Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ

Saline lakes in the Great Basin are some of the most vital and vulnerable ecosystems in North America, especially for birds. Yet these irreplaceable ecosystems face mounting challenges. As water availability declines due to climate change and increasing human demands, these habitats—and the wildlife that depends on them—are at risk. Very few, if any, ecosystems in the arid West can replicate the conditions saline lakes provide, underscoring the urgency of their protection. Recognizing these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed the program. Aimed at informing and supporting coordinated management and conservation actions to benefit those ecosystems, migratory birds, and other wildlife, the program is an innovative effort that has the power to shape the future of saline lakes, and help to secure a stable future for the birds that depend on them.

The Importance of Saline Lakes Throughout the U.S.

Defined as bodies of water with no outlet, saline lakes are terminal systems where water flows in but only exits through evaporation, leaving behind high concentrations of minerals and salts. This unique process creates rich saline or alkaline habitats that support thriving populations of specialized macroinvertebrates (such as brine shrimp and brine flies), providing essential food for millions of migratory birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway.

These lakes and their associated wetlands—including ecosystems such as Great Salt Lake, Mono Lake, and Lake Abert—form an interconnected network of critical habitat for shorebirds and waterbirds, serving as vital stopover sites during their migratory journeys as well as important breeding grounds.

Saline lakes also hold significant value for people. They drive economies, with industries like mineral extraction and brine shrimp harvesting generating significant revenue—more than $2 billion annually in the case of Great Salt Lake, which also supports about 7,700 jobs, according to a 2025 report from the . Beyond their economic impact, these lakes shape regional identity, offering recreational opportunities and a deep sense of pride for surrounding communities. Their striking beauty and ecological importance have inspired cultural traditions and foster a connection to a natural landscape that is unique to the arid West.

The program was established following the passage of the Saline Lake Ecosystem in the Great Basin States Program Act, a landmark bipartisan bill directing USGS to assess and monitor saline lake ecosystems and the birds that rely on them. USGS across California, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah as the focus of this comprehensive research effort. Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ's Saline Lakes Program played a key role in advocating for this critical legislation, emphasizing the importance of science-based conservation strategies to protect these vital habitats, both individually and as an interconnected network. By securing federal support for comprehensive research, Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ and its partners helped lay the groundwork for a program that integrates hydrology, ecology, and remote sensing to guide long-term management and conservation efforts. 

Since its inception in 2022, the Saline Lakes IWAA Program has already produced essential research that goes beyond data collection - it is beginning to develop analyses to provide the scientific foundation needed to make informed decisions about water management, habitat protection, and conservation policy.

The USGS Saline Lake Ecosystem IWAA Program

What makes the USGS IWAA program particularly powerful is its approach to integrating multiple components, rather than studying individual components in isolation. The program examines saline lake ecosystems through five interconnected scientific pillars: 

1. Water Quantity: measuring water flows and lake volumes to understand water availability
2. Water Quality: monitoring how salinity and other chemical parameters affect ecosystem health
3. Waterbird Movement: tracking how shorebirds and waterbirds use these lakes throughout their annual cycles
4. Waterbird Food Resources & Habitat: studying the relationships between water conditions and the associated impact on food availability
5. Remote Sensing: using satellite technology to monitor changes across the entire network of lakes

This integrated design emerged from an extensive review of the scientific literature and coordination among more than 120 stakeholders with expertise on saline lake systems, including representatives from conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, tribal nations, and universities. To ensure that research addresses the most relevant conservation needs, the program aims to provide comprehensive data on water availability and lake health, develop strategies to monitor and assess critical ecosystems, and identify knowledge gaps to guide future research and resource management. These information gaps, including understanding groundwater interactions, lake inflows, and water budgets, as well as the effects of water chemistry on bird food resources, and climate resilience, are essential for information water management decisions and predicting how ecosystems may respond to future climate and water availability challenges.

What We’ve Learned So Far

In the two years since its establishment, the Saline Lakes IWAA program has already yielded crucial insights. For example, researchers have across Lake Abert and Summer Lake in Oregon, Great Salt Lake, and the Lahontan Valley in Nevada, and other lakes, resulting in nearly one million location points that reveal how birds use these landscapes. This data shows that individual avocets may visit up to 10 different lakes during their migratory journeys, reinforcing the importance of focusing protection on the entire network of saline lake habitats, rather than just individual sites. Additional tracking efforts for species such as Wilson’s Phalarope, Eared Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, American White Pelican, and Black-necked Stilt are planned for upcoming field seasons, expanding research across waterbird guilds to build a robust dataset that captures diverse movement patterns, habitat use, and connectivity among saline lakes. Insights such as these will enable managers and conservationists to develop targeted strategies that protect critical habitats across the network, ensuring that birds have access to the resources they need throughout their migratory journeys.

Water quality monitoring has been equally revealing. USGS scientists have documented dramatic salinity gradients across these terminal ecosystems, ranging from near-freshwater conditions to conditions four times saltier than the ocean. These variations shape the composition of invertebrate communities, which, in turn, create diverse habitats that support different bird species. Because the water chemistry of these systems determines the availability of food and suitable conditions for wildlife, even small changes can disrupt the delicate balance that sustains these ecosystems. 

The program’s interdisciplinary approach is already providing needed data on water availability, bird movements, and ecological health. 

Recent research milestones include:

• Comprehensive Water Monitoring Networks: Established in key areas like Lake Abert and Great Salt Lake’s Bear River Bay, improving understanding of hydrological changes
• Extensive Water Sampling: More than 600 water samples collected since summer 2023 to assess salinity fluctuations and chemical composition          
• Advanced Avian Tracking: GPS and satellite technology used to track multiple bird species, revealing complex migration patterns and habitat dependencies.
• Food Web Analysis: 2,230 invertebrate specimens sampled across 393 sites, providing insights into prey availability and ecosystem health.
• Long-Term Satellite Monitoring: Created a 24-year record of lake inundation frequencies, helping to identify historical water trends and inform future management strategies.
• Water Quality and Habitat Selection: Identified significant variations in water quality and quantity that directly influence where birds choose to forage and rest.

The findings and advancements highlight the important role that science plays in informing conservation decisions. By integrating cutting-edge tracking technologies, long-term monitoring, and water quality/quantity assessments, USGS is equipping local managers, communities, and those interested in the preservation of these habitats for birds and people, with the information needed to safeguard these fragile ecosystems.

Path Forward: Science-Driven Solutions

The Saline Lakes IWAA program demonstrates that when we invest in understanding these complex systems, we can develop more effective strategies for their protection. As climate change and increasing water demands continue to strain water resources, the insights from the Saline Lakes IWAA program are more critical than ever. The path forward requires collaboration across a wide range of partners making a concerted effort that will prove most successful if we:  

• Expand monitoring networks to fill data gaps, ensuring that we have a comprehensive understanding of the changing environment

• Strengthen collaboration across agencies, local communities, tribes, and saline lake interests, fostering a coordinated approach to conservation

• Support policies that prioritize sustainable water use and habitat protection

• Use technical insights to inform water resource management and conservation strategies

• Pursue a balanced approach that considers ecological, hydrological, and community interests, ensuring that conservation measures are both effective and equitable

Understanding how various ecological factors influence overall habitat condition is essential for effective conservation. With these scientific insights, organizations like Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ can pinpoint effective management strategies, where conservation efforts should be focused, and how we can balance the needs of both wildlife and people. 

By combining rigorous science with dedicated conservation action, we can develop lasting solutions to protect these irreplaceable ecosystems—ensuring that the Great Basin’s saline lakes ecosystems continue to support the millions of birds that depend on them and the communities that cherish them for generations to come.

Interested in learning more about the Saline Lakes IWAA program? Tune in on February 26 for a seminar hosted by USGS and hear from the project science leads about the program and plans for the 2025 field season.

Additional Resources