Great Salt Lake Collaborative
Emma Penrod
Great Salt Lake Collaborative Freelancer
Emma L. Penrod is an award-winning investigative journalist based in Utah. She focuses on agriculture, energy and environmental health news, and has a particular interest in exploring science-based solutions for building sustainable and equitable businesses. Her work has appeared in numerous trade and business-oriented publications, as well as in public-facing outlets including Sierra magazine, Newsweek, Insider, The Weather Channel, the High Country News and The Salt Lake Tribune. She is also a published historian, amateur flutist and the author of two books.
Photo showing crowds on the walkways at Saltair Resort, Utah, in 1908. From the Edward P. Jennings Photograph Collection housed at Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.  
Photo showing crowds on the walkways at Saltair Resort, Utah, in 1908. From the Edward P. Jennings Photograph Collection housed at Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.  

Details
The lake’s Glory days need not be a thing of the past. Its best days may be yet to come–and are perhaps already here. Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of stories by the Great Salt Lake Co...
This photo from 1930 shows a promotional sign at Saltair. In 1893 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built Saltair on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake, sixteen miles from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It was sold to a private individual in 1906. The main attraction was swimming in the Great Salt Lake. There was also a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, a ferris wheel, midway games, bicycle races, touring vaudeville companies, rodeos, bullfights, boat rides on the lake, firework display and even hot-air balloons. In 1925 it burned to the ground. A new pavilion was designed and built but it never regained its popularity. It closed for good in 1958. It was again destroyed by fire in November of 1970. Photo used by permission, Uintah County Library Regional History Center, all rights reserved.
This photo from 1930 shows a promotional sign at Saltair. In 1893 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built Saltair on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake, sixteen miles from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It was sold to a private individual in 1906. The main attraction was swimming in the Great Salt Lake. There was also a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, a ferris wheel, midway games, bicycle races, touring vaudeville companies, rodeos, bullfights, boat rides on the lake, firework display and even hot-air balloons. In 1925 it burned to the ground. A new pavilion was designed and built but it never regained its popularity. It closed for good in 1958. It was again destroyed by fire in November of 1970. Photo used by permission, Uintah County Library Regional History Center, all rights reserved.

Details
Here’s a question that catches people off guard: What would happen if Utah is successful in saving the Great Salt Lake? For the past two years as the lake has been the subject of intense public scruti...
Aerial view of harvester and speeder boats deploying containment booms in preparation for harvesting brine shrimp (Artemia) on Great Salt Lake. Courtesy Great Salt Lake Artemia.
Aerial view of harvester and speeder boats deploying containment booms in preparation for harvesting brine shrimp (Artemia) on Great Salt Lake. Courtesy Great Salt Lake Artemia.

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Saving the Great Salt Lake is important because it makes a critical international industry more sustainable. Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of stories by the Great Salt Lake Collaborati...
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jake Young, landscape architect designed this park strip in Farmington, on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jake Young, landscape architect designed this park strip in Farmington, on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.

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How thinking about water when planning cities and homes can save the lake and lead to happier, more connected Utahns Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of stories by the Great Salt Lake Col...
Caleb Wilkins is the CEO of the agricultural startup Renaissance Ag. Courtesy Renaissance Ag. His goal is to produce more food in less space by using vertical farming techniques.
Caleb Wilkins is the CEO of the agricultural startup Renaissance Ag. Courtesy Renaissance Ag. His goal is to produce more food in less space by using vertical farming techniques.

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Renaissance Ag CEO Caleb Wilkins does not believe farmers set out to destroy the environment, the land on which they depend. They know how to graze and feed animals and raise crops in ways that minimi...
Kelby Johnson with his sons Luke (in his arms) and Wyatt. Johnson runs a 100-acre farm in Benson, Utah, and hopes his children will become fifth-generation family farmers. But the Johnsons must withstand pressure to sell to developers and cut costs and water for the Great Salt Lake. (Jeffrey Dahdah, KSL-TV).
Kelby Johnson with his sons Luke (in his arms) and Wyatt. Johnson runs a 100-acre farm in Benson, Utah, and hopes his children will become fifth-generation family farmers. But the Johnsons must withstand pressure to sell to developers and cut costs and water for the Great Salt Lake. (Jeffrey Dahdah, KSL-TV).

Details
Surprise: Agriculture and the lake need each other to survive Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of stories by the Great Salt Lake Collaborative that asks the question: Why save the Great S...
 

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