The Run: Structure & Format

The run. A four‑day, three‑night counterclockwise run around the lake, starting and ending in downtown Salt Lake City. There will be a core team of runners and cyclists, and the public is invited to join at will. 

Each night includes an open camp gathering with guests from conservation, agriculture, faith communities, and tribal nations.

Communication. We will produce an interactive map showing the Great Salt Lake and its many issues, with opportunities to learn about each issue through the lens of a person or organization working to correct the problem. This will tie the problem to actionable solutions. 

We will produce a film documenting the run and highlighting the work being done for the lake. Viewers will be entertained while also learning about the problem and how they can participate in its solutions.

Final day: We will invite the public to join us for the final miles of the run in whatever manner they choose: foot, bike, anything. We would love to finish with a crowd of people and invite them to share their own stories and connections about the lake. This will be an unofficial event.

Eight days later: a public storytelling night featuring partners, runner voices, and a final call to action ahead of the midterms. We will show clips from the film, invite stakeholders to tell stories, and celebrate the project and the future.

The theme: Celebration of the lake and the work that has been done to protect it. Wherever possible, we will strike a hopeful tone. But we will not shy away from the harsh reality of how far yet we have to go, and we will not passively endorse the lack of legislative action through premature celebration. Our goal is to be honest and also joyful.

The Great Salt Lake Project

A community run for our namesake lake - October 14-17, 2026

Presentation at Fisher Brewing October 25

Vision

A group of runners, led by ultrarunner Dakota Jones, will circumnavigate the Great Salt Lake — 260 miles (420 km) over four days and three nights. The run will be shared in real time and followers can learn about the problem and how to get involved with  organizations and individuals working on the issue year-round. After the run, we will host a public presentation night, where partner orgs  will be invited to table, communicate with the public, and give speeches. 

This is not a protest. It is a celebration of what has been done, a reminder of what remains, and a call to finish the work. We are running to lift up the many people and organizations working on this issue every day.

Why the Great Salt Lake

  • Toxic dust: As the lakebed dries, it exposes lead, arsenic, and zinc. These become airborne, threatening the health of millions along the Wasatch Front, hitting hardest in low-income and immigrant communities.

  • Wildlife & ecosystem: The lake is a critical habitat for millions of migratory birds and supports the brine shrimp fishery and other industries.

  • Economy & snowpack: The lake generates the "lake effect" snowpack, supporting 30,000+ ski industry jobs and billions in annual tourism revenue. Without the lake, more dust is deposited on the snow in the mountains, leading to faster melting of snow in spring and resulting in cascading ecological effects from summit to valley.

  • Climate: A drying lake accelerates regional climate change. Saline lakes around the are shrinking; restoring the Great Salt Lake could make Utah a global model. 

  • Identity: The lake is inseparable from who we are. Our city, our state, our story.

Calls to Action

Goals: The project has three specific outcomes, which should be highlighted repeatedly throughout the project.

  1. Raise money for Grow the Flow. [Describe what they’ll do with the money.]

  2. Vote in the midterms! (With the help of Stewardship Utah, our 501c4 partner)

  3. Sign on to the petition from UYES. (Details?)

    • The People’s Charter is essentially a citizen approved list of goals to save the GSL based on Governer Cox’s 2034 charter. We aim to use this charter to attempt to get lawmakers to sign on, and then hold them accountable to the goals and promises expressed in the charter during legislative and interim sessions.

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2025

New York

The Atlast Project →

“Communication was top-notch and the final outcome was even better than we imagined. A great experience all around.”

Former Customer

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