mountains and the smooth surface of Great Salt Lake (GSL), shimmering under the light of the sun. The mirror-like surface of the lake contributes to a calm and peaceful feeling that rolls through the landscape. When viewing the valley from the east-bench mountain foothills, as the Mormon pioneers did 170 years ago, it becomes clear why it was declared, "This is the place," and why Utah's population is now one of the fastest growing in the nation (United States Census Bureau, 2016). Coming down from the foothills, the focus shifts and the picturesque scene becomes blurred. The lake's beauty becomes lost through the haze of industry demands and legislative measures. Depending on the wind currents, the distinct lake smell caused from bacteria, salinity, decomposing matter and sewage, sweep across the valley. This combination of factors helps encourage a general state of indifference towards the lake. Despite its occasional smell, GSL represents a sizable portion of the state's revenue because of industrial, recreation, and human needs that demand its resources (Bioeconomics, Inc., 2012). The lake has a long-standing history of human involvement and exploitation after the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the area. Over time, this exploitation has continued to demand more of the lake's resources while seemingly ignoring receding water levels. Upcoming development projects that hang on the decisions of the state legislature are projected to THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 2 exacerbate low lake levels (Frankel, 2002). Such local environmental decisions could have a great impact on the area and those who live near it. Residents' perceptions and involvement with GSL will determine its future (Bedford, 2005). For this research, I focus on the public opinions, beliefs, and attitudes of west side Salt Lake County residents about GSL. My research question is: How do west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake? Understanding public opinion can provide perspective for decision makers. I chose to focus on west side residents living in the Magna community because of their close proximity and shared community boundaries with the public access points of GSL within Salt Lake County. I define public access points as places where people can approach or enter the space. Salt Lake County has limited access to GSL because industrial sites and the Salt Lake International Airport neighbor much of its shorelines (Figure A). West side residents of Salt Lake County experience limited access to nature's treasures in the area because of the privatization of the west-bench mountain range for mining operations, mineral extraction and evaporation ponds along GSL shorelines. Despite the obstacle of industry, Magna residents are closest to the access points of GSL in Salt Lake County - Saltair, Great Salt Lake State Park Marina, and Black Rock. Understanding the public opinion of this community that is in such close proximity to these access points along the south shoreline could potentially provide insight for designing outreach campaigns in the area that focus on lake preservation. Understanding public opinion of GSL is like a needs assessment for the lake. That is why I focused on the environmental heritage of GSL, so I can gain a better understanding of how people have developed their opinions about the lake. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 3 Figure A. Salt Lake County shoreline map, provided by TerraMetrics through Google Maps. The south shoreline of GSL is surrounded by industry build up. This map also shows the proximity of the lake to Magna (TerraMetrics, 2017). Family Values and Environmental Heritage I chose families as my target population. With a rich history of religious foundation and a persistent conservative culture, Utah prides itself on prioritizing family values, which is something I discuss further in Chapter II. With this understanding, it did not seem logical to make local environmental decisions without factoring in how it affects the most revered local social unit: the family. Parents desire to pass on their knowledge, culture, traditions, and history to their children. The natural environment and the ability to enjoy the same beautiful landscapes and habitable living spaces are a part of heritage that is passed on to future generations. This is the premise of environmental heritage. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 4 Why I am most interested in environmental heritage of GSL is best explained by Kearsley and Middleton (2006), "For those who share a common heritage there is a sense of belonging and structured self-identity; heritage provides the security of known roots and a shared past" (p. 25). GSL is a part of Utah's history, and the way that people have interacted with and managed the area has influenced how people see the lake now. Whether it is recreational, economic, or environmental, it is possible that there are an array of opinions when it comes to GSL. I am interested in knowing how people - particularly parents - pass along the shared past and how that shapes the area's future. Environmental preservation efforts (or lack thereof) by parents is something that can be passed on to children as values, traditions, and culture. If parents do not see the value in passing down the environmental heritage of natural spaces, it becomes less likely that children will grow up seeing the value in preserving natural spaces. Originally, I planned to include children within in the research using group-styled family interviews. I felt it was important to consider how children perceived the heritage being passed on to them. However, I was only able to obtain parent interviews. By conducting and transcribing semi-structured interviews, I was able to collect my data for this work. I discuss my methods further in Chapter III. In addition to interviews, I reached out to participants to collaborate on digital stories that will be compiled and completed after the writing of this thesis. I detail further in Chapters II and III about the importance of storytelling and the power of digital stories. Storytelling is a way that heritage and culture are passed on to the next generation. Therefore, by telling the stories in a consumable digital format, it is my hope that the stories will be more consumable to a larger audience. People of today have inherited the landscape from past generations (Kearsley & Middleton, 2006). People of the present alter the landscapes that will be passed on to future THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 5 generations. By telling the stories of how residents relate to the lake, the narrative could possibly shift in the future. Decision-Making ‘Expert' voices determine the fate of the lake. Who is included in the conversation of lake management and decision-making was identified through legislation in 2010 (Utah Legislature, 2010). This legislation named industry representatives, environmentalists, and elected government officials to be the voice of the lake. The insight of ‘experts' is important and necessary, but it leaves out the public's thoughts and feelings about the lake. It is my belief that public opinion has been so far removed from the decision-making processes of GSL management that residents no longer see it as a shared space, and therefore have no stake to protect the space that contributes to local identity and the delicate balance of local ecosystems. Public opinion has the potential to influence decision makers and public policy (Smith & Larimer, 2013). Some of these decisions could have unforeseen consequences for future generations. One such decision that is currently underway is the prison relocation development project on the wetlands of GSL near the boundaries of Magna (Canham, 2016). Another such decision is the diversion of the Bear River. Both project could have long-term implications for GSL and the surrounding areas. The rationale for these water projects is to provide more water for residents along the Wasatch Front area as the population in Utah grows. As new technology, increased water metering, and population growth projections change, so does the need for such water projects. Having water to drink is very important; however, before endangering the balance of local ecosystems, Utah should be exhausting water conservation options first. Given that the Bear THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 6 River is GSL's largest water tributary (Frankel, 2002), this could have profound effects on lake levels and the ecosystems that the lake is responsible for. My tacit theory is that the misunderstood importance of the lake increases the apathy that surrounds it. Apathy contributes to low public involvement and further allows the exploitation and mismanagement of GSL's natural resources. Without careful forethought and consideration for this unique natural feature, the lake will potentially dry up (Bedford, 2005). Beyond the economic significance of what the lake represents to the state, it would be environmentally detrimental to allow it to dry up. GSL plays a significant role in local weather patterns (Eubank & Brough, 1980), provides refuge to hundreds of bird species (Rawley, 1980), and its surrounding wetlands are home to a variety of life (Rawley, 1980). It is more than a smelly lake - it is a feature of local identity. The first step towards cultivating appreciation for this natural space is to understand the current public opinion, attitudes, and beliefs about the lake. That is why this research focused on public perceptions of GSL, so then future research can potentially cultivate appreciation for GSL. As a long-time resident in the area, I will say that there seems to be a perceived apathy towards the lake; however, there has been a lack of research to support that perception. Understanding the perceived apathy is the first step in addressing the problems that face GSL. The Root of the Problem To produce real solutions, it is important to address root causes. It can be tempting to provide an immediate solution, but an issue will persist if the source of the problem is not corrected. For example, if someone had a wound that was spilling blood, you would want to put a tourniquet above the wound instead of continuing to change the dressing on the wound - you would want to stop the cause of the bleeding. This analogy can be applied to many situations. In THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 7 the case of GSL, one must first understand that the problems facing the lake are deeply rooted in social institutions. I have identified human supremacy, colonization, capitalism, patriarchy and gender norms as the root causes of GSL's bleeding. Human supremacy. Capitalistic endeavors at the expense of the environment is possible through the belief in human supremacy (Jensen, 2016), meaning that shortsighted management is only possible because human life and human needs are placed above all other life. If the exploitation of nature suits the needs of humans, then any damage is justified based on the hopes of economic prosperity and the advancement of humans. I say that this type of management is shortsighted because it builds up a false belief that humans are separate from nature, and that the preservation of nature is somehow separate from the preservation of humans. Earth's ecosystems and creatures will ultimately adapt or perish, but she will continue to exist regardless. What is in question is the human ability to survive in the adapted environment. If GSL dries up, global bird migration patterns, local species and local habitats would all be affected. A dry lakebed also represents increased dust storms and worse air quality (Bedford, 2005) along the Wasatch Front. Air quality is already a problem for northern Utah (Utah Division of Air Quality, 2016), and this would only make it worse. Overall, a dry lake would be bad for human and non-human life. The significance of this project was to provide prospective to the decision-making ‘experts' of what local residents intend for their environmental heritage that will be passed on to future generations. Management decisions should not be hampered by the shortsightedness of capitalistic gains at the expense of future generations. Although the lake has not dried up yet, decisions that are made now will influence the outcome later. That is why this research is valuable now. Public opinion surrounding the lake must be understood in order to THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 8 have a chance of preserving the space for the future. However, to see where we are going we must first know where we have been. Colonization. Native Americans inhabited the land before European settlers moved out west. As a new culture settled into the area, so did a new relationship with the land. Once the Mormon pioneers began to settle the area, how people interacted with the lake began to change (Clark & Helgren, 1980). The lake began being used as an economic resource rather than a life sustaining resource, and the colonialized concept of sacred money markets (Korten, 2015) surrounding the lake started to shift the public perception of what the lake was outside of basic survival needs. Capitalism. GSL has a long history of exploitation and commodification for the benefit of the people who surround it (Bedford, 2005). It is assumed that the Native Americans, who inhabited the area before pioneer settlement, did use the lake to some extent but the harvesting and selling of the lake's resources did not occur until after the Mormon Pioneers colonized the area (Clark & Helgren, 1980). As time went on and extraction processes continued to develop, industry sprouted up along the shoreline. The context of the lake's importance is centered on human needs rather than what it represents to the broader scope of environmental ecosystems. At the root of this exploitation and commodification is capitalistic enterprise. The economic impact of GSL to the local economy is approximately $1.3 billion annually (Bioeconomics, Inc., 2012). The capitalistic benefits that the lake has provided to the surrounding area is not just limited to mineral extractions. The lake has a history of human entertainment and leisure as well. Amusement parks were built around GSL and people used the railways to travel to them. Lake Park, which eventually became the Lagoon amusement park that locals know and love today, was first built along the water lines of GSL in 1886 (Lagoon Amusement Park, 2017). Lake Park THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 9 was eventually moved to its current location because of fluctuating lake levels. Saltair was another resort built along the shorelines of GSL. The first Saltair was completed and opened to the public a few years after Lake Park in 1893. The Saltair was a resort development project originally owned by the Mormon Church. (The Great Saltair, 2009). It was meant to be the West's counterpart to Coney Island. Due to fire, arson, and flooding, the Saltair that still stands today is actually the third Saltair that was built along the shoreline. Given that Saltair was within my study parameters, I focused on this location because it remains as an access point to the lake in Salt Lake County. I further discuss the history of Saltair in Chapter II and the perceptions of my participants regarding this area in Chapter IV. To make profit, capitalism relies on the minimum amount of input to produce the maximum amount of output (Marx & Engels, 1848). With a Marxian understanding, the oppressed provides for the oppressor. I am framing the Earth and her natural resources as the oppressed and people as the oppressor. Even in the concept that the Earth is feminine, it becomes clearer how Earth's natural resources - such as GSL - are being exploited for the benefit of sacred money markets that take on a masculine identity. Patriarchy and gender norms. The colonization of the Utah territory happened when the Mormon Pioneers - a patriarchal religion - headed west to escape religious persecution. Where water was once communal good, white settlers brought along the concept of property rights and control, and water became something that could be owned and managed (Strang, 2014). This is an important element to address when thinking about public opinions of the lake. "With the establishment of increasingly patriarchal systems, both women and ‘nature' were increasingly treated as subservient to male ‘culture'" (Strang, 2014, p. 92). The historical context of patriarchal systems influence the environmental heritage that is now established around the THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 10 lake. With a majority of the state's population still identifying as Mormon or some other patriarchal religion (Pew Research Center, 2016), and with the societal acceptance that nature is feminine, it is important to recognize that this element of local identity still feeds into the exploitation of the lake. This is not to say that the Mormon Church was or is actively trying to exploit natural resources, or that all men are oppressive. I am calling out patriarchy as a system, not a person. It is a system that we are all a part of and participate in (Johnson, 1997). People participate because it is nearly unavoidable in day-to-day life within a pervasive social institution. Systemic beliefs such as the societal acceptance of nature as feminine, or women as the inherently softer sex are both examples of gender norms in a patriarchal society. I am making the distinction between patriarchy and gender norms because patriarchy is the system, while gender norms act as a tool in which the system is perpetuated. The two are intricately linked, and yet they are different. Gender norms shape the way that people interact with their natural surroundings because certain activities are seen as more masculine or more feminine. Just as boys are expected to be more adventurous and loud, it is more acceptable for girls to play quietly (Blakemore, 2003). These types of systemic beliefs in gender norms allow people to feel inherently justified in exploiting feminine nature for the benefit of masculine markets. In doing this research, I was interested in exploring the thoughts and opinions of the people who live near the lake. Understanding how people relate to the lake is the first step towards fixing the problems that face the lake. In asking how west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake, advocacy efforts can be more refined to target the problems. It provides perspective as to how to construct outreach efforts that better resonate with the people they are trying to reach. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 11 Project Partnership I have identified Friends of Great Salt Lake (FoGSL) as the organization my research could most benefit. The mission of FoGSL is to: Preserve and protect the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the lake through education, research, advocacy and the arts. The longterm vision of FRIENDS is to achieve comprehensive watershed-based restoration and protection for the Great Salt Lake ecosystem (FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake, 2016, para 1). I understand that a socio-ecological approach is necessary when addressing issues facing GSL because human involvement and dependency upon the lake's resources is substantial. My ultimate goal as an environmentalist is to raise awareness about the lake in order to preserve the natural space. How to address preservation efforts is hard to do without first understanding how people feel about GSL. My research aligns with the mission and goals of FoGSL because I too would like to increase public awareness of the space as well as achieve long-term protection for GSL. I am providing my thesis to FoGSL as insight for their outreach efforts. In addition, I will create digital stories in collaboration with my participants after the completion of this thesis. Digital stories will be given to FoGSL to use for promotional or advocacy efforts. I see my partnership with FoGSL to be mutually beneficial. Conclusion Just as the ecosystems of GSL are complex, so are the socio-ecological relationships with this natural space. From weather patterns that provide fresh water and the Greatest Snow on Earth,1 to the lake that gave the area its namesake, GSL provides a sense of local identity. Greatest Snow on Earth is referencing a logo that has been used throughout the years to describe Utah's winter recreation industry. 1 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 12 Historical context has influenced the environmental heritage of the lake that now influences decision-making and current day attitudes towards water and water conservation efforts in the state. Given that the reason to divert Bear River is to provide water for projected population growth, preserving GSL requires the consideration of attitudes towards water conservation. Long-term preservation of this space will require more than individual efforts, and will need to be recognized by local institutions. It will require people to recognize that environmentalist efforts are neither conservative nor liberal, and that preserving nature is self-preservation. These complexities are addressed in the literature review. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 13 Chapter II: Review of the Literature Within this review of the literature, I explored the historical and current issues that affect Great Salt Lake (GSL) management and local public identity. To do so, I first discuss how the people-nature power dynamic has changed in the area since the settlement of the Mormon Pioneers. From there I delve into the religious foundation of the state's history as well as the persistent religious identity and the family values that permeate local culture. I have identified human supremacy, colonization, capitalism, and patriarchy and gender norms as the root causes of GSL mismanagement. Throughout this chapter, I establish the validity of these assertions as well as discuss attitudes towards water conservation and the politics of conservation, because these issues contribute to how people identify with the lake. I have outlined these issues here because preserving GSL will require water preservation actions and it is important to understand how the availability of water contributes to lake mismanagement. Any preservation efforts will have to account for human dependency on the resource because people have become reliant on the lake's resources. In addition to resource dependency, I also discuss how wetlands interact with human health in the surrounding area. I explore the connections of the lake's ecosystems because influencing social norms surrounding GSL will require people to change the public narrative of humans being separate from nature. I also address limited access to GSL in this chapter because I see it to be a contributing factor of public opinion. People are less likely to protect something if they feel no connection to it. Exploring the literature to address the multifaceted issues I have listed above will allow me to answer my research question: How do west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of the Great Salt Lake? THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 14 People-Nature Power Dynamic Native American tribes such as the Utes, Navajos, and Goshute inhabited the Utah territory long before the Mormon Pioneers traveled west (Utah Division of State History, 2016). Clark and Helgren (1980) claim that the Natives in the area did not extensively utilize the lake's natural resources but they do not explain why the natives did not. Bedford (2005) clarifies that historically the lake influenced people, and the people-nature power dynamic was maintained until the colonization of the Mormon Pioneers, and the industrial activities that followed. One such example of how the new settlers shifted the power dynamics of the lake is when water diversion began for the purposes of municipal water for Salt Lake City and Ogden. Channeling the water away from the rivers and streams rather than living nearby them is an example of how this power dynamic began to shift (Bedford, 2005). Before the Mormons headed west, church leaders studied reports previously published by the explorer John C. Fremont, which detailed his exploration of the area; however, the availability of salt, or the ability to create commercialized industry, was not a determining factor for the Mormon Pioneers to settle the region (Clark & Helgren, 1980). Nature as a commodity. Although it was not a determining factor for settlement, once they arrived along the Wasatch Front area, the Mormon Pioneers began refining their salt extraction processes, and it was not long until they held a monopoly over the local salt industry. They maintained control of the salt industry in the area until the Morton Salt Company bought out the Mormon Church's shares in the early twentieth century (Clark & Helgren, 1980). Through refining the extraction process, other industries began to develop and flourish over the next several decades. Such industries include magnesium and brine shrimp, as well as recreation and leisure (Sturm, Sanders, & Allen, 1980; Toomey, 1980; Travous, 1980). It is important to THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 15 mention these industries because it describes how people interact with the lake, both historically and presently. Whether someone thinks of the lake in terms of leisure or economics could influence their opinion of the lake. It could also influence how they conceptualize GSL in terms of environmental heritage. Religious Influence and Family Values The Mormon Pioneers are known for heading west to find refuge from religious persecution, primarily because of their practice of polygamy (Gardner, 1917). Polygamy was not a publicly acceptable practice, but it was one of the main beliefs of the Mormon faith. It troubled the American public that not only did Mormons blur the lines between individual family units, but they also considered their broader community as one big family (Talbot, 2013). As the Mormons settled in seclusion out west, their family values permeated the region. Mormons eventually ended the practice of polygamy, but their emphasis on family remains strong to this day (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2016). Given the historical context of this religious foundation, family has continued to be a focus for Utahns. Although the population has diversified since the Mormon Pioneers settled the area, of the 73% of Utah's population who identify as Christian, 55% of them identify as Mormon (Pew Research Center, 2016). This is why I am claiming family values as a Utah value because of the large majority of people who align with a faith that prioritizes the family unit. The Influence of the Human World Human supremacy. Humans have come to an understanding that they are separate from nature (Jensen, 2016). The nature that surrounds them is seen as valuable only if it is functional to human needs. "Human functionality is real. Functionality in the real, physical world is not functionality. A river serves no purpose till it is harnessed for electricity, transportation, and THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 16 irrigation. A forest serves no purpose till it is converted into 2x4s" (Jensen, 2016, p. 116). Obviously, rivers provide drinking water and forests provide air, but unless it can be exploited for the financial gains of human endeavors, people brush them aside. Jensen (2016) pushes the reader to acknowledge their perceived superiority over nature, and calls for a ‘reboot' of society by questioning the unquestioned beliefs of human supremacy. Such unquestioned beliefs allow people to justify the exploitation and destruction of non-human life. These unquestioned beliefs are the narratives that inform our destruction. It is time to change this narrative. In regard to GSL, understanding current public opinions - narratives - of the people who live nearby will provide a stepping-stone for changing the current narrative that allows GSL to be over-exploited. That is why answering the question of how residents conceptualize the environmental heritage of GSL is important. David C. Korten (2015) also holds this sentiment when he says, "Humans are now the dominant force shaping the generative systems that sustain Earth as a living being. Thus, some refer to our geologic times as Anthropocene - the epoch of the human" (pp. 77-78). This means that humans are the dominant force that now shape and influence the Earth. Bedford (2005) also stated that this is indeed what has happened to GSL. The people-nature power dynamic has flipped, and people now influence GSL just as much as it influences the people around it. Korten (2015) offers a solution to the problem of human supremacy by suggesting that we change the human story of what we consider sacred. Stories have brought people together over thousands of years, and they are the way in which culture and heritage are passed on (McClean, 2007). In current times, money markets are considered all-knowing and sacred, and Korten (2015) suggests that society must change the story to value life as sacred - a living Earth narrative rather than a sacred money market narrative. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 17 With my research question of how do west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of GSL, I think it is possible that the sacred money market story of ‘wasted fresh water' (Frankel, 2002) may surface. According to Frankel (2002), there are those who believe that fresh water is wasted once it enters GSL because it becomes too salty to consume. This misconception is a story. Humans connect through stories. These stories become our reality, culture, and heritage that is passed on through generations. What Korten (2015) is suggesting is that people must prioritize our environmental heritage and create a new narrative for future generations. A new narrative is also necessary to preserve GSL, but first we must know what story is currently in circulation. That is why examining the environmental heritage of GSL is timely and important. Colonization. Although Natives used GSL's resources, the lake influenced them more than they influenced the lake. An example of this influence would be how the Natives lived near the fresh waterways of the lake to utilize for farming, rather than manipulate the water to come to them they went to the water. As Mormon Pioneers colonized the area, they also brought with them European-styled farming, which required abundant water sources for irrigation (Bedford, 2005). According to Downard, Endter-Wada and Kettenrihg (2014), settlers tapped into the fresh water tributaries of GSL and began diverting water for farming in the latter half of the nineteenth century. This had the unexpected consequence of worsening an outbreak of avian botulism due to the dry delta between the Bear River and GSL. This is but one example of how people began to have an influence on the lake and the people-nature power dynamic began to shift. It is hard to say whether lake exploitation would or would not have occurred had it not been for the colonization of the area. However, one thing is for certain, the historical context of human involvement with the lake has perpetuated capitalistic endeavors with the lake's resources. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 18 Capitalism. The capitalistic enterprise that followed the settlement of the Mormon Pioneers left the door open for the mismanagement of the lake if such management furthered economic gain. As Frankel (2002) points out, there is a common misconception that the lake is a waste of fresh water because once the fresh water pumps into the lake it is no longer drinkable. Water for drinking and irrigation are commodities that can be bought, sold, and owned. Where water was once considered a sacred communal good, it has been transformed into another cog of enterprise (Strang, 2014). Water is now valuable in monetary terms, and only those who pay for it have control over it. Perhaps maintaining sacred money markets (Korten, 2015) is why the ‘waste of fresh water' narrative of GSL exists. It is easier to exploit something that is considered an unnecessary thing. As I conducted this research, I was interested to see if participants would mention the ‘waste of fresh water' narrative, and whether that influences their public opinion of GSL. The truth of the matter is that the lake is anything but a waste. It is brimming with biodiversity throughout its wetlands (Rawley, 1980). The issue is how we see the life that is supported by GSL's environment. As I discussed earlier, human supremacy allows people to justify their superiority over other life. However, the exploitation of nature goes further than this. Nature is considered feminine while money markets are seen as masculine. The hierarchical structure of patriarchy also plays a role in the exploitation of the lake. Patriarchy and gender norms. Hunter-gather societies considered water to be a sentient agent that was equal, and sometimes, superior to humans (Strang, 2014). Parallels have been made between women and water throughout history because they both have the ability to create and sustain life; however, with the rise of monotheistic religions and the uprising of patriarchal society, both women and water began to be seen more as property that was intended for THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 19 patriarchal control (Strang, 2014). To clarify what I mean by patriarchy, I am identifying it as a system. As Johnson (1997) claimed, patriarchy is a system that we all participate in even in subtle ways such as reinforcing gender stereotypes of the weak feminine and the strong masculine. With the idea that money markets are masculine as well as sacred (Korten, 2015), and nature as feminine and feminine as weak, it is no wonder why people who participate in patriarchal society feel the need - perhaps even the right - to manipulate nature for their own devises. Within the patriarchal social structure, we see these stereotypes for masculine and feminine being perpetuated at many levels using the social constructs of gender norms. When talking about gender norms, it can be understood as the standard or usual way that is expected for the expression of gender. The way society expects these norms to be carried out are behaviors such as girls playing quietly while boys become rowdy (Blakemore, 2003). Boys get dirty and girls do not. This is not an absolute truth, rather a stereotype - or norm - of the expression of gender. This expression of gender can also be seen in environmental efforts. It is thought that women are more willing to take action for environmental causes (Dietz, Kalof & Stern, 2002; Groenendyk & Curry, 2006). This perhaps stems from the fact that we conceptualize nature as female. However, when it is placed in the context of patriarchal institutions, such as religion, a masculine deity is destined to come save and restore the Earth from all the harm perpetuated upon her (Groenendyk & Curry, 2006). Within the savior story, Earth cannot save herself hence the reason why a masculine figure comes to her rescue, but this ignores the fact that Earth will make adaptation and get rid of what ails her, just as she has done with mass extinctions in the past. These societal myths have been set in place to reinforce oppression and benefit one more THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 20 than another. Patriarchy and gender norms have influenced the way people perceive natural spaces, including GSL. They also have influenced the way people interacted with GSL when it became a destination for leisure and human activity. Saltair is an example of this. Saltair Saltair was originally developed and owned by the Mormon Church (Figure B). It was the objective of the Mormon Church to provide a wholesome place for people to recreate (McCormick, 1994). What this meant was that families and young couples alike could go to the lake for a day of fun without being suspected of lewd or inappropriate behavior. Predominate members of the Mormon Church frequented and oversaw the resort. This allowed for another layer of patriarchal control when it came to interactions with the lake. This watchful authority gave an expectation to resort visitors to follow protocol that was established by a patriarchal institution. However, not just locals enjoyed the resort. As one of the country's first amusement parks, people came from all over to swim and float in the waters of GSL, and to enjoy music and dancing in the evenings (The Great Saltair, 2009). The church owned the property until 1906 (McCormick, 1994). Figure B. Saltair I. This facility was open from 1893 to 1925, until it burned down (Utah Division of State History ). THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 21 Saltair reached its peak of popularity in the early 1920's and tragically burnt to the ground in 1925 (McCormick, 1994). A second Saltair was built the following year, but times were changing and Saltair II (see Figure C) faced economic hardships, World War II, and unpredictable water levels - all of which provided unique challenges to keeping the facility a float (McCormick, 1994; The Great Saltair, 2009). Efforts to save the site failed and it remained vacant until it was destroyed by arson in 1970 (McCormick, 1994). Figure C. Saltair II. This Saltair facility was on the location from 1926 to 1970, when fire once again destroyed the site. This photo is most likely from the late 1950's (Postcard Roundup, 2010). Eventually, efforts to rebuild Saltair for a third time began. The location was moved about a mile further west and was moved up on shore rather than being suspended over the water (McCormick, 1994). In 1981, reconstruction began. A salvaged aircraft hangar from the local air force base was used in the construction of Saltair III (Figure D). Less than a year after Saltair III opened its doors, an historic flood in 1983 took over the venue and it remained flooded for several years thereafter (The Great Saltair, 2009). The flood was caused by record snowfall accumulation that quickly melted during a heat wave that following May of 1983 (Reece, 2011). Eventually, water levels receded and people once again began to try to capitalize on the management and ownership of the site. Even though Saltair has faced challenges including THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 22 economic uncertainty, a changing environment, and harsh elements, it has not stopped people from trying to utilize the space. Since the destruction of Saltair I, this tourist attraction has struggled to regain its stable footing. After ownership changed hands once again in 2005, the new owner said, "It's a property that a lot of people in the area would like to see productive again…We're going to try and get it generating some money, get the public out there" (The Enterprise Business Newspaper, 2006). While the site has become a concert venue, revitalization efforts to get people out to the site seem to fall flat. The solitude of Saltair III and a parking lot that spends a lot of time vacant serves as a reminder to the surrounding community that this once beloved feature is a relic of what once was. Figure D. Saltair III. The building is used primarily for concerts. This photo taken November 25, 2016. Boom and Bust of the Local Community Magna was not only a mining town, but it was a stopover point for the visitors of Saltair and to the Greater Salt Lake City area (Avery, et al., 2014). Magna was established as a farming community but soon became a robust mining town after it was discovered that the west side mountain range was filled with materials such as copper (Avery, et al., 2014; Magna Township, 2014). By the early 1900's, Magna housed thousands of copper mill workers. Many of the THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 23 workers employed by the mine were immigrants consisting of more than 40 different nationalities (Curtis, 2017). This influx of people within the area brought with it schools, stores, and housing developments. The small mining town of Magna enjoyed economic prosperity for those in search of the American dream (Avery, et al., 2014). With its close proximity and amenities, Magna was a nearby stopping point for the visitors of Saltair. The nearness of this community to the Saltair location is close enough that it is, to this day, within the boundaries of the community. With each fire that claimed the tourist attraction, and when the waters flooded Saltair in the 1980's, Magna had a front row seat to the ups and downs of this historic site. As time has marched on, the mining town that once was is now considered a foothill community of the Salt Lake Valley (Avery, et al., 2014). The advent of cars and the suburbs allowed workers to move further away from their place of employment. The historic Main Street of Magna that used to have grocery stores, car lots, gas stations, and a JCPenny department store eventually struggled to maintain business on the street (Avery, et al., 2014). In recent years, there has been an increase of development within the area, and efforts to bring traffic back to Main Street, but the area is still lacking in public services and a thriving local economy (Dark, 2017). However, the idea of preserving the historical elements that made the community great (Figure E) and keeping up with changing times brings about a conflict of exactly how to revitalize the area. In a way, both Saltair and Magna share this struggle. With Saltair in the Magna boundaries, revitalizing this attraction to more than a concert venue could provide benefit to the local community. Giving people a reason to care about a space like Saltair could open up the possibility for inspiring people to preserve the lake. The question is how to get people to the access points in Salt Lake County when they seem to be off the beaten path and riddled with a shaky past (Figure F). My research question of how do west side Salt Lake County families THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 24 conceptualize the environmental heritage of GSL is meant to further explore the possibilities of reconnecting the lake to the surrounding areas. Figure E. The mural. This was an art project done by ninth graders at Entheos Academy. It is located near the west end of Magna Main Street. This photo was taken on March 4, 2017 (Coles, HarmonSterling, & Kent, 2014) Figure F. Saltair from a distance. This shows how it is close in proximity, but off the beaten path. This photo was taken on March 15. 2017 Limited access. The shoreline of GSL in Salt Lake County is taken up with industrial space and the airport, and fluctuating lake levels make access points less predictable. This further complicates the issue of connecting people to this space. The three notable access points in Salt THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 25 Lake County - Saltair, Great Salt Lake State Park Marina, and Black Rock (Figures G-K) - are all located within the boundaries of the Magna community. All three sites are within two miles of each other. The Great Salt Lake State Park is the location of the lake's marina where sailing enthusiasts port their yachts. However, with the low lake levels, boats have not been able to remain in the docks. GSL water levels naturally fluctuate, but the way people are managing the resources of the lake factor into the limited access, and compounds the issues of potential revitalization of the south shoreline. Figure G. The marina. The docks of the marina are empty due to low lake levels. This photo was taken November 25, 2016 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS Figure H. Current-day Black Rock. All of the structures that once surrounded it have been taken down. Photo taken March 15, 2017 Figure I. Black Rock post card. This Teich post card shows what Black Rock use to be. The timeframe of this postcard is during the Great Depression (Teich & Co.). 26 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS Figure J. Black Rock remnants. These crumbling concrete slabs are an artifact of what once was. The Photo was taken on March 16, 2017. Figure K. Black Rock and the smoke stack. This picture shows the solitude of this access point. This photo was taken on April 10, 2017 27 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 28 Figure L: Black Rock graffiti. This image shows how people (dis)regard this access point. This photo was taken March 16, 2017. Lake Management The United States Congress declared GSL a bird refuge in 1928 in an attempt to protect the wetlands (Downard et al., 2014). While the Utah Division of Water Rights and the United States Fish and Wildlife Services diligently try to maintain a balance between the wetlands and human needs (Downard et al., 2014), management continues to be a struggle when preservation and conservation is in question. Integration of management practices becomes complicated when local and state agencies, as well as conservation organizations, private industry, and recreational agencies manage the lake (Bedford, 2005). It seems odd that so many different entities manage the lake, but it becomes more understandable when economics are involved. Being able to utilize water and manipulate its flow has been said to be the "economic salvation of the arid west" (Gardner, 1917, p. 462). The small metropolis that runs along the Wasatch Front is only possible because of the human ability to manipulate the surrounding natural resources of water flow. This is not to say that the Mormons THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 29 who settled the Utah territory had the intent to disrupt the natural environment or harm it. They were in search of a permanent place to call home, and they wanted to make the most out of their circumstances and available resources (Gardner, 1917). However, making the most out of the circumstances is potentially placing other life in danger. Bear River, being the largest tributary of GSL (Frankel, 2002), is a major factor in the life at the lake. The Bear River divertment water project was originally approved by the state legislature in 1991, but it has yet to be built. In 2016, Senate Bill 80 (Utah Legislature, 2016) appropriated funding for the Bear River divertment and Lake Powell pipeline, and it passed the legislature. However, as of January 2017, the project is on hold again. This postponement was explained by water officials to be due to better water conservation efforts in the state, technology advancements, and reevaluated population projections for the future (O'Donoghue, 2017). Another development project that is timely to discuss is the state prison relocation on the wetlands of GSL. The prison relocation project is scheduled to be completed in 2020. Despite opposition from residents in Salt Lake City (Roche, 2015), it was decided that the new location would be located along the wetlands of the south shoreline of GSL. Construction has already begun on the project, but environmental impact studies are still pending to determine what this development means for the wetlands and wildlife in the area (Canham, 2016). This tells me that the potential environmental impacts were not a main concern for project approval. Unique ecosystems and surrounding populations. GSL has a unique chemical composition due to its rich mineral content in a terminal lake (Jones, Naftz, Spencer, & Oviatt, 2009). This unique composition allows the GSL area to serve as a home to a variety of species. The lake itself is home to algae and brine shrimp (Bedford, 2005). With the overabundance of algae and brine shrimp, birds flock internationally to feed on the area and nest. A third of all THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 30 migratory waterfowl use the GSL as a stopping point throughout their migratory process (Frankel, 2002). The fresh water inlets also provide a home for lizards, turtles, a variety of fish species, and more than 60 species of mammals (Rawley, 1980). All of these ecosystems affect one another, but one that has a tendency to be overlooked is the implications of wetland health on human health (Horwitz & Finlayson, 2011). The myth of human supremacy likely influences this oversight because people see themselves as separate from nature. The adverse effects of the GSL drying up, and how that will affect human populations along the Wasatch Front, are still not fully understood (Frankel, 2002). Given that the GSL has a significant influence on local weather (Eubank & Brough, 1980), lower lake levels could have serious implications on the people who surround it. The lake regulates both cooler and warmer temperatures and is responsible for ‘lake effect' storms (Bedford, 2005; Eubank & Brough, 1980) that contribute to northern Utah's snow. This snow provides snowpack for drinking water, and it represents recreation for mountain resorts, which also contributes to the state's revenue from tourism. Without the lake, snowpack would decrease (Eubank & Brough, 1980) and the people of the area could experience a loss of winter recreation. As GSL levels recede, boaters who use the lake are left high and dry. Regardless of the season, a loss of GSL water levels has implications for Utah's recreation industry. A loss of recreation could also mean a loss of local identity and place attachment (Budruk & Wilhelm Stanis, 2013). What I mean by place attachment is the bond that people form with places, giving these places personal significance for the person who has the bond. Given that outdoor recreation contributes $12 billion to the state's economy and employs more than 122,000 people (Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, 2017), a loss of outdoor recreation in Utah would affect place attachment and local identity. Beyond the THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 31 recreational loss of identity, this also interferes with the unique balance of the lake's salinity that maintains ecosystems, as well as contributes to more than 7,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in revenue for the state (Bioeconomics, Inc., 2012). Loss of industry could also link to loss of identity for those who work in those jobs. Whether it is environmental, recreation, public health or economic, something going awry with the ecosystems of GSL will potentially affect a loss of identity, and could have implication for public opinion. This is another reason why it is so important to understand how local residents understand the environmental heritage of GSL. Less water in the lakebed also means that temperatures would rise and increase the risk of dust storms (Eubank & Brough, 1980). This would increase particulate matter in the air. Particulate matter is an air pollutant. Along the Wasatch Front in northern Utah, air quality is already threatened in the winter months from particulate matter and in the summer months from ozone (Utah Division of Air Quality, 2016). A dry lakebed means worse air quality. The health of wetlands effect the people who live near them (Horwitz & Finlayson, 2011). A person's health and well-being is a part of their identity. If the dried up lakebed affected public health it is almost certain that it would also influence the public opinion of GSL. Since lake levels historically fluctuate, it is important to prepare for lower lake levels, understand what that may mean to the surrounding population, and do what is necessary to maintain the lake at healthy levels. The first step to doing this is to assess the current public perceptions of the lake. Identity and Place Attachment Public opinion and environmental heritage go hand in hand with place attachment. Public opinion derives from experience, or lack thereof. People will hold more value for a place if they see it as a part of their identity; the greater the identity the more likely someone is to have an emotionally driven response (Kyle, Jun, & Absher, 2014). Goralnik and Nelson (2006) explore THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 32 this emotionally driven response by juxtaposing the theoretical work of John Muir and Aldo Leopold, and conclude that attachment to the environment is not so much driven by exposure, but more so how the community sees it. Goralnik and Nelson (2006) take a collective approach to explain place attachment to the environment. People will give value to a place if they see it as a part of their identity. However, as Beery and Wolf-Watz (2014) point out, it is not enough to just think that people will connect with a large abstract concept like nature. They need to have a sense of place in order to connect. There is a variety of reasons why people hold place attachment and meaning for GSL. As Trentelman (2009) explored in her dissertation people, living near the lake have shared meaning about it with fellow community members, multiple meanings of both negative and positive opinions, and contested meanings that focus more narrowly on individual implication more than societal implications. Understanding how people connect to GSL will help form an approach in which ‘experts' can address lake preservation efforts with the needs and wants of the surrounding communities in mind. This is done by questioning how residents conceptualize the environmental heritage of GSL. Someone will not be driven to protect a space if they do not feel a connection to it. According to Kyle, Jun, and Absher (2014), "For places central to an individual's sense of self, the greater the likelihood that the individual will endow the setting with value and sentiment" (p. 1020). Within the namesake of Salt Lake County, there is a shared identity between the county and GSL. However, Salt Lake County residents have limited access to the shorelines of GSL, leaving them with fewer opportunities to interact with the space. This leaves me to question how much they identify with the space and if they actually see it as a part of their identity. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 33 The development of heritage happens on a personal level, which then influences the macro level of society. "Heritage, though, is fundamentally a personal experience, about the meaning of place and of self in place, so that emotions and beliefs are as important as aggregate statistics, essential though those are" (Kearsley & Middleton, 2006, p. 32). Accounting for the personal experiences of people inform quantitative evidence. In the case of GSL, accounting for the personal experience with the lake is lacking in the literature. Increasing the amount of qualitative sociological study about the lake in order to understand the environmental heritage of the space is a valuable element to the overall research about GSL. I have attempted to address this gap in the literature by asking the question how west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake. Water Conservation and Political Identity Place attachment and identity with GSL are only a piece of how Salt Lake County residents conceptualize lake conservation efforts. To have a complete understanding, views and opinions of water and water conservation must be addressed. One such perception is about green landscapes in an arid environment. The presentation outside of one's home is socially symbolic (Neel, Sadalla, Berlin, Ledlow, & Neufeld, 2014). Based on the study produced by Neel et al. (2014) "when the decision maker chose a high-water-use landscape they were seen as higher status, sexual attractiveness, family [oriented], prosociality, and they received higher ratings on a general evaluation factor" (p. 51). With the family orientation of local identity and history, it makes sense why Utahns have so many lawns regardless of living in an arid environment. Utahns are among the highest water users in the county (Fahys, 2014), and a part of this consumption is in the presentation of lawns. Their lawns speak to their family identity, as well as implying other pro-social meanings. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 34 The research produced by Neel et al. (2014) also showed that people with more green mesic2 landscapes were perceived as being more religious and more politically conservative than those who had xeric3 landscaping. When comparing the findings from Neel et al. (2014) with the strong religious and conservative identity of Utah, it becomes clearer why so many waterintensive landscapes exist in such an arid environment. It is speaking to the residents' identity of religion, politics, family, and social status; these are all examples of social areas that people tie to their personal identities. Beyond politic participation with environmental efforts, people who are prosocial and have a high local identity with their communities are also more likely to respond to water conservation efforts (Bonaiuto, et al., 2008). Rather than focus on shifting political identities, the focus should be on reframing environmentalist efforts within the area, strengthening community connections, and getting people to interact with the lake. This change of focus is only possible when public opinion and perceptions are understood, so outreach efforts can be more targeted. The first step is to know what the current perception of social norms and beliefs - i.e., public opinion - are about GSL. That is why researching public opinions, beliefs and attitudes about GSL is important for preservationist efforts. Changing social norms and beliefs will require understanding the psychology behind environmentalism. Environmental psychology is still an underdeveloped field of study. There is much to learn about how to curtail individual behaviors that work against sustainability and conservation efforts (Ernst & Wenzel, 2014). GSL could greatly benefit from an environmental psychology perspective, and this is research that should continue in the future. Beyond change at an individual level, institutions should also be accountable for moving water conservation forward. 2 3 Mesic means that the landscape requires a moderate amount of water to be sustained. Xeric means that the landscape requires a small amount of water to be sustained. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 35 Institutional efforts are key to addressing the concerns of GSL water levels and conservation efforts. With Utah being one of the largest water consumers in the country (Fahys, 2014), what encourages this water use should be addressed. Beyond the social significance of lawns, institutional structures encourage heavy consumption. Water bills are subsidized through property taxes in the state of Utah. That is why the recent ruling by the state's record committee to release accurate water usage data to the public is so significant (Penrod, 2017). People who can more accurately predict their water consumption are better at curbing their water usage (Liangxin, Fei, Guobin, Xiaomei, & Wei, 2014). This new ruling was a win for water conservation in Utah (Penrod, 2017). If Utah's institutions - e.g., the state legislature - do not make water conservation efforts a priority through legislation, but prioritize water diversion projects such as Senate Bill 80 (Utah Legislature, 2016), Utahns will not see GSL preservation as a choice because residents may believe that diverting water from GSL is the only option to providing water for future generations. In a study of public perception of water shortages in the United States, Garcia-Cuerva, Berglund, and Binder (2016) found 43% of respondents claimed to be water conservers. However, individual behavior modifications did not address larger barriers such as economic capacity to replace non-efficient fixtures, as well as a lack of knowledge about water conservation efforts. If people are more educated on what their water usage is and how to appropriately conserve water, it would lead to a reduction in the need to divert water, such as diverting the Bear River away from GSL. This leads me to believe that if the public were given cost effective alternatives as well as prioritizing the importance of water conservation through outreach and education, the demand on governmental institutions to conserve GSL would increase. Changed THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 36 social perceptions inform policy (Smith & Larimer, 2013). A changed local narrative about water conservation could influence the water policy that affects GSL. Homogenous Management The ‘experts' who influence decision-making processes for GSL were defined by the Utah legislature in 2010 (Utah Legislature, 2010). ‘Expert' opinion is necessary, but it can be problematic to only consider the opinions of those who are already active participants in water management and conservation efforts. Larson and Lach (2008) theorized that people participating in water conservation and water management efforts usually share similar traits with one another and are vested in representing their own agendas. For example, an industrial representative is more likely than an average resident to go to decision-making meetings or to campaign for certain legislation. This means that the industrial representative at these meetings is more likely to associate with other industry representatives and less likely to associate with an average resident. This means that those who are at such decision-making meetings might not be representative of public interests. An example of this is the decision to relocate the new state prison out on the wetlands of GSL. Of the five proposed sites, the legislature decided upon placing the facility on the wetlands of GSL. There was an array of public opposition to the new site. Some of the concerns stemmed from environmental reasons; however, much of it came from the fact that Salt Lake City residents did not want a prison to be located in the state's capital (Roche, 2015). A social stigma comes with a prison. While many people would not want a prison near them, it is interesting that the site chosen is somewhere that can remain out of sight and out of mind - near the lake. The site was chosen before environmental impact studies could be complete (Canham, 2016) which indicates that the health and wellbeing of the location may not have been a top THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 37 priority consideration when choosing the site. Although it did face opposition from some residents in Salt Lake City, construction began anyway. This is why this research is valuable to the conservation efforts of GSL. The lake is an identifying marker of the area and its health and wellbeing has implications for all those who live near it. Residents should feel that they have a stake in its future. However, how residents identify with the lake will also influence what types of preservation efforts are necessary. The longer the public is detached from conversation, the less likely they are to pass on the heritage of the lake for future generations to experience. Conclusion Lake preservation and management entails a multifaceted approach that includes understanding how people in the area self-identify and how to work around the current political climate. When considering all of the influential factors, it becomes clear that understanding public opinion is the first step towards lake preservation. That is why my research question of how west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake is relevant and timely. Once public opinion is understood, the current narrative that are formed around GSL can begin to transform, and a new story can begin to take hold - a story that values a living Earth more than sacred money markets. How I went about understanding the environmental heritage of GSL and gathered this data is discussed further in Chapter III. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 38 Chapter III: Research Methods For this project, I used inductive-exploratory research to better understand how west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake (GSL). I conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews to collect the information for my research. Using community announcement boards, social media, and snowball sampling, I found participants to provide information about their personal opinions and experiences with the lake. With my focus on environmental heritage passed on to child from parent, I had hoped to collect four to six individual parent interviews and two to three family interviews. However, I was only able to gather individuals for parent interviews. By including children in the interview process, I felt I would have a better understanding of how the heritage is being passed on and received. Although I was unable to gain access to a group-styled family interview, two of my parent participants were father-daughter. This allowed me to do some cross-referencing between the two of them. Of the anticipated interviews, I was able to complete five individual parent interviews. After each interview, I transcribed the recorded interviews as well as any field notes I had. Once the interviews were transcribed, I analyzed them and coded the information. By using these codes, I was able to place the information under five main themes. These five themes are intergenerational appeal and place attachment, connections to their community, underutilized assets and economic development, disassociation of place, and salt of the Earth. These themes will be discussed in Chapter IV. At each interview, I asked all participants if they would be willing to be contacted at a later time to collaborate on digital stories with me. Each participant agreed to be contacted later for the possibility of collaboration. Once I have completed the writing of this thesis, I will begin THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 39 contacting participants for the digital stories process. Once completed, these digital stories will be given to Friends of Great Salt Lake (FoGSL) so they may use them as promotional tools for their advocacy and outreach efforts. In the following sections, I discuss the methods I used for data collection and coding, as well as discuss how I intend on conducting the digital stories process. Methods I used inductive research to conduct interviews. As Johnson (2017) defines inductive research it is "a ‘bottom up' process of analysis that allows for the emergence of themes and analytical and theoretical categories from participants' beliefs and experiences and community understandings and practices" (p.174). I did more exploratory-based questions rather than presenting my own theory about the public opinion within the area. I wanted to explore rather than try to prove or disprove something that I personally think or feel. I identified the west side Salt Lake County community of Magna as my population of focus. Being that I am a resident of this community, I felt that taking an inductive approach would help to reduce a personal bias on my participants' responses. Interviews Interviews are like a conversation. The process of learning and obtaining knowledge comes from conversing with someone about their experiences (Kvale, 1996). Using a semistructured interview allowed me to open up the dialogue and have a more natural flowing conversation. The interviews were semi-structured allowing for open-ended conversation (Johnson, 2017) and opened up the organic progression of personal stories. Using this type of methodology helped me understand my participants' values regarding environmental heritage and GSL. It helped me consider the family social unit and its nuances (Frey & Fontana, 1991). THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 40 Building rapport with study participants is very important to the interview process because it allows for a more in depth interview (Johnson, 2017). When participants feel more at ease and trust the interviewer, they are more likely to open up (Kvale, 1996). Building rapport with my participants during the interviews helped position me to ask them to collaborate with digital stories. Participants and Recruitment With snowball sampling, "all of the resultant participants will generally be from the same geographical area" (Emerson, 2015, p.166). I am looking at a very specific geographical area, so I see this as a strength rather than a weakness for my study. As a parent myself, I utilized my connections with other parents in the area through the local schools, after school programs and neighbors to snowball sample my population. Snowball sampling is inherently social and there is an exchange of trust and communication between the interviewer and interviewee (Noy, 2008). This method helped strengthen my rapport with participants, and provided better access to those who are willing to do a digital story. I gave myself a six-week timeframe to recruit and interview participants. I projected to recruit four to six individual parents and two to three families for group styled interviews. I used snowball sampling, promotional recruitment flyers, and social media to gather participants for my study. I posted promotional recruitment flyers in two main community spaces - the library, and the recreation center. I planned to distribute recruitment flyers (Appendix A) through the six local public elementary schools' PTAs. However, after my recruitment had begun I was informed that the PTA could only distribute PTA related materials. I ran into similar roadblocks when I tried contacting the principles of these same elementary schools. Only one principle agreed to have the recruitment flyers in the office without waiting for preapproval at a district THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 41 level. At this same elementary, I was able to distribute recruitment flyers in their after school program as well. Promotional recruitment flyers included my contact information for potential participants to contact me directly. I posted a request for participation to fellow community members on the area's active Facebook page (Appendix B). The page has 6,3744 followers. After giving a description of what I was recruiting for, I asked those who were interested to contact me via Facebook messenger. I had no responses using social media. Since I am a community member in the area, I also asked fellow community members for potential leads on people who would be interested in participating. With these efforts combined, I was able to recruit five individual parent participants. Two participants responded to the flyers posted at the library. One was a nearby neighbor who expressed interest in my project and agreed to participate after I extended the opportunity to her. One participant referred her father to me. One participant responded to the flyers left at the local elementary school. Participants ranged in varying degrees of residency. The time spent living in the community for participants ranged from three years to born and raised residents. Four of the five participants were women. To give a better understanding of who my participants are I have provided participant portraits. Participant Portraits 1: Tracy. Tracy is a longtime resident in the area. She moved to Utah because of school and met her husband after moving here. Once they graduated from college, she and her husband moved to Magna because of her husband's work. After being a stay at home mother for several years Tracy went back to work and has worked in the community for a total of 15 years. She and her husband have lived in the area for the past 36 years. They raised all six of their children in 4 This number of followers was obtained on November 26, 2016 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 42 the area, and all but two still live along or near the Wasatch Front in Utah. Now with all of her own children grown up, Tracy enjoys being a grandma to her 13 grandchildren. She plays a very active role within the community and she wants to help the community as much as she can. 2: Sophia. Sophia moved to Utah in the Salt Lake valley eight years ago after finishing college. She came here looking for work and opportunity and in the process met her husband. The two of them have been living in the Magna area for the past three years with their two small children, and another one on the way. During our interview at her home, her three year old played quietly while the two of us talked. Based on the interactions with her child, it was clear to see that she is a very caring and attentive mother who wants the best for her children. Of all the participants, she has lived in the community for the least amount of time. She told me that she is usually happy wherever she ends up, but that when she moved to Magna it took her no time at all to feel right at home. 3: Kim. Kim was born and raised in Magna. When she attended college, she stayed in the Salt Lake valley. She has spent her whole life living in an area where Great Salt Lake is the backdrop of her life. She is married and has five young children. Given that she grew up in the area and has worked in the area for more than a decade, she says that she feels very connected to her community. Kim enjoys learning new things and wants to pass knowledge on to her children. She says that her summer days with her children are like mini fieldtrips where she takes them places to experience new things. 4: Sandra. Although she was born and raised out of state, Sandra spent her summers as a child visiting her grandparents in the Salt Lake valley. Growing up, she had the chance to develop many memories at Great Salt Lake with her grandmother. Sandra has four adult children and three grandchildren. After marrying her current husband eight years ago, they moved to THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 43 Magna. Sandra spends a lot of time crafting and helping her neighbors. She loves being a part of the community and enjoys living somewhere with such a rich history. She likes being able to take her grandchildren to the places she remembers going to with her grandmother. 5: Russell. Russell has lived his whole life in the Salt Lake valley, with the exception of the two years he was on his Mormon mission. While he was on his mission, he met his wife. Shortly after returning home from his mission, the two of them where married. They have spent most of their married lives together in Magna and it is where they raised their four children. He now has 11 grandchildren. Russell said that when he and his wife first moved to the area, he did not think they would still live in the community by the time their children reached high school. However, as the years passed he realized that there was no other place he would rather be. He loves his community and the people who make it what it is. Location and Time To provide ease and comfort to my participants, I identified two public locations, the public library and the nearby local coffee shop, as possible locations for interviews. Both of these public locations are quiet enough to record an interview and are neutral locations. I was also willing to conduct the interviews at participants' homes if that was more convenient for them. I estimated that individual interviews would take approximately 30 minutes. The time span of my interviews ranged from 26 to 59 minutes. Both Tracy and Russell opted to utilize the library for their interviews. Sophia and Sandra invited me to their homes, and Kim asked me to come to her place of employment to conduct her interview. I have identified my study area as Magna because of the shared community identity and boundaries with GSL access points. For the purposes of anonymity, I have used pseudonyms for my participants and have redacted any personal information that may disclose their identities. I THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 44 am currently a resident of Magna, so I am a member of the area that I have identified for study. I felt that my intimate knowledge of influential community members and prevalent communal spaces provided me with a better understanding of how to reach out to fellow community members to gather participants for my research. Analysis The information gained in the interviews was used to identify and develop an understanding of how this community conceives their environmental heritage of GSL. After collecting the data, I coded each interview. According to Miles and Huberman (1994), coding requires "some system for categorizing the various chunks, so researchers can quickly find, pull out, and cluster the segments relating to a particular research question, hypothesis, construct, or theme" (p. 57). Furthermore, Miles and Huberman (1994) go on to say that "creating a general accounting scheme for codes that is not content specific, but points to the general domains in which codes can be developed inductively" is a good way to allow codes to revel themselves in a semi-structured way (p. 61). I used an interview guide to allow me to maintain focus, but allowed the conversation to go in the direction that it naturally flowed (Appendix C). I left the fields of description open enough to allow codes to present themselves as I continuously transcribed and compiled information in the field. Using codes, I cross-referenced interviews and looked for emergent themes. I found commonalities among participants and was able to identify emergent themes based on the codes I identified. After narrowing down my codes and joining similar codes together, I identified five emergent themes: intergenerational appeal and place attachment, connections to their community, underutilized assets and economic development, disassociation of place, and salt of the Earth. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 45 Field notes were written for each interview. I had a notepad to write down small nuances when I saw them during each interview. Immediately following an interview, I would go to a secluded area and type up the minimal field notes I had, as well as what I was able to recall from the surroundings and the tone of the interview. After the field notes were typed up, I would start the transcription of the interview. I personally transcribed all five interviews. As I transcribed, I added additional pieces of information to my field notes that the interview recording reminded me of. While I did take field notes, the recorded interviews and transcriptions were much more helpful for my analysis and ended up being the basis for my analysis. I gave myself a minimum of two days in between interviews to be able to expand on my field notes, transcribe the interview, and read the interview for analysis, before I conducted another interview. I did this so the information was fresh in my mind so I could give it my full attention. I wanted to be aware of developing themes and maintain clarity of the details of each interview. I repeated this process for all five individual parent interviews. Validity Given that I am a member of my target population, I feel that one of the most important measures of validity for my study is researcher reflexivity. I have my own assumptions and biases, which is also a reason I chose to approach this work through inductive research. I felt that this allows the opinions and beliefs of my participants to form organically rather than trying to prove or disprove my own theory. Creswell and Miller (2000) state, "This is the process whereby researchers report on personal beliefs, values, and biases that may shape their inquiry" (p. 127). It is important for researchers to acknowledge and describe their positionality so they can reflect on all of the individual forces that influence their study. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 46 An important element of my inductive approach is member checking. I did not want to impose my own positionality upon my participants, so I made sure to clarify my interpretations of what participants were telling me during the interviews in order to gain a better understanding of what exactly they were intending to communicate with me. Digital Stories Digital stories are compilations of photos, music, video, and a narrative voice for the purpose of discovering and portraying the deeper meaning of a story. Digital story telling allows for reflecting on emotions, which could help people understand a story at a deeper level (Lambert, 2012). Throughout the course of human history, people have relied on stories to provide meaning to life (McClean, 2007). In this sense, digital stories could help cultivate a deeper connection to GSL. Having a connection with the lake would increase the likelihood of passing on the importance of the space to future generations. Upon completion, these digital stories will be released to FoGSL to be used as promotional tools for the organization. This portion of my Capstone project will be done in the month following the completion of this thesis. As I mentioned in Chapter II, story and narratives influence the current sacred money markets that jeopardize natural spaces such as GSL, and a new narrative that values a living Earth over sacred money markets needs to emerge. Digital stories are a potential gateway into conceptualizing what GSL means to the surrounding community. Digital storytelling, like other narrative methods, leads us into the constructive, interpretive, and contextual nature of narrative. A story, after all, is not a fact sheet, a chronology, or a formula to be memorized. Instead, a story both represents and invites the construction of meaning (Rossiter & Garcia, 2010, p. 44). THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 47 With the visual and auditory elements that digital stories add to a narrative, they can help construct new meaning to a story (McClean, 2007). In preparation for this portion of my project, I attended a two-part workshop5 through the writing center of Salt Lake Community College that taught how to construct a digital story narrative, and how to piece together the various elements to have a more compelling story. My personal story. With the knowledge I gained from the digital stories workshop, I created my own digital story about what GSL means to me, which I titled Coming Home. I told the story about growing up near GSL and being able to watch the sunset over the waters when I was a young child. The story of the lake and growing up was paralleled to the relationship with my father. In my digital story, I indicate that as I became older, the lake became a place where I go when life becomes overwhelming, as a way to recharge and reconnect. The moral of the story - the take away point for my audience - is that I want to preserve natural spaces for my children so they have somewhere to go when life becomes challenging. When I created my story, I kept a broader audience in mind. I felt it was important to mention my upbringing in a rural area and the fact that I am a mother and wife. I feel that these elements of my identity humanize me to a broader audience and make me more relatable. I wanted to break down the misconception of environmentalists being extreme. I used my digital story as an example to show my participants what exactly I was asking of them when I inquired about collaboration at a later time. The stories of participants. Before beginning each interview, I spoke with my participants about collaborating with me on their own digital story. I showed them the digital story that I created about GSL. Each of the five participants agreed to be contacted later. Once I collected, transcribed, and coded all five interviews, I contacted each participant by phone to ask This workshop was held at the downtown location of Salt Lake Community College's writing center and was held on November 9, 2016 and November 16, 2016. 5 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 48 if they were still interested in participating and to start building a timeline for completing the project. At the time of this writing, I have three participants who are willing to move forward with collaboration. I had originally planned to complete the digital stories in the same timeframe of writing this thesis, but extenuating circumstances moved this portion of my Capstone further out. I provided a handout to my participants about digital story writing tips, which I created based on the knowledge I had gained through my digital story workshop and the literature that I engaged with (Appendix D). Participants will write their own narrative scripts, with assistance from me only for editing. I am doing this to help reduce my bias in the narrative. Once the narrative is written and recorded, I will prompt participants to think of the images and sound that they want with their digital stories. I will facilitate the technical aspect of compiling the information to format it digitally. During this process, I will rely on collaboration with the participants in order to create a finished product that is representative of the participant. My goal is to help my participants create a final product that they feel accurately represents the story they shared with me about GSL. Providing personal photos and voice recordings has the potential to expose participants' identity. Participants are given the opportunity to remain anonymous by providing images that would not disclose their identity, and I will offer to record their narratives if they do not want to use their own voice. I anticipate that the collaboration process will take approximately four hours for each story. These four hours will be divide among two to three meetings with the participant as we collaborate. I project that I will spend approximately four hours to work on the technical aspects of compiling the digital stories to make a final product. Time invested by participants may vary depending on how much time they spend writing their narratives before recording THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 49 them. This is an approximated time investment. Each digital story will be three to five minutes in length. An exact period of how long each collaborative digital story takes to create will be better understood only when I have completed this portion of the project at a later time. Ethical Concerns For research involving human subjects there are federal and regulatory guidelines that help protect vulnerable populations (Johnson, 2017). Some ethical challenges that researchers face are researcher-participant relationships and how they may influence the research, informed consent that is fully understood by the participants, confidentiality of sensitive data or participants' identity, how to best store the data collected to protect confidentiality, and disseminating the data in such a way that provides anonymity for participants (Given, 2016). I do not foresee any major ethical concerns with my research. Before gathering any data, participants signed consent forms that outlined the study (Appendix E). I maintained anonymity with participants' identities by using pseudonyms and omitting their real names. Any identifying information that was provided throughout the interviews is not included in my write up. In my transcriptions and field notes, I refer to participants by their pseudonyms. I have identified the parameters of my west side Salt Lake County area to be the community of Magna. Before beginning each interview, I asked participants if there were any specific or sensitive attributes that they wish for me to omit. None of them requested that I omit any specific or sensitive information. In writing my findings, I redacted identifying information of my participants to prevent their identity from being known. The digital stories have the potential to reveal a participant's identity depending on what types of images participants choose to use. Informed consent is used and obtained before working on digital stories as well as upon completion (Appendices F and G). All participants THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 50 have been made aware that they are under no obligation to participate in digital stories or to provide images or sounds that disclose their identity to participate in the digital story process. I will give participants the option to allow me to record their written narrative for them if they do not want to use their voice. It is my goal to collect four digital stories for the purpose of bringing awareness to GSL, and to use for lake advocacy purposes by FoGSL. It is possible that some opinions and or stories that came up during interviews could have been negative or emotionally uncomfortable. However, based on the interaction and the stories that data provided to me by my participants, I do not see this as a major concern. For those participants who choose to be a part of the digital stories, their images and stories will be shared in a public domain. If later a participant has a change of opinion, the video footage of their previous opinion would still exist. These are reasonable risks because mismanagement of GSL could potentially cause the lake to dry up which could worsen air quality in the area as well as endanger several habitats and ecosystems. This could pose a threat to human health as well as the health of nature. Having people engaging with the lake and caring about its preservation could potentially prevent worsened environmental conditions for the area. Possible Limitations Since I am a part of the community I am targeting, personal assumption about public opinion could be a possible limitation. I am addressing this issue by approaching the research inductively, as well as reflexivity of my own positionality and member checking with my participants to make sure I am accurately representing them. Another limitation to the study is time. Data collection, transcription coding and writing were conducted throughout a four-month period. This time constraint places a limitation on the sample size of the study. It also limits the availability of time to complete the digital stories within this same four-month period. That is THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 51 why digital stories will begin after this thesis has been completed. However, despite these limitations, this information will contribute to the research surrounding GSL and there is still plenty more research that can be done. I am hopeful that I will be able to complete four digital stories, but my minimum goal is two. Using the methods I outlined in this chapter allowed me to answer my research question of how west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake. In Chapter IV, I discuss the results of my study and my fieldwork. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 52 Chapter IV: Findings and Analysis "The lake affects the surrounding area, and the society of the surrounding area affects the lake. Because of this, some of the categories of meanings related to GSL may appear, on their face, to be rather tangential. However, the lake is woven through and connected to them, and in some cases is the reason these meanings can persist." C. Trentelman, 2009 Introduction This chapter presents the findings from five individual interviews with parents in the Magna community. I collected my data with consideration for my research question: How do west side Salt Lake County families conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake (GSL)? My findings show that the relationship people have with GSL is more complex than simply dismissing it as a smelly lake. According to Goralnik and Nelson (2011), people will "Neither care about nor retain the knowledge they gain unless they are first emotionally and ethically engaged by place, community, and content" (p. 185). My participants strongly connected to community and were emotionally driven to care about the south shoreline access points of GSL, providing hope that people do care about GSL and its access points, and are capable of engaging with, and learning about it. When "places become more central to an individual's sense of self, a line of activities and social groups that verify place identities are increasingly valued, further fostering [an] individual's ties to place" (Kyle, Jun, & Absher, 2014, p. 1020). My participants conceptualized preservation as a way of fostering the community identity they shared with Saltair, and wanted the growth and development of this access point as a way of deepening a community connection with the space. A way in which people connect with natural spaces, such as GSL, is through the experience of human legacy rather than environmental heritage. This is an observation I made THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 53 when speaking with participants. In the context of this research, that means that participants reminisced over the boom and bust of their community as well as for the beachside resorts of Saltair and Black Rock, but mentioned environmental ecosystems and natural preservation to a much smaller degree. Not all of my participants had meaningful experiences at the lake or reported a strong emotional connection; however, all of the participants expressed the importance of the lake to the area's identity and history. In the following sections, I use findings from my parent interviews as well as literature to support these findings, in order to answer my research question: How do Salt Lake County residents conceptualize the environmental heritage of Great Salt Lake? While coding my data, I identified five overarching themes under which the data could be categorized. These themes are intergenerational appeal and place attachment, connections to their community, underutilized assets and economic development, disassociation of place, and salt of the Earth. The proceeding sections give further detail of the complex relationship people have with the lake and the factors that influence that relationship using these five themes. Intergenerational Appeal and Place Attachment Participants who were born and raised in the area, or had frequent childhood interactions, had a stronger attachment to GSL and had less negative things to say about the lake than those who moved in from out of state. Kim, who was born and raised in the area, said that the "amazing" sunsets over the lake are something she enjoys with her children when they are driving home. "I've trained my kids to watch for it," Kim said. "Because I always point it out to them." As Kyle, Jun, and Absher (2014) stated, "Places central to individuals' sense of self are more deeply invested with sentiment and belonging" (p.127). Kim is a very devoted mother, and these positive interactions provide meaning to the sentiment that she has for the lake. This THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 54 demonstrates place attachment because she associates the lake with home, and home is one of the most personal places that people become attached to. Kim enjoys taking her children to Saltair, Black Rock, and other beautiful destinations that the state has to offer. "My summers are like daily field trips because I want to teach my children the importance of Utah and all the cool things it has to offer. My dad instilled that in me." This statement not only explains an additional layer of place attachment by stating that she thinks her home state has cool things to offer, but it also shows that parents transmit knowledge as heritage and place attachment. As Trentelman's (2009) dissertation pointed out, there was no correlation for attachment and living in closer proximity to the lake, but childhood experiences did have an impact on the connection someone had to the lake. This finding is consistent in the data I collected. Kim had childhood experiences and she is now passing on her attachment to her children. Previous generations play a part in passing on place attachment. Sandra talked at length about her grandmother and the connection to the lake that her grandmother provided to her. Although she grew up in Idaho, Sandra spent her summers with her grandmother, who made it a point to take her out to the lake several times a year, especially to Saltair. As Sandra reminisced about her grandmother, she said, "My grandmother… thought it was important that we went to the [Kennecott] mine and out to Saltair, and the Great Salt Lake. Many times we had family picnics out there, floating in the water and skipping rocks." Sandra has an emotional connection to the lake because of the childhood memories that she has of going to the lake with her grandmother. This emotional connection allows Sandra to be engaged with the space (Goralnik & Nelson, 2011). As an adult, Sandra now lives in Magna and goes out to Saltair every week. "That's my place," she boasted. It is her place because she has such an emotional connection to it. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 55 For Sandra, the lake provides her an emotional connection to her grandmother who has long since passed. She now enjoys taking her own grandchildren to Saltair and GSL so she can build similar memories with them. "I want my grandkids to know the exact same things that I've learned from the Great Salt Lake - the purpose that it's always been there for, the history, and the commerce that we've got from it." Sandra's statement is speaking to the historical narrative of the lake. Narratives are the way heritage is passed on (McClean, 2007). This shows how the love of the lake spans over generations, and also what type of heritage is being passed on from generation to generation. "Some heritage has been consciously recognized by past generations; we ourselves, continue both to define and to create heritage" (Kearsley & Middleton, 2006, p. 23). Using Kearsley and Middleton (2006) as a foundation, I interpret Sandra's comments to mean that she is focused on the human legacy of the lake rather than the environmental heritage of it; however, this is not to say that she does not care about the environmental heritage. I am differentiating human legacy and environmental heritage as valuing how humans have interacted with GSL rather than how they see it as a natural setting. Participants who moved in from out of state and had no real childhood memories of the space had less place attachment for the south shoreline access points and more negative things to say about the lake in general. According to the quantitative data that Trentelman (2009) gathered, the length of residency only mattered if it was longer than 20 years; otherwise, it was not a real indicator of place attachment for GSL. I would also say that within my data this holds true - that it is more about the childhood experience rather than the duration of residence. Participants were not as eager to take their children and/or grandchildren out to the lake if they themselves did not have childhood experiences there. Those who came from out of state also seemed to mention the smell of the lake bothering them more than those who grew up around it. When I asked Tracy THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 56 what words came to mind when she thought of GSL, her first response was "ick." She described the lake as being smelly and swampy. "I grew up in California, and so a beach in California is nothing like a beach on the Great Salt Lake. It is not somewhere I would go to recreate." Tracy explained. She expressed her distaste for the natural elements of the lake, but felt it was important that her children and grandchildren know the history of it. While Tracy may hold a less favorable opinion about the lake, she does want to pass on the legacy of it. This is something that Trentelman (2009) referred to as multiple meaning. Multiple meaning is the ability to hold both a negative and positive interpretation for the same thing. In regard to her children and grandchildren visiting the lake, Tracy told me, "You'd want to leave the lake healthy and it's an important part of their heritage. Even if they never go to it, to know the [part of] history it played." This tells me that she does regard the lake with place attachment and wants future generations to appreciate it, even if it is not for sentimental or environmental reasons. This viewpoint of Tracy's also highlights the human legacy of the space rather than the environmental heritage of it. Sophia also moved to the area from California and she mentioned how her father, who grew up along the Wasatch Front in Utah, used to tell her stories about swimming and floating in GSL. "I thought that sounded like the coolest thing. Now that I'm here, I never go out there. I really want to go out there and swim, but it seems kind of stinky," Sophia remarked. While her father did try to pass on the heritage of the lake and its access points through story, Sophia herself did not have childhood memories of interacting with these spaces, which influences her reluctance to go out there now as an adult. This builds on the assertion by Trentelman (2009) that length of residency or proximity to the lake does not mean as much as childhood experiences with it. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 57 Not all of my participants had childhood experiences with the lake and its access points, however, all of them expressed the need to preserve it to some extent because it is so much a part of local identity. I questioned in Chapter II whether people in Salt Lake County would identify with the namesake of the lake because of limited access in the county. As Tracy explained, "I think it's critical. We're Salt Lake - it's our name. We're not the ‘Valley In The Hole.' We are the Great Salt Lake." She identifies preservation as critical because of the namesake, not because of a deep emotional connection that she holds for the lake. Based on the data I collected, residents do have a sense of local identity because of the namesake, even though their access may be limited. In Trentelman's (2009) work, she found that limited access does not necessarily hamper the motivation for someone to go out into the space. The information I collected tells me something similar; if people want to go out to the space they will go. Place identity influences the appreciation for physical attributes, emotional investment, and social ties (Kyle, Jun, & Absher, 2014). In this case, the emotional investment of the local landscape that influenced the name of the area encourages appreciation for it. This adds an extra dimension to place attachment because it shows that there can be attachment even without direct memories of the lake. Although all participants said it was important to preserve the space, only those who had childhood memories of the lake stressed the importance of taking children to GSL. Goralnik and Nelson (2011) suggested that the notion of someone needing to interact with nature to value it was not entirely true, but it would seem as though the interaction for my participants did have an impact on their overall outlook on GSL. Tracy held less favorable opinions of GSL, and by the end of the interview, she was showing some interest to give the lake another try. "You've inspired me to visit it again. Maybe I'll even take the kids out to this site too," She said, as she THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 58 motioned in the direction of the Saltair. This statement tells me, that even though she was interested to go to the lake again, she was intending on going to an access point outside of the community. Sophia on the other hand did not make mention of trying to go out there, just that it would be nice to have the access points maintained so she could have the opportunity to take her family to those locations, indicating that the sites as they are now are undesirable to be at. Sophia said, "We live a bit far from the ocean and not everybody can make it. It would be nice to have something similar here, where people can enjoy a place of beauty." Sophia reflects on the fact that if the space were more desirable she would perhaps go out there. Again, this is counter to the analysis that Goralnik and Nelson (2011) made about the body of work by John Muir because it indicates that people have a desire to go into the spaces and connect with them. Kyle, Jun, and Absher (2014) gave further cause for the importance of people being able to go out into a space when they claimed, "Interaction allows the individual to experience and understand a setting's nuances with all of their senses" (p. 1021). People are able to interpret specific meaning for a space when they can experience it themselves. People being able to generate personal meaning and connection could elevate the community that the space is a part of. Connection to Their Community All participants expressed having a deep connection to their community and had a love for the area. Avery, et al. (2014), highlighted this deep sense of community; however, this assertion is made based off my data more than it is from the literature. For example, when Russell told me, "The thing I like best about being here in Magna, is that people just accept you for who you are" he was indicating a strong connection to the social community. He went on to say, "Originally, I wasn't planning on being here when my kids got to high school, but the longer THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 59 I lived here the less reason I had to even think about leaving." This affirms that Russell has an attachment for the community. The people of Magna are down to Earth and welcoming. All of my participants expressed that their love for the area connected to the people of the area. Whether it was because of Boy Scouts, swim team, or festivals, each of my participants spoke of how they were involved in the community, and liking the people in it. A relation to community provides a draw for emotional connection (Goralnik & Nelson, 2011). The expansive history of Magna (Aver, et al., 2014; Curtis, 2017) was also another pull for participants' connection to the community. Sandra explained, "Magna seems like such a depressed little town because it was a mining town, but the history of Magna is unbelievable. Between the Great Salt Lake, the railroad, and Saltair; [Magna] was the hub of activity." This explains a broader understanding of what I mean by the boom and bust era of the community. Each of my participants spoke about Saltair and it became clear that this particular access point is considered to be a part of the community and has a shared past with Magna. Saltair While Magna was once a destination for the American dream, Saltair was the destination for American grandeur. In its heyday, Saltair was known for swimming, rides such as a roller coaster and ferris wheel, midway games, rodeos, hot air balloon rides, and at one point in time the world's largest dance floor (McCormick, 1994). Both Magna and Saltair fell victim to the boom and bust of the times. Besides concerts, not much happens at Saltair currently (The Great Saltair, 2009). Magna's local economy and job sector leave it lagging behind, and media headlines have unfairly branded it as a place of crime, which leaves the community struggling to provide services that residents need (Dark, 2017). Residents want to help their struggling THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 60 community. For Sophia, the south shoreline access points are a reminder of what once was. She told me, "We can't turn back the clock to when the mine was booming and there were like five grocery stores on Main Street. It's not going to happen. But I think we could do other things. I wonder if reviving [Saltair] could be one of them. Making it something that not just people here could use, but people all around the area would want to see." Sophia made the connection that if Saltair was built up, people would come into the area. This too would benefit the local community and commerce. Sophia compared Saltair to the past her father had told her about, "You see Saltair and how it used to be really cool, it used to be such a fun place to go, and now it's like a ghost town." In this comment, Sophia is looking for a connection to the past. Kim echoed this sentiment by saying, "Even when we were younger they used to have a train car outside and go karts and stuff for a while. I don't know why they stopped doing that." Residents are aware of what once was, and long for a connection to a rich past. According to Kearsley and Middleton (2006) heritage tourism provides people with the opportunity to "search for roots, stability and identity, the desire to learn, a search for authenticity in an increasingly commodified world and the perceived high status of cultural experiences" (p.25). With the rich past of Saltair, if Saltair was made into something more it is indeed possible for people to want to search for their roots and local identity. It could become a destination for heritage tourism. When thinking of revitalizing the Saltair area, Tracy told me, "I think someone could sit down and make a pretty good business plan for developing and it would benefit Magna in the process just because we are the closest town where they could get services." Her statement of THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 61 creating a business plan transitions from lake preservation to community development. This indicates that Tracy feels commerce is a solution for the problem facing the south shoreline area. There is a fondness for the south shoreline area; a fondness based on the past. It is that fondness that generates the disappointment people feel about the Saltair area because it is something that they share place attachment with that has been forgotten by the broader area. When Kearsley and Middleton (2006) talked about historical reflection of this type of place attachment, they stated that, "Interpretations of past industrial eras are far more likely to show the pub, shops, fairgrounds and school than the workhouse, fever hospital or debtors' prison" (p. 28). When a struggling community has a sense of place attachment to the area because of a shared history, it can sometimes be overcome with rose-colored imagery. Saltair is symbolic of the grand past of a forgotten area. As Russell described, "It makes us look really bad. People are coming along that freeway, and what's there? An empty building. An empty building is ok for [concerts], but it was a lot nicer when they first did it." In this way, it is almost as though the disregard of Saltair is a reflection of the disregard for the community that it is a part of. Both are underfunded and both have struggled (Dark, 2017; McCormick, 1994). Sandra spoke about how the divestment in the area is not due to a lack of funds. "[The state] is still getting more than a billion dollars a year off of Great Salt Lake. Now Saltair, eh, it's not a whole lot." The lake benefits commerce and industry in the state (Bioeconomics, Inc., 2012). Based on my data, I assert that the community does not feel that they benefit from the economic revenues of the lake. Participants made statements about the other access points that made me come to this conclusion. For example, when Tracy was talking about Antelope Island in Davis County she told me, "We have been to Antelope Island several times, and that was fun, but I don't connect Antelope Island to the Great Salt Lake." Tracy sees the experience and THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 62 surroundings between the two access points to be so different that she sees them as separate altogether. Tracy also went on to say that, if there was something out at Saltair she would be more inclined to spend time there. The fact that she does not already feel inclined to visit this space is because it seems like it is just an "empty building" just as Russell had described. Black Rock All of the participants expressed interest about Saltair and the history of the resort. However, only Kim and Russell talked about going out to Black Rock. None of my participants talked about utilizing the marina. However, Tracy talked to some extent about boaters not being able to use the marina because of lower lake levels. Russell had childhood memories of when Black Rock was a resort and talked about what the area used to look like. Russell reminisced with me about the area, My first memory of Black Rock is going out to it in the 60's…There was a metal deck up on top and a metal stairway to get up there…there was a road out there, but then for several years you couldn't drive out there…back in the 80's there were concrete slabs from the cabins. It was quite the concession (Figure I; Figure J). This is somewhere Russell had memories of as a child. When his daughter, Kim, was young, it was one of the spots that they would go to together as a family. This gives another example of how childhood experiences can influence the connections to the lake. Kim expressed that Black Rock was probably her favorite spot to go to at GSL. "I prefer Black Rock because there's not as many people because that horrible dirt road that people don't like to drive on." Given her childhood experience with the space, it is understandable that she would be drawn towards this space even though it is harder to get to. This however is also contradictory to the idea of revitalizing the area, because it would ultimately draw more people THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 63 out into the space which could take away some of its seclusion. Kearsley and Middleton (2006) posed this question of balancing the preservation of what was, with the restoration of what could be; ultimately settling on the fact that restoration of these manmade locations is sometimes what connects people to the surrounding area. Kim spent time at Black Rock with her family growing up, as well as with her Girl Scout troop, when she was younger. As an undergrad student, she went there with her college science class. Due to her attachment to this particular space, Kim hates that the space is disregarded. "To me it's sad," She said. "There are places that are graffitied, some of it is kind of like art, but it's not just the graffiti. People throw garbage out there. Whatever you can visualize they throw out there" (Figure L). Despite these drawbacks, she still enjoys being out at Black Rock with the train tracks behind her back and the smoke stack from the Kennecott smelter in the distance (Figure K). With how isolated Black Rock seems, and how little activity is happening at Saltair these days, it is almost hard to image that these locations were once destination points for entertainment and fun. Underutilized Assets and Economic Development Connecting with large abstract ideas such as environmentalism can be a struggle for people (Beery & Wolf-Watz, 2014). I would say that if people are struggling in their own lives it becomes harder to connect with these large abstract ideas. If they are struggling to get by, chances are they have less time to do things, such as go out and connect with the lake. In this section, I have highlighted current or pending projects and how the participants of this study reacted to them. I also discuss the development ideas presented by participants in this study. The literature supporting this theme highlights current events and I tie them to the meaning that community members have for such projects. This is an important issue to think about when THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 64 considering why the human legacy was more prominent than environmental heritage from my participants. "I would like to see [Saltair] be relevant to the community," Sophia told me. "I would like to see it help revive Magna again and make it more of that warm fuzzy place that everyone talks about, and raise it up from the slump that it's in." The shared past of the Magna community with Saltair is a connection to the lake for community members. It is possible that this could be the connecting point to open up the possibility for more involvement. Development and revitalization of the Saltair area could help bring in much needed revenue and interest to the surrounding community. Preserving GSL for Magna residents means developing, or at the very least, maintaining the access points in the area. In general, participants thought development would be a good thing if it had direct benefits to the community. It seems counterintuitive to develop as a way to preserve; however, Kearsley and Middleton (2006) explain, While it is necessary to restrict the extent of infrastructure to that which can be adequately maintained, it is false logic to assume that this adds to the wilderness resource, since, for many people, wilderness is compatible with the presence of such structures. For many they are necessary for wilderness to be enjoyed (Kearsley & Middleton, 2006, pp. 30-31). Although they are not natural features, manmade structures may indeed be a way for people to enjoy natural settings. Using Saltair as an asset to draw people into the area was mentioned multiple times in the data. The prison relocation project (Canham, 2016) was seen as a positive thing by the participants in my study because it would bring with it utility lines and the possibility to generate more interest in Saltair revitalization. Each participant considered THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 65 development to be a good thing for the space, because they conceptualized it in terms of community development. Revitalizing Saltair All of the participants had ideas of what could help the south shore access points - specifically Saltair - be more inviting and fun for visitors. Kim thought it was a matter of drawing people out into the space. According to her, "If we brought it back by saying ‘Hey, it's not just a smelly lake, it's really kind of cool' we could bring it back in that way." This suggests that residents in the area think Saltair needs re-branding. Sophia seconded the idea of re-branding the space by saying, "I hate to turn everything to commercialization, but maybe if there was something cute out there more people would [want to go]." Sophia's statement indicates that more capitalism, while it is not ideal, might be one of the only options for revitalizing the space. Her comment to make it ‘something cute' also tells me that she would like it to be something that it already is not. Similar to what Tracy had said before about developing a business plan, Sophia also sees business as a solution, even if she does not like the idea of commercializing - or commodifying - the natural space. Participants mentioned that there needs to be something that draws people out there. While they all had suggestions of what to do, they were unclear of how funding would get to the projects. Given that the lake is managed by local and state agencies, as well as conservation organizations, private industry, and recreational agencies (Bedford, 2005), knowing how to move forward becomes complicated. Sandra mentioned the need for having activities out at the Saltair if children were going to be encouraged to go out to the space. Since Sandra enjoys crafting, one of her suggestions was to provide crafting activities that children could use shells, sand and salt from the lake to create. She thought activities could be a way to generate interest in the historical Saltair site. "Even in THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 66 our little Magna community, they promote the city park and the movies at the city park. Well, let's go out to Saltair and have them there. Let's put the movies at Saltair." This suggestion is taking an already established activity, and changing the location of it. Movies at the park are a summer time staple in Magna. Sandra's suggestion includes the space in a community activity with the intention of having people identify it as a part of the community. Another suggestion of Sandra's was to have bike rentals similar to what is in downtown Salt Lake City. As a cyclist herself who bikes frequently out at Saltair, Sandra felt that bike rentals would provide an activity for people to participate in and allow them to go into the space. As Sandra pointed out, people come from all around the valley to cycle out by Saltair, but that means that they have to pack their bikes into the location. When she rides out there, she makes it a point to engage other cyclists in conversation and ask them where they are from. "They're from Holiday, they're from Herriman, they're from Ogden. They're not all local [to] Magna. …they're all across the valley who are coming out to Saltair to ride their bikes." Providing bike rentals at Saltair would relieve some of the effort of cyclists to have to pack in their bikes in order to go out in the space. Although these suggestions connect to development and revitalization, it speaks to a greater sense of community. The fact that Sandra is taking the time to speak with people out in the space shows that for her development is about more than commerce, it is also about community development. Furthermore, Sandra mentioned that there should be some type of concessions out there. "There is no place to stop because the gift shop isn't always open when we're out there. Just going there and back I have to take extra water and jerky." Not having concessions for visitors is yet another deterrent for people to go out to Saltair. Having a place that people could go and sit down to rest and socialize after recreating could help encourage people to go out to these access THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 67 points in Salt Lake County, because ultimately community development was a key concern for my participants. Development therefore represents connection with others and with the space in general. After all, Saltair is a part of the community, revitalizing the area would help people reconceptualize this connection to community. Sophia and Russell also felt that there should be some type of concessions out at Saltair such as a restaurant or some other attraction besides Saltair to generate new interest. Both Kim and Russell talked about how long it takes to walk to the water and mentioned that it is another deterrent for having people go out into the space. Depending on the water year, the time it takes to walk to the water will vary. Depending on the access point, the amount of time it takes to walk to the water can vary. For example, with Saltair being built further up on shore, it can be a 30-minute walk. Although you have to drive over a terrible dirt road to get to Black Rock, once you are there you are already out on shore so a walk to the water could be as little as five minutes. This is a matter of access, especially when considering people who are differently abled, such as Russell. Russell cannot walk far distances, so when he goes out to Saltair he cannot go to the water. He suggested, "Maybe we ought to have an all-terrain bus to take you out to the water, and some other concessions other than Saltair…I think they still have the gift shop but other than that it's an underutilized resource." While Russell recognizes that Saltair itself has value, there needs to be more than Saltair out there to draw people in. Kim also brought up the gift shop as a part of revitalizing efforts. She said, "People come in and go to the gift shop, but what if they turned it into a museum, and let people know about the culture that used to be there?" Again, this is a suggestion of taking an already established asset - the gift shop - and using it to generate THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 68 more interest and knowledge about the south shoreline area. Providing more knowledge about the area could also encourage residents to be more informed about development projects. The fluctuation of water levels is also something to consider when thinking about development project. Sandra had a contested meaning (Trentelman, 2009) for the lower water levels that varied from Russell and Kim's opinions of low water levels. What it means to have contested meaning is similar to not being able to see how an effect will affect several other factors. Sandra told me, I like where it's at. I like that you can walk out there and see the railroad, and take a nice little stroll out there…I mean, we don't have the sailboats and the marina like we used to because the water receded, but I just don't think we're ever going to take away from it. This statement from Sandra is contested meaning because she sees the benefits to her personally, and only considers boaters as being the only other one's affected by the lake levels. However, the statement does not account for the loss of identity provided through recreation (Budruk & Wilhelm Stanis, 2013), or for the way others interact with the space. Being able to make it to the water, such as Kim and Russell talked about, was an important part of connecting with the space for them. The connections people have with spaces influence their opinions and involvement with the space, and how they will move forward with development or conservation efforts (Groenendyk & Curry, 2006). Proposed Projects There was mixed information provided to me by participants pertaining to development projects that are being proposed, or already begun. Russell only spoke about development in terms of the possibility of revitalizing Saltair. Kim said she was unaware of any development THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 69 projects currently. Being unaware leads to the inability to being involved in guiding those projects in the best interest of the community (Larson & Lach, 2008). Sophia expressed to me, I think there needs to be some kind of line that [developers] can't step over. There needs to be some kind of way to preserve what we have and be able to utilize it at the same time if possible. Sophia understands the need for development, but she is also apprehensive for allowing development to take over the area. Sophia was also the only participant to express great concern for water levels dropping because of industry and development. Although she was the only one who expressed concern about industry development, she was only vaguely aware of the Bear River water divertment proposal that would funnel water away from GSL, and she did not know any information about the prison relocation along the wetlands. This lack of information has the potential to compound the problem of resident participation in decision-making processes concerning the lake (Larson & Lach, 2008). Tracy was excited to see how the prison would open up the possibility for future development that could benefit the Magna community. "If there were businesses and homes in that area that might entice businesses to build up Saltair. There could be some interesting connections that we're not seeing just because we're in the development stages." There was an interesting duality to Tracy's position on development. She felt that development would come from private investors, while preservation should be left to governmental bodies. However, she also expressed that the state had other, more pressing, issues to invest in. This was a generalized statement she made and she did not give any specific issues that were more pressing. If this is true, and the state did not have the money to properly invest in preservation efforts, what would bar private interests from over-developing the site? THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 70 Sandra was adamant when she said, "I don't think [the prison] will be a negative impact in the least bit." Her reasoning for this was based on job creation and increased traffic to the area, which she saw as a benefit. When I asked her if she thought that water levels would be effected due to development projects she told me, "I don't care what they do or develop; we're not going to take away from our Great Salt Lake. I just don't feel like we're ever going to deplete it or ruin it completely." There is a sentiment that runs through this statement that the lake is invincible. Although Sandra held the lake in very high regard there was a dismissal of preservation efforts because of the assumption that it would always be there regardless of human activity. Groenendyk and Curry (2006) speak of a similar phenomenon that occurs between environmentalism and religion, and according to them there is a perception that all that is ruined will be restored, and that the Earth is here to meet the ends of human needs. This is an example of how patriarchy alters the perceptions of how we interact with our world. It also influences lake management and proposed projects. If what Groenendyk and Curry (2006) say is true, people will view the lake as invincible because of the narrative of the savior story surrounding our planet and the high percentage of Utah residents that identify with patriarchal religions (Pew Research Center, 2016). The idea that the lake is impervious to drying up is contrary to Frankel (2002) when he stated, Local scientists agree that Bear River water development would lower the water level of Great Salt Lake by one to six feet, depending upon the water year. Given the Great Salt Lake's average depth is only 14 feet, such a lowering would have an enormous impact (p. 4). THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 71 Lake levels are indeed effected by development projects, and these projects could cause longterm damage to the ecosystem of the lake; however, there seems to be misinformation regarding this issue. Regardless, all my participants agreed that it was important to preserve the space as well as utilize it. There were hazy details about how to go about this preservation and development paradigm. Participants displayed a disassociation of personal connection with the lake and what the space meant for them, who should address preservation and development, and apathy towards the south shoreline. Disassociation of Place Whether it is knowledge about lake levels, what contributes to low water levels, what development projects are pending, or the difference between the salinity of the north and south end, participants had a variety of information when it came to the lake and its fate. This disassociation feeds into the idea that the lake is impervious. Just because the Salt Lake is ‘Great' does not necessarily mean it will remain. GSL is considered a complex system and a change to one area can have profound effects throughout the system (Bedford, 2005). When discussing lake levels, Sandra said, "I think it's going to do the same thing - up, down, up, down - I don't think it will dry up and go away in our lifetime. I also don't think it will ever get back to flooding levels." Sandra actually expressed that she preferred the lower lake levels because it allows her to go further out into the space. However, lower lake levels also affect the brine shrimp industry because brine shrimp need the salinity of the water to be in a specific range (Strum, Sanders, & Allen, 1980). The lower the lake becomes, the higher the salinity becomes, and the more it effects the brine shrimp (Bedford, 2005). While Sandra prefers the lower levels, it does not benefit everyone and it could cause larger scale problems. When I asked Russell if he thought it was possible for the lake to dry up THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 72 he told me no. "Not in our lifetimes. How many thousands of years has it been there?" Again, this is an assumption based on the idea that the lake is impervious to drying up. This neglects the history of Lake Bonneville, a lake that once covered a large portion of the Utah area, and now GSL is all that is left of it (Jones, Naftz, Spencer, & Oviatt, 2009). Since Russell referenced the timeframe of thousands of years, it is relevant to bring up Lake Bonneville. This shows how present generations now live with the remnants of a once massive lake, but they are not connecting future water levels to future generations of the area. Both Sandra's and Russell's statements of "not in our lifetime" shows a disassociation to future generations that we will never personally know. This makes me question if people think of future generations in the same abstract way that environmentalism can be perceived (Beery & Wolf-Watz, 2014). If that is the case, it may be hard for people to think of environmental heritage and how it applies to the generations of people that they will never personally know. Water levels can and will fluctuate overtime, whether it is 50 years or a 1,000 years. Knowing this, do people account for long-term implications of current water management strategies? In my interview with Tracy, the two of us discussed the weather patterns that caused the flooding of 1983. There had been record snowfall in the winter of 1982, and then a heat wave hit the area in the spring and melted all of the snow too quickly. Utah was in a state of emergency as it dealt with flooding streets (Reece, 2011). Although we talked about how quickly the flooding had happened towards the beginning of our interview, Tracy told me at the end of our interview that, "I guess the good thing about the lake rising is you have a lot of time [to prepare]. You'll have years notice when it's going to be a problem." Even after discussing the sudden events of the flood of 1983, she was still under the impression at the end of our interview that flooding THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 73 posed no real threat. As climate change fluctuates erratic weather, storms such as those that caused the 1983 flood are not entirely farfetched. There was a variation of place identity given by my participants depending on which access points they were talking about. When I asked Tracy what words came to mind when she thought of GSL she said, "Oddly enough, not Magna." While she did not necessarily see the lake as being a part of the community, she did however see Saltair and the marina as a part of the community. When I asked her if she had been to any of the other access point, she mentioned Antelope Island and had positive things to say about that access point. Her willingness to interact with the lake shifted once it was not the south shoreline access points. Lack of resources and maintenance distances her from the access points that are closest to her home. Towards the end of the interview, Tracy began to entertain the idea of taking her grandchildren to the lake, but she was talking about taking them to Antelope Island, which is outside of her community. This tells me that there is a disassociation of place. There is life at the lake but the way people interpret this life varies. Only two of my participants spoke of life at the lake. One of them expressed concern for the fragility of ecosystems, while the other said it was just like the "dead sea." Sophia discussed with me about an article she had read about the pelicans on Gunnison Island. She mentioned how lowering lake levels endanger the pelicans due to exposure to predators, as the island becomes a peninsula. "Birds are what eat the bugs." She said. "I don't think people understand how interconnected these things are." Again, this speaks of the complex interconnected ecosystem that is GSL (Bedford, 2005). However, Russell paralleled life at the lake with the classic soft rock song Horse with No Name (Bunnell, 1971) and he said, "The ocean is the desert in perfect disguise." I asked him if THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 74 he thought there was life at GSL and he said, "I think most of the life on the Great Salt Lake is the people above." While it is true that brine shrimp are the only thing that can survive in the water, the life that depends on those brine shrimp, as well as all of the wildlife above the water and in the wetlands (Rawley, 1980) are ignored by this statement. The narrative of a dead lake allows this space to be consumed and manipulated because people do not feel they are doing any harm to it. Lack of knowledge Another obstacle facing south shoreline access points is the lack of knowledge about them. Sandra told me, "People forget to teach their families, their kids, the heritage…I think we don't teach our kids enough and put importance on things like the Great Salt Lake. Good grief that is the history of Salt Lake, Utah." In this statement, Sandra specifically speaks about the lack of knowledge that the younger generation has for the human legacy surrounding the lake. The statement does not imply that we are failing to pass on the environmental heritage of GSL. This remains consistent with the desire to revitalize the Saltair area for human enjoyment and community connection rather than conservation efforts of the lake. The perceived apathy of the lake and south shoreline access points is fueled by a lack of knowledge. Most of my participants spoke to some degree about the need to educate people about GSL and the history of the access points in the community. Tracy suggested doing education outreach programs about the lake at the library. Sandra mentioned adding artifacts of Great Salt Lake and Saltair to the Ethnic and Mining Museum that is located on Magna Main Street. Kim thought it would be helpful to sell books about the history of the lake at the Saltair gift shop. By simply informing people, my participants felt that it would spark an interest in the area and encourage people to explore the space on their own terms. These suggestions also show THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 75 an interest in reducing the lack of knowledge surrounding the lake. However, when it came to exploring the GSL space, I noticed a reoccurring pattern between men and women and boys and girls. Disassociation of the feminine There was a disconnect between the lake and women and girls. This is not to say that all women and girls are disconnected from the space, but it is to say that I saw a pattern emerge among my participants when it came to girls being in the space of GSL. When Tracy's interest to take her grandchildren to the lake peaked during the end of our interview, she explicitly stated that she should take her grandsons rather than her grandchildren. "I have nine little boys who like to be in stinky, smelly mud," Tracy told me. "It might just be their new favorite place to go." Tracy has 13 grandchildren, but only mentioned taking her nine grandsons. Her statement about boys wanting to be stinky and smelly is a gender norm of how boys are expected to interact and play (Blakemore, 2003). Sophia mentioned not being able to get out as much as she would like to. She expressed that she would "really like to go out and have cute little picnics and bike rides, stuff like that, but sometimes I feel like I don't know where to go…I'd have to have really outdoorsy friends to do that kind of thing." This statement tells me that she would feel uncomfortable going out to explore the space alone. In addition to Sophia's reservation, she mentioned that her husband had been out to the lake a few times because he is a church leader for young men and he has taken them out there for activities. Even though her husband had been out there, he had not taken her since being out there himself, even though she told me that she would like to do things like that. Also, her statement about wanting a "cute" place has further implications of wanting the space to THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 76 be something that it is not to conform with the expectation of girls being more contained in their spaces when they interact with them (Blakemore, 2003). Kim expressed how much she loved going out to the lake and having fond memories of enjoying the space, which supports the idea that girls can enjoy natural spaces such as GSL. However, she also told me that when she takes her five children out to the lake to swim, her daughters are afraid to get in the water. The water is shallow and poses no real threat, being fearful of the water speaks to a broader social norm of girls not exploring their surroundings, and not getting muddy and dirty when they play (Blakemore, 2003). Sandra also had many wonderful experiences out at the lake, and said that her relationship with the lake is one of the most important relationships she has formed in her lifetime. She has made it a point to take both her grandsons and granddaughter out to the lake. When it comes to her own children, she said that her daughters had little interest to go to the lake. My girls haven't been there since they were seven or eight. That was the last time, and they're now 33 and 34. Both of my sons [have been] within the last five years. I've taken them up there because they have both lived here temporarily off and on. While I do recognize that some of this is due to the proximity of them living in the area temporarily, I think it is also important to recognize that her daughters show little interest in going to the lake. The disassociation of the feminine is an interesting finding to point out, but I think it is important to realize that GSL can hold special meaning for anyone - regardless of gender. The personal experiences that participants shared with me spoke to a deeper level of connection that transcended social roles. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 77 Salt of the Earth For those who feel connected to the lake, it is a place of meaning and peace. Kim said, "I kind of feel like that because Saltair is there that it calls to you." Participants who had positive experiences and memories at the lake all expressed a type of spiritual connection to the space. They connected with the lake for reasons such as healing, rejuvenation, and peace. It provides a sense of being at home for them. Regardless of class, ability, or age, the lake seems to call to its visitors to come as you are. "I was in a great deal of turmoil after I broke my back." Russell recalled. "I'd go out there and walk along the lake, and it was so peaceful. It's kind of nice." It was a place for him to heal and reconnect with himself as he tried to regain his mobility. Although his physical ability never fully recovered, Russell credits the lake as something that brought him peace when he needed it. Sandra had many stories of rejuvenation and healing when she talked about the lake, and more specifically when she talked about Saltair. In the fall of 2016, Sandra was recovering from surgery. Her husband decided to buy her a bike to help keep her mobile. Sandra told me that on her first right she thought, "I'm going to go a mile. I probably won't be able to go any more than that." However, before she realized it she could see Saltair in the near distance. With encouragement from her husband, she rode to and from Saltair. "I did 28 miles that day," she recalled about her first bike ride to Saltair. She is now training and preparing her body to be able to ride a 100-mile marathon come August 2017. "If I didn't have Saltair and the salt I wouldn't be cycling. That's where I go. I'm out there at least twice a week…With all of my physical ailments I wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't cycling." She credits the lake for her successful recovery. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 78 Sandra discussed some of her physical ailments with me, and because of them, she requires supplements. She mentioned how pharmaceutical companies are extracting the minerals from GSL and said, "More than likely, the drugs I take on a daily basis are coming out of the Great Salt Lake." Not only does the lake provide motivation for her to heal her body, but also it represents the lifesaving minerals that sustain her. In addition, Sandra also harvests her own salt from the lake and uses it to create her own bath salt mixtures. Both she and her husband use it to soak in, to help rejuvenate their tired aching bodies. Between the healing properties of the minerals, bath salts, cycling motivation, the history of Saltair, and the commerce that the lake brings to the state, Sandra told me adamantly, "That salt is priceless." Even participants who did not have that spiritual-like connection expressed that they wished they had desirable south shoreline access points so they could have that connection. Lake preservation and conservation might not be a matter of getting people to care, but more about giving them somewhere to connect with (Kyle, Jun, & Absher, 2014). When I asked Sophia if she had any memories that she wanted to share with me she responded by saying, "I think it's mostly what it could be." This indicates that she would like to make memories and have a place to do so. Sophia also said that reviving the south shoreline would make it into "something that not just people here could use, but people all around the area would want to see." This statement by Sophia is the essence of what all of my participants where telling me; people want to be in the space, and they need a more accessible place for when the lake calls to them to come as they as they are. What is Missing? As I have already mentioned, Sophia was the only participant I had who brought up the ecosystem balance that could be in jeopardy if the lake is mismanaged. When I asked THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 79 participants how development projects could affect the area, wetlands did not even seem to be a factor with my other four participants. Their responses always led back to what it could mean for the community economically or socially to have the area further developed. The potential threat it posed to other forms of life was almost unmentioned (Downard, Endter-Wada, & Kettenring, 2014). Wildlife was mentioned in passing, but no real time was spent discussing what life the area sustained. If it fell outside of the human world (Jensen, 2016), it was not given much consideration during my interviews. When discussing water levels, there was a disconnect and a misunderstanding among my participants about future water levels. Overall, my participants did not think anything would make GSL disappear. This misconception disconnects humans from the responsibility of their consumption (Jensen, 2016). Not one of my participants mentioned water conservation or how water conservation could, and would, affect GSL (Frankel, 2002). It becomes more difficult to make assertions based on conversations that never took place. However, if I were to make an educated observation I would say that this is due to the myth of human supremacy (Jensen, 2016), the lack of involvement that residents have in lake management (Larson & Lach, 2008) and their inability to accurately predict water consumption due to the pay structure of water municipalities (Liangxin, Fei, Guobin, Xiaomei & Wei, 2014; Penrod, 2017). At an institutional level, people in the area are not confronted with the urgency of water conservation (Fahlquist, 2009) even though they have some of the highest water use in the country (Fahys, 2014). In order to correct this issue, people would need to be given better information about where their water comes from, where the majority of the state's fresh water is going to, and have an accurate reading of their water consumption rather than subsidizing water bills through property taxes. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 80 Conclusion People have a hard time conceptualizing a large abstract idea such as environmentalism, and in this case the environmental heritage of GSL. My participants attached onto the historical significance of the Saltair area and then talked about what revitalizing that space would mean for their community. However, it would be meaningless to develop the space if water levels continued to decline. If water continued to recede that would mean that there would be less appeal for people to go out there. Therefore, developing the areas where people feel a historical connection to can in fact be an aspect of preservation because it engages people. When considering the family unit in relation to the lake, children are key for the transmission of the environmental heritage of GSL. Having childhood experiences at the lake positively influenced the opinions and attitudes towards GSL. Participants wanted their children and grandchildren to have similar experiences at the lake. Those who did not have childhood memories of the lake still expressed interest in providing the opportunity to take their children or grandchildren there. Some participants reported GSL to be a place of healing and rejuvenation, almost as if it calls to them to enter the space. Perhaps this is why all five participants expressed interest, of varying degrees, to visit the south shoreline access points or the lake itself. The people of Magna love their community and all participants reported feeling very connected and at home in the area. Given Magna's rich history (Avery, et al., 2014) and present struggles (Dark, 2017), participants expressed that they wished for the community to once again be a thriving area. Participants saw Saltair as a part of the community and felt that it could be better utilized as an asset to help their struggling community. Development projects along the Salt Lake County shorelines were viewed as favorable if they helped with revitalizing the area. The environmental implications and long-term effects of such development projects were not THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 81 clearly understood by my study participants. While their focus may not have been on environmental conservation, all of my participants expressed the importance of keeping GSL intact for future generations, and they would like to see south shore access points be utilized assets. For people to develop a desire for preservation, they need a connection. Revitalizing the south shore and making this community feel unforgotten may be a stepping-stone to further conservation efforts. There is misinformation and a lack of knowledge surrounding lake management, water levels, and development projects. This compounds the problem of lake preservation further because people are basing their actions and involvement on hazy assumptions. Most of my participants' focus was on how GSL could benefit the human world rather than prioritizing the conservation of the natural space for other life. Moving forward these points of interest could help inform future research, and help direct outreach efforts for GSL. The implications of these findings are discussed further in Chapter V. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 82 Chapter V: Discussion Introduction I began this study with a focus on environmentalism, but I soon realized that my participants had place attachment based on human legacy rather than environmental heritage. It was not just about the lake, it was about what these access points meant to the Magna community. Participants seemed eager to revitalize the Saltair area in hopes that it would benefit the community. Proposed development projects were viewed in an overall positive light because of the implications it could have for Magna. A lack of knowledge and an overall misunderstanding of how development could affect the wellbeing of the natural area was strung throughout each interview. Although I was somewhat disappointed by the direction my data took me in at first, it made me come to a deeper understanding of place attachment. My participants may not have highlighted environmentalism, but all of them did express concern for the south shoreline access points. This study leaves the door open for further research and could have implications on outreach efforts and public participation with GSL and south shoreline access points. I give my recommendations based on the data I collected from my participants. In this chapter, I discuss the limitations of this study and what future research could focus on. After discussing this, I explore the learning objectives I had hoped to achieve by doing this project and how I reached these objectives. Finally, I discuss my positionality and personal reflection in order to provide another measure of validity for my study. Implications Friends of Great Salt Lake (FoGSL) focus on advocacy as well as getting children out to the lake. A major program provided by FoGSL is taking children on fieldtrips out to the lake. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 83 According to the executive director, Lynn de Freitas, it is the hope of FoGSL that the fieldtrips will spark the interest of children and they will in turn ask their parents to take them to GSL again. Based on my data collection, I would say that this is on the right track for generating interest in the lake. My study, while focusing on intergenerational connections to GSL, is slightly different from the focus of FoGSL because they focus on children transmitting the information to parents rather than parents transmitting the information to their children. Understanding how this information is transmitted in the opposite direction could provide FoGSL with a better understanding of how this transmission works between parent and child. My study focused on how parents passed on environmental heritage. If a participant felt that their parent or grandparent had taken the time to take them out to GSL, they were more likely to feel a stronger emotional connection to the lake. This provides insight for targeted outreach efforts to be directed towards children. Perhaps more efforts could be focused on sites that have historical connectivity to draw upon the human elements of the space in order to get people to care about GSL and generate a place attachment for it. With an increased place attachment, residents would likely become more involved in the conservation and preservation of the space. With enough generated interest, this could have policy implications. Public policy is influenced by public opinion (Smith & Larimer, 2013). Since this is reflective of how people interpret their spaces, policy should consider what it means to provide for communities that are left behind and forgotten, and how revitalization efforts could affect the broader community rather than dismissing it purely as environmental preservation. Due to the boom and bust of the mining town of Magna, the area has struggled in recent decades and is trying to look towards future prosperity (Dark, 2017). Because the community has been brushed aside, the people of Magna do not always have their voices heard. Participants within this study THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 84 had the opportunity to voice their opinion, and contribute to the ‘expert' voices that often times drown out the voice of the average resident. This research will perhaps broaden the horizon of understanding what it means to pass on environmental heritage. While it is important to pass on clean air and drinking water, it is hard to understand why people would get involved in such efforts unless they feel a connection and an urgency to preserve and protect those natural elements. Recommendations It is my recommendation that initiatives move forward to promote community involvement, and to get people out to the space so they can start seeing the space as valuable to their sense of local identity and community. Residents do care about the space and would like to be heard about how lake management effects their beloved communities. It is up to other stakeholders to account for these opinions. For those ‘experts' who have a say in lake management, it is my recommendation that the voice of the average resident be considered when making decisions that can impact local communities. For others embarking on such a study pertaining to GSL, it would be wise to consider the fact that even if people feel detached from decision-making it does not mean that they do not care about the space. With more time, this type of study could provide a magnitude of insight as to how this space could be revitalized and bring a deeper connection between Salt Lake County residents and GSL. My participants wanted their community to thrive and they see Saltair as an underutilized asset of the community. Helping Saltair means helping Magna. It could be an asset for drawing people into the area. Improvements to the south shoreline areas could provide a space for people to gain place attachment, which in turn may increase their likelihood of carrying out conservation efforts. Revitalizing the area will require investment or development to generate a THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 85 desire for people to use the access points in Salt Lake County. When considering preservation, it seems counterintuitive to develop as a way to preserve. However, if Salt Lake County access points were developed, part of the appeal would be closer access to the water of GSL. If water levels began receding, the locations and investments of revitalization would suffer. This might make people care more about lake levels. In order for the community to benefit from development, there needs to be a future for the water to remain at the south shoreline. As long as the water remains accessible, the lake will continue to captivate people for generations to come. Limitations Time restraints impeded my ability to recruit more participants. The sociological interaction with GSL is an understudied subject and there is much work that can still be done regarding this subject. This project did not have the time capacity to delve into all of the complexities of this subject and leaves room for further study. I addressed how families define and understand environmental heritage in relation to future generations. Someone without children may respond differently to the idea of environmental heritage for future generations. I also recognize that not all families fall under the confines of a parent/child relationship, which could add an element of limitation to my research. Given the disassociation of the feminine that was consistent throughout my data, it may also vary depending on gender. Considering that four of my five participants were women, the influence of gender is also a limitation to my study. Ethnicity could also be another limitation to this study because all respondents who participated in this study were white, and the voices of an ethnically diverse population was left out of the conversation. Considering the immigration history in Magna, I consider this to be a fairly large limitation. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 86 This study only focused on the opinions, beliefs, and attitudes of west side Salt Lake County families living in Magna. This is only a segment of the population that live nearest to the lake. The shoreline and wetlands of GSL span through five counties in the state - Tooele, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Box Elder - and public opinion could vary among these different regions. I specifically chose west side Salt Lake County because I could not find sociological information regarding GSL from this particular population. The only in-depth sociological study pertaining to GSL was a dissertation published in 2009, written by Carla Trentelman. Trentelman focused on the public opinions of those who live nearest to the lake in Weber and Davis counties. Since those areas in Weber and Davis counties are primarily rural (Trentelman, 2009) and Salt Lake County shorelines are primarily industrial, responses could vary depending on where the sample population resides. I wanted to provide a broader understanding of GSL and how it contributes to the local identity of residents. I chose not to include the ‘experts' within my interviews because the information that is already available tends to give a platform for ‘expert' voices. Future Research The scope of possibility is huge when thinking about sociological interactions with GSL. Given that my data suggested a strong connection to childhood interaction and place attachment to the lake, future research could focus specifically on the views, opinions, and beliefs of GSL from children. Having a better understanding of this child-memory connection to GSL could provide more insight for constructing outreach programs and initiatives. Magna is a small community on the west bench of the Salt Lake valley. Future research could expand its scope to communities outside of this area. Even within the Magna community, my participants only skimmed the surface of representation for Magna residents. Magna is a THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 87 community founded on ethnic diversity because of its immigrant heritage due to mining (Curtis, 2017); however, none of my participants fell into an ethnically diverse category. Future research could focus specifically on ethnic diversity, and how these specific communities view the lake. I would also recommend that future research give more time to include more participants. My research showed that people seemed more connected to the human legacy of the access points rather than the environmental heritage of the lake. Perhaps a closer look at the community involvement and place attachment of these spaces could provide better insight for reaching out to those communities Learning Objectives Critical reflection and collaboration were the main learning objectives for this project. Focusing on GSL gave me the capacity to focus on a local feature that has a complex relationship with global ecosystems. Given its international significance to migratory patterns, this project helped me develop my ability to think of local problems in the context of global issues. Changing the local narrative of the lake will require bringing people together for the sake of the lake. This project pushed me to think outside of my own environmentalist lens and consider the real-life objectives of people in the area. If environmental problems are to be addressed, there needs to be more inclusion of voices that span the political spectrum. The conservative culture of the area can push against environmentalist initiatives and oftentimes sees environmentalism as liberal or extreme. This project helped me develop my rhetorical capacity to cross a divide between liberal and conservative. I feel that this skill is necessary if people are to survive Earth's adaptations. This project and the data I collected from it pushed me to critically think of my participants' responses and what influenced their opinions. I began this study with the lens of THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 88 environmental heritage, but soon realized that it was not what my participants were talking about. Working with my participants in interviews to gain a deeper understanding for community helped me understand my participants' positionality, which will be an important tool as I embark on digital stories with them. The amount of literature I had to engage with to gain the information and knowledge required for doing this project allowed me to understand GSL in the context of global systems. It also made me understand the global ecosystem as a complex system. The changes and effects felt on a local level in Salt Lake City will ultimately be felt globally because of its unique position as a migratory destination. As I listened to my participants, I realized that although they felt revitalization could help their local community, but there was a disconnect of how it impacted the global community. Shifting this perspective of local impact to global impact will continue to be a challenge. However, I think that with the development of place attachment, this narrative can begin to shift. As someone who identifies as an environmentalist, this project pushed me to consider the perspective of someone whose main goal was not environmental preservation. At first, I found this finding to be discouraging. After giving it some thought, I realized that it was a good thing to speak with people outside my paradigm because it made me consider a different point of view. This helped me align with my learning objective of communicating across the divide between those who do not always see eye to eye. Personal Subjectivity For the purpose of full discloser, it is important to address the fact that I am a resident of the Magna community. I have lived in the area for the past nine years. I have a great fondness for my community and I love the people who live in the area. My choice to select Magna as my THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 89 target population did not come from the fact that I live there. I selected this area because the Salt Lake County access points are located within the area. That being said I was eager to reach out to my fellow community members and gain a deeper connection and understanding of my neighbors. Being a part of my target population did provide me some advantages while collecting my participants. The community is compiled of a variety of different people, and it was an eye-opening experience to speak with others who did not necessarily share my academic perspective. I identify myself as an environmentalist. Given this identity, I was hoping to do a project that highlighted environmental heritage for the sake of non-human life. However, after collecting my data, I gained a deeper appreciation for the fact that people's relationship with the environment is much more complex than merely identifying as an environmentalist or a nonenvironmentalist. There are several different reasons why someone would be motivated to preserve a space that go beyond the scope of environmentalism. I recognize that this falls under the scope of human supremacy, but I think it is naive to disregard the socio-ecological connection of people to the natural world. People need to feel they have a connection with the space to be motivated to preserve it. My personal motivations for preservation stem from the fact that I am a mother of two children, and it is important for me to be able to preserve natural spaces so my children have an Earth to call home. My perspective as a mother also influences my work on this research because I want the work to be meaningful in the hopes that it will benefit my children's future. While this could be considered self-preservation rather than environmentalism, caring about my children's futures is my connection to the broad concept of environmentalism. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 90 Lastly, regarding my subjectivity, I am a college student. I have a privileged opinion of what should be done and why because I have the afforded time to theorize about it. Perhaps it is easy for me to say that my participants cared less about environmental heritage and more about human legacy because I am not currently struggling to feel a connection to GSL or to understand the broad concept of environmentalism. I spend much of my days researching the environmental implications of developing GSL and have more information than my participants did. This does not mean that they are incapable of knowing or caring about these things, only that I likely have more time to invest in these matters. Personal Reflection This project was meaningful to me because I feel a connection to the lake on a personal level. I see the lake as having a mind of its own. I think that the lake has to be appreciated for what it is, and on its own terms. It is when we try to force it to be something that it is not that it stops being a place for peace and connection. I have many childhood memories of going out to Antelope Island and having the lake as the backdrop off in the distance. It was not until I reached adulthood and moved to the Magna community that I had the opportunity to have close access to the lake. GSL is no longer just a memory, or a backdrop to the landscape where I live, it is a part of being at home for me. Collecting participants and conducting interviews helped me develop a better understanding of how others connect to a space that I hold so dear. This project pushed me to get to know my community's history on a deeper level and allowed me to connect with neighbors. After this experience, I have concluded that while GSL is the salt of the Earth, so are the people of the Magna community. Even though they did not all connect to the lake for the same reasons that I did, they each had their own sentiments for the lake. They each cared about THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 91 what it used to be and each of them wanted to see the south shoreline flourish. Seeing this perspective of the lake made me grow a greater appreciation for GSL beyond environmentalism. Conclusion Human functionality (Jensen, 2016) is the overarching theme among the root causes of GSL exploitation. The value of GSL and its access points are measured either by economics or by the pricelessness of it being a part of the state's human history. Either way the value is more about human legacy than about environmental heritage. This says more about the human supremacy surrounding the lake than it does about the amount of interest residents have for GSL. Apathy towards the lake is probably more perceived than it is real. People want to connect with the space, but they do not think or know how to fix the problems that face it. It is not about whether or not they care, but rather what they know to do about the problem, and having the resources to fix it. Capitalistic ideals are prevalent among my participants. They want to expand on capitalist efforts for Saltair and have it benefit human endeavors. The effects of colonization still exist because the space is used under the pretenses of what the lake can provide to people and the altered people-nature power dynamic (Bedford, 2005) has only become more skewed with time. People think that the lake is impervious to drying up. There is still a level of control and maintenance that is expected from people concerning the lake. This is an overarching problem of patriarchal control (Strang, 2014). There is a feminine disassociation with the lake. However, there is feminine interest in GSL, perhaps speaking to the fact that women are seen as being more concerned about environmentalism (Groenendyk & Curry, 2006). People have place attachment and a sense of connection with GSL for a variety of reasons. The lake provides for people, and the power dynamic between humans and nature has THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 92 shifted to a degree that a socio-ecological approach is necessary when evaluating how people interact with their natural spaces. In the case of how Salt Lake County families conceptualize environmental heritage for GSL, the depth of history to the human experience is an important element to tap into to further promote conservation and preservation of GSL. Having a sense of shared roots as Kearsley and Middleton (2006) described does influence a sense of belonging and identity. Community members would like for this shared past to influence the decisions made on behalf of the lake. It is this historical foundation of roots and a shared past that allows people to view the salt as priceless. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 93 References Avery, R. 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Utah house bill 343. Salt Lake City, Ut, United States. Utah Legislature. (2016, March 25). S.B. 80 Infrustructor funding amendments. Retrieved from Utah State Legislature: http://le.utah.gov/~2016/bills/static/SB0080.html THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 100 Appendix A: Recruitment Flyers THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 101 Appendix B: Facebook Recruitment Post "Hello, my fellow Magna-its. I am a graduate student at Westminster in the Masters of Arts in Community Leadership program. I am very close to being done with my program, but I need some help from my wonderful community members. For my research, I am collecting the public opinion and personal stories about our neighbor, the Great Salt Lake, from the people of Magna. Magna is such a unique and special community that I have grown to love as the years have gone by, and I would love nothing more than to give a platform to the voices of the people in our community. I am specifically focusing on the public opinion and personal stories of families and parents. Whether you love the lake, hate the lake, or don't care about the lake, I am interested in what you have to say. If you are a parent and would be interested in sitting down and talking with me in a one-on-one interview or with your kids in a group-like interview, I would be forever grateful! PM me for further details if you are interested, and thank you in advance for taking the time to consider helping me out." THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 102 Appendix C: Interview Guide About Community - How long have you lived in the area? - How did you decide to move here? - How many years have you lived near the lake? - In general, how connected do you feel to the area where you live - for example to the community, or the geographical location? - Why? About the Lake, access points -When I say "Great Salt Lake" what words come to mind? - Thinking about your neighbors in your local community, would you say your opinion is similar or different from theirs? If so, in what ways? - You live close to two public access points of the GSL - Saltair and South Marina - What is your experience living close to the lake? - What are some positive aspects about living close to the public access point to the lake? - What are some negative aspects about living close to the public access points of the lake? - Would you describe the lake as a part of your community? - (If yes) How connected would you say you feel to the lake? - Are there things that make you feel more connected to the lake? - Are there things that make you feel less connected to the lake? - Have you been to the lake? - (If yes) Can you explain to me some of the reasons you go to the lake? - (If no) What would you say the reason why you have never been to the lake? THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 103 - (If yes to the previous question) Which access points do you use most often when you go to GSL? - How easy is it to access and interact with the lake? Development Projects - That you know of, are there any development projects in the works that would affect the lake water levels or surrounding wetlands? - (If yes) Can you tell me more about what you know about these development projects? - (If no) If that area were to be developed, how would that make you feel? - (If yes to previous question) How do you think such development projects will affect the surrounding communities? Environmental Heritage - Thinking about the future of the Salt Lake Valley, can you describe to me what kind of environment you would like to pass on to your child(ren)? - Do you have a favorite memory you would like to share about going to the lake? (If no to previous question) -What does the lake mean to you? - Do you have any other thoughts or feelings about GSL that you would like to share with me? THAT SALT IS PRICELESS Appendix D: Digital Story Handout Guide 104 THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 105 Appendix E: Interview Consent Form Westminster College Institutional Review Board (IRB) For the Protection of Human Subjects Co-investigator: Tera Clausen [phone] *Before agreeing to participate in this study, it is important that the following consent form be read in its entirety so participants fully understand the research being conducted. It describes the purpose, procedures, benefits and risks of the study. It also describes your rights as a participant. You have been invited to participate in a research study, the purpose of which is to gain public opinion and personal stories from west side Salt Lake County residents about Great Salt Lake. Participating in this study means agreeing to a semi-formal interview. Interviews will last approximately 30 minutes for individual interviews, and approximately 45 minutes for groupstyled family interviews. You will be asked a series of questions about your community and how you feel about Great Salt Lake. Your identity will remain anonymous; however, the results of this study may be used in formal publications or presentations, and will be made available to you upon your request. The purpose of collecting this information is to potentially contribute to conservation and advocacy efforts for Great Salt Lake. The information will be released to Friends of Great Salt Lake, a local nonprofit advocacy group, to aid in their efforts of lake preservation. You will be notified if there are any significant changes made during the duration of this study. Participation is completely voluntary, and you can discontinue your participation at any time during the interview, without any penalty to you. After all interviews are collected, the researcher will create digital stories to help tell some of the stories that were collected. This is optional for participants in the study, and participants are in no way obligated to release any of their information for these digital stories. You can indicate whether you would like to be contacted at a later date to participate in the digital stories. Stating that you are interested in participating now will not obligate you to participate later. You are under no obligation to participate in the digital stories later even if you were interested when you signed this consent form. If you have any questions about this study or wish to withdraw, please contact the primary investigator, Dr. Jamie Joanou, at 801-832-2485. If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact the Chair of the Institutional Review Board, Sheryl Steadman, at 801-832-2164. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 106 Digital Story Participation If you are interested in being contacted at a later time to collaborate with the coinvestigator to possibly create a digital story, initial here. Keep in mind that digital stories will be made public and your identity may be exposed depending on the content that you wish to provide for the project. _________ Ini tial Here Date D Participant Signature ate Date D Co-investigator signature ate THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 107 Appendix F: Digital Story Approval Westminster College Institutional Review Board (IRB) For the Protection of Human Subjects Co-investigator: Tera Clausen [phone] *It is important that the following explanation be read and understood before signing this document. Through collaboration, you have helped create a digital story about the Great Salt Lake. You understand that the digital story will be released to the non-profit organization Friends of Great Salt Lake. Friends of Great Salt Lake may use this digital story in their advocacy efforts to raise awareness for the lake, educate the public, and to protect the natural space. This may include, but is not limited to, sharing the digital story online or at promotional events. If you have provided pictures, video or audio that discloses your identity in some way, you have chosen to share that information. You understand that once this consent form is signed, your digital story can and will be shared with others. If you have identified yourself in some way in this digital story, your anonymity can no longer be guaranteed. If at a later time your thoughts or feelings change about the story you have shared, you will not be able to change the digital story. By signing this document, you agree to the above statements. Your signature also means that you have watched and approve of the final production of the digital story. If you have any questions or concerns about your participation in the digital story, please contact the primary investigator: Dr. Jamie Joanou 801-832-2485 If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact the Institutional Review Board: Sheryl Steadman, at 801-832-2164 Participant 's signature D ate Co-investigator's signature D ate THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 108 Appendix G: Informed Consent for Digital Story Westminster College Institutional Review Board (IRB) For the Protection of Human Subjects Co-investigator: Tera Clausen [phone] *Before agreeing to participate, it is important that the following explanation of the proposed procedures be read and understood. Digital stories take a subject - the Great Salt Lake - and combine it with acquired knowledge - meaning your personal experience. To create the finished product, you will work with the researcher to develop a narrative of the story you would like to share. The researcher will complete the technical construction of the digital story, but the final product will receive your approval before being distributed in any public way. Your time commitment with this project will be no less than 1 hour but should be no more than 5 hours. This 1 to 5 hour time commitment will be spent writing your personal narrative, compiling photos/images, and meeting with the co-investigator, Tera Clausen, approximately 2-3 times. A potential risk of participation is that your anonymity can no longer be guaranteed. This risk is reduced if you do not provide images of yourself or by not using your voice to narrate. Successful digital stories can be made without these personal elements, and it is at your disclosure if you choose to include personal materials. Another risk is your opinions may change overtime, but there is no way to change the video once it has been distributed for public consumption. The digital story will be used by the non-profit organization Friends of the Great Salt Lake as a promotional tool for outreach and advocacy efforts to preserve the Great Salt Lake. Such uses may include posting the video on their website or showing the video at organization events. The benefits of doing a digital story is to be able to connect people through story. Your participation is voluntary. You are under no obligation to complete the digital story, and can terminate your involvement at any time during the process. Upon completion of the digital story, you will be gifted a $20 Visa gift card as a means of compensation for your time. By signing this consent form, you agree that you have read and understand the risks associated with your participation. THAT SALT IS PRICELESS 109 If you have any questions or concerns about this study that the co-investigator is unable to address, or you wish to withdraw from the study, please contact the primary investigator: Dr. Jamie Joanou 801-832-2485 If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact the Institutional Review Board at Westminster College: Sheryl Steadman, at 801-832-2164 D Participant Signature ate Co-investigator Signature D ate APPROVAL of a thesis/project submitted by Author(s): Tera Clausen School Department: MACL Title of Thesis: "That salt is priceless": Understanding the environmental heritage and place attachment of Great Salt Lake The above named master's thesis/project has been read by each member of the supervisory committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency, and is ready to be deposited and displayed in the Westminster College-Institutional Repository. Chairperson, Supervisory Committee: Jamie Joanou Approved On 5/5/2017 2:06:23 PM Dean, School: Dr. Melanie Agnew Approved On 5/21/2017 11:08:17 AM STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO DEPOSIT & DISPLAY THESIS IN THE INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY Name of Author(s): Tera Clausen School Department: MACL Title of Thesis: "That salt is priceless": Understanding the environmental heritage and place attachment of Great Salt Lake With permission from the author(s), the staff of the Giovale Library of Westminster College has the right to deposit and display an electronic copy of the above named thesis in its Institutional Repository for educational purposes only. I hereby give my permission to the staff of the Giovale Library of Westminster College to deposit and display as described the above named thesis. I retain ownership rights to my work, including the right to use it in future works such as articles or a book. Submitted by the Author(s) on 5/4/2017 2:58:29 PM The above duplication and deposit rights may be terminated by the author(s) at any time by notifying the Director of the Giovale Library in writing that permission is withdrawn.