Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve (ISSR)

Rio Tinto Kennecott has transformed acreage once dominated by over-grazed lands, salt evaporation ponds and illegal dumps into a 3,670-acre shorebird and waterfowl reserve along the south shore of Great Salt Lake. It was created under a mitigation plan developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to offset the loss of 1,000 acres impacted when the company expanded its tailings impoundment in 1996. Over 120,000 birds use the reserve annually. In 2004, the area became an Important Bird Area (IBA) and is now part of BirdLife International’s IBA Program. The reserve is generally closed to the public and can only be accessed via guided trips, during bird festivals, and other public events.