You can help our conservation efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
Utah's Hogle Zoo
Conserving the Jordan River
A Few Facts
- Located in Salt Lake Valley
- Connects Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake
- An Essential Urban Waterway
- Provides habitat for fish, deer, beaver, fox, and more.
The Jordan River connects Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake wetlands, carving a path through the Salt Lake Valley. Though the river is loved by the local community, it has been neglected due to human development. Irrigation canals draw away much of the river’s necessary water, making it difficult for the waterway to flourish. If the Jordan River is not conserved, local ecosystems will suffer.
You can join Utah’s Hogle Zoo and The Jordan River Commission by joining us for our monthly outings and restoration events that include tree planting, water trail maintenance, and removal of invasive weeds. These are family friendly events and a great way to get outside and become more familiar with our unique and beautiful urban river.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is always looking for volunteers for monthly Jordan River clean-up events. If you have any questions, contact our Conservation Action Coordinator, Tori Bird at [email protected]
Wildlife cameras are an important tool being used around the world for conservation research to collect information about wildlife in an particular area. They are a non-invasive way to get valuable data about wildlife habitats and natural behaviors. Utah’s Hogle Zoo saw wildlife cameras as an opportunity for zoo guests and community members to be engaged in meaningful, direct action. This led us to partnering with Wasatch Wildlife Watch in March of 2020.
Wasatch Wildlife Watch is a community science project from the University of Utah’s Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab since 2018, operating in all seven surrounding canyons and into the Salt Lake Valley. The project aims to fill data gaps with baseline information about local wildlife and habitats that can be used for urban planning. Wasatch Wildlife Watch utilizes dedicated community scientists that maintain the cameras, sort the photos, and upload them to a web based community science platform for identification.
The original focus was on the 7 canyons, which made a great study area due to varying levels of human use and how animals respond to it. Through our partnership, we are able to expand the study area into more locations in the valley, offer financial support and resources, tap into zoo’s volunteer network, and expand the study period to be year-round.
As of today, there are 20-25 cameras along 22 miles of river at any time. These cameras are checked monthly and collect hundreds of thousands of photos since installation. The data from these cameras contribute to other projects and research studies through Snapshot USA and the Urban Wildlife Information Network.
