The Bear River, beginning in the alpine 
valleys of the High Uinta Mountains, flows through Utah, Idaho and Wyoming en route to its terminus in the Great Salt Lake. In addition to providing important riparian habitat throughout the Bear River Basin, the Bear River provides 60% of the surface water inflow to the Great Salt Lake’s 500,000 acres of wetlands. Because the Great Salt Lake is so shallow, small changes in inflow cause significant changes to the lake’s area and potentially serious problems for critical wetland habitat it provides.
As the keystone of the Great Western Flyway, the Great Salt Lake’s wetlands are the largest found anywhere between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. Some 270 different bird species traveling from nearly every country in South and Central American rely upon this threatened wetland ecosystem. The Great Salt Lake is a national treasure that deserves protection from unnecessary water diversions. As such, Utah Rivers Council 
advocates for the preservation of the Great Salt Lake’s critical wetlands and the protection of the Bear River from wasteful and ill-conceived diversions and development.
The Utah Rivers Council has been working to protect the Bear River since the 1990′s and is currently working to build an alliance to protect the Bear River and advocate for common sense 
alternatives. We are also watch-dogging efforts by water developers to move Bear River development forward without public scrutiny. To get involved, contact URC at 801.487.4776.