Methods

Actual survey sites included all the primary wetlands, and all of the shoreline on the east side of the lake from Stansbury Island on the south to and including the east side of Promontory Point on the north end (Figure 1, Table 2). Open water was surveyed at Farmington Bay, Bear River Bay, and Ogden Bay west to a geo-referenced line between Antelope and Fremont islands. An estimated 73% of important wetlands, largely within duck clubs, was not covered by this effort because of limited access and man power. 

Organizers of actual survey sites took into consideration land ownership, potential access, proximity to other survey areas, habitat type(s), the ability to recruit surveyors, specialized equipment needs and other logistical factors. The selection of actual survey routes and area sizes was largely predicated on the capacity to survey the area in four-hours or less. Survey areas were mapped and assigned a survey area name and number. Eventually, each survey was developed into a survey polygon and geo-referenced for purposes of assessing relative avian population. Over the five-year study period, five new survey areas were included into the project. 

Table 2. Summary of GSL Waterbird Survey areas.

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