How cows are helping the Great Salt Lake

SYRACUSE —A couple years ago, the Great Salt Lake reached record lows.For phragmites, an invasive species which take in lots of water, it makes the perfect recipe for a chain reaction that threatens the ecosystem.

That is, until cows come into the equation.

Just five years ago, Brown said there were phragmites growing some 10 feet tall and covered up lots of area. Now, thanks to the cows roaming and grazing, much of the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve has opened back up and native grasses are coming back.

Brown said they have around 79 head of their own cattle they use. Most of the cows, however, are from local ranchers, which is a win-win for everyone.

Managing invasive species

“We’re using the cattle as a tool to manage an invasive species, but then local ranchers and farmers: It’s helping make them viable and stay in operations,” Brown said.

Phragmites also make a negative mark on the Great Salt Lake.

“We’re noticing some of our return flows out onto the lake,” Brown said. “We’re not seeing as much water coming out, and the phragmites are definitely helping contribute to that.”

Offering no food value for birds, and countering that with the cows, which do not mind eating the protein-filled phragmites, it is a system that works.

Water is preserved and so are the birds’ that depend on the Great Salt Lake for survival.

“Now even out to the left there, the cows have been grazing. We’re noticing the native plants like the cat tails and the bull rush are starting to get a foothold,” Brown said.

Phragmites are also prone to aiding in a wildfire, which, as dry as it is, can spread in the blink of an eye.

The cows come around for their feast in the summer and will leave later the year.