Laura Ault


Panel Discussion on the Proposed Bridge Construction on the Union Pacific Railroad Causeway as Mitigation for closing the East and West Culverts.

Sovereign Land, the Public Trust, Great Salt Lake and the UPRR easement application


Great Salt Lake is a unique and complex ecosystem of regional and hemispherical importance. Sustainable use of GSL’s natural resources will ensure that the ecological health (e.g., water quality, shoreline condition, salinity, aquatic organisms, wildlife, wetlands), scenic attributes, extractive industries (e.g., minerals, brine shrimp, microorganisms), and recreation opportunities (e.g., bird watching, hunting, sailing) will be maintained into the future. FFSL coordinates with other state, federal and local entities to ensure that the management of these resources will provide lasting benefit to the Public Trust. Great Salt Lake is managed by FFSL under the Great Salt Lake Comprehensive Management and Mineral Leasing Plans.

Laura Ault is the Sovereign Lands Program Manager for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, which manages Utah’s sovereign lands or those lands found to be navigable at statehood. The Division manages these lands for the Public Trust using multiple-use sustained yield principles. Currently, the program oversees 1.5 million acres and more than 2,200 miles of shoreline. These lands include Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake, the Utah portion of Bear Lake, the Jordan River and parts of the Bear, Colorado and Green rivers. Management activities include comprehensive management planning, leasing, invasive species mitigation and research grant funding.