Festival to combine fun, learning

PROVO — Organizers of the third annual Utah Lake Festival hope to bring people to the lake area and educate them about the lake's ecosystem, the native species around the water and the importance of proper stewardship. A variety of activities that combine fun and learning will be offered. They include:

• Boat tours

• Photo exhibit/photography workshop

• Fishing workshop/fishing simulator

• Geocache contest

• Water ski show

• Canoeing workshop/excursions

• Arts activities for children

• Storytelling by Robert Carter

• Food provided by Los Hermanos

• Live music by a local indie pop band, the Brobecks, and Spencer Nielsen

Last year, according to festival organizers, nearly 5,000 people attended the festival.

"We need for people to care about Utah Lake, and people are only going to care if they have experienced it and understand its importance culturally, economically, recreationally and environmentally," says Reed Harris, program manager for the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program, a multiagency program designed to recover the endangered fish that lives only in Utah Lake.

Although the recovery program's focus is on recovering the June sucker, the program managers are taking an ecosystem-based approach so that actions help all the species in the Utah Lake Drainage Basin and will improve the overall health of the lake's ecosystem.

"Yes, we're trying to improve the lake for an endangered fish, but a healthy Utah Lake will benefit everyone," says Harris. "Properly managing and protecting Utah Lake takes a lot of hard work, but it is worth it. But we need everyone's help. Because everyone impacts the environment, public support and involvement is instrumental."

Utah Lake, which spans 24 miles in length and 13 miles in width, is one of the largest freshwater lakes west of the Mississippi.

"We can give lots of facts about Utah Lake and why it is a precious resource, but it only has half the impact of leading someone to the shore of the lake and letting them discover it firsthand. It is shockingly low how many people today have ever walked on the beaches of Utah Lake, swam in it, fished in it or boated on it," Harris said.

Historically, more than 20 resorts once dotted the shoreline. There was a showboat with live music and dancing that took people to Bird Island, airplanes would land on the beaches and offer rides. Boat racing in the Provo Harbor for decades was a Memorial Day mainstay.

If you go

What: Utah Lake Festival

Where: Utah Lake State Park

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 9

Cost: free

Web: www.junesuckerrecovery.org

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For more information about the Utah Lake Festival, Utah Lake or the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program visit www.junesuckerrecovery.org.