Utah Lake: Facts, Fiction, Fun

Our staff shares updates on 5 current events at the lake: the Provo River Delta construction, the Utah Lake Scavenger Hunt, algae blooms and more! If you like the format of this episode, short updates on several current topics, please let us know! Links from this episode: Provo River Delta Project website Utah Lake Scavenger Hunt Phragmites at Utah Lake HABS.utah.gov Marina Algae Treatments at Utah Lake

What is the Utah Lake Commission? Former Provo City Mayor Lewis Billings explains about the creation of the Commission. In 2007, the Commission was created, but before that, there was no entity with Utah Lake as its sole purpose. Lewis Billings shares some of the discussion that led to the formation of the Commission, some early successes and his dreams for Utah Lake. Links from this Episode: Commission About Us page Utah Lake Commission Meetings Schedule Utah Lake Master Plan

Announcing the Utah Lake Scavenger Hunt! Listen in to get inside tips on missions that haven't been shared anywhere else! Details on how the scavenger hunt will work, how to join the hunt, the main objectives of the game, details on prizes and more!  **Make sure to listen to the end for the 3 Things You Need to Know Before Playing! Links from this Episode: Utah Lake Scavenger Hunt - game details Download the GooseChase app - the app used for the scavenger hunt Instructions on how to join the game

Summer 2020, the Utah Lake Commission and partners are pilot-testing algae treatments at two public marinas at Utah Lake: Lincoln Beach and Lindon Marina. In this episode, Commission Executive Director Eric Ellis provides details on what treatments are being done, the process and timeline for the treatments, the treatments are approved for recreational use, details about algae monitoring and more! Links from this Episode: Marina Algae Treatments Start at Utah Lake: blog post with links to more info on the technologies used in these tests. Utah Lake Water Quality Study website Lindon Marina website Lincoln Beach website

Guests Leo Chan and Tyler Lyon from the Utah Kiters Club talk favorite kiting spots, how to learn and how to have a great time kiting at Utah Lake. The wind and beaches at Utah Lake are great for kite boarding, the view from the water of Utah Valley is magnificent, and the thrill and serenity of being driven by the wind are all reasons why these two and many more enjoy kite boarding at Utah Lake. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Utah Kiters Facebook Group Uinta Kiting - for kite boarding lessons Utah Snowkite Center - for snow kiting lessons (a good start to learning to kite board) Utah Lake Recreation Video Contest

Are you tired of being stuck inside during this pandemic? There are 3 places to staycation, right here at Utah Lake! Lincoln Beach, Lindon Marina and Utah Lake State Park all offer camping and have amazing amenities and lots of opportunities to enjoy a staycation with your family. Whether its Lindon Marinas sandy beach and new campground, or the fishing spots at Lincoln Beach, or the paddle boarding and disc golf course at Utah Lake State Park, you are sure to enjoy your stay at Utah Lake! Resources from this episode: Three Places to Staycation at Utah Lake blog post Lincoln Beach website Lindon Marina website Utah Lake State Park website Bonneville School of Sailing Epic Recreation

Our last episode on fishing at Utah Lake (Ep. 14) was so popular that we brought back Mike Packer with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources! He talks all about catfish; biology, where to find them, bait and tackle to use and more! We even pried a few secrets out of him to help you catch a BIG catfish at Utah Lake! The current state fishing record (Utah Lake holds 5 records total) for catfish is 32 lbs, 39 inches. Think you can beat that? Check out this episode of the Utah Lake: Facts, Fiction, Fun podcast. Resources from this episode: https://www.catfishedge.com/how-to-hold-catfish/ https://fishingbooker.com/blog/fishing-hooks-101-parts-sizes-types/ https://midwestoutdoors.com/fishing/selecting-the-right-lines-for-catfish/ https://www.catfishedge.com/catfishing-tips/ YouTube Channel – Catfish and Carp https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWn_gTaXyH5Idyo8Raf7_A Utah State Fishing Records

In this episode, we spoke with Rick Cox, a local businessman and avid Utah Lake boater. He shares stories from his family and his father of experiences they had on Utah Lake. The stories shared range from his father rolling a Model T Ford for fun on the lake bed, tasting carp balls, water skiing in February with no wet suit and more! Links mentioned in this episode: USGS Diver dives 63 feet down in Utah Lake YouTube channel of Utah Lake angler who likes carp

This week, our staff toured the Provo River Delta Restoration Project site, along with several other agencies. We met to discuss weed management, tour the project to discuss specific areas for treatment, and get a better understanding of the progress of the restoration. In this episode, we share some interesting insights we gained about the history of the area, the impressive reuse of materials by the project and more.  Links mentioned in this episode: Provo River Delta project website Map of the delta project Utah Lake phragmites treatment Ep. 07 - Provo River Delta Starts Construction Ep. 08 - June Sucker: Making Progress

Erika Wilde is a local triathlete who has completed a triathlon ACROSS Utah Lake. Think about that. We literally mean across the lake. She's swam across (5 miles), and she has run and biked across during the winter when it was frozen (10+ miles!). We invited Erika onto the podcast to share her experiences completing this triathlon across Utah Lake.  Additional info: A Wilde Triathlon at Utah Lake - our 2017 blog post on her exploits A Utah Lake Athlete for All Seasons - our 2013 blog post on her exploits Utah Lake Field Trips for 4th Graders

This is the first episode in a series we are calling Meet Your Marinas. There are five public marinas at Utah Lake: Saratoga Springs City Marina (aka Pelican Bay Marina), American Fork Marina, Lindon Marina, Utah Lake State Park and Lincoln Beach. Ron Madson, manager of Lindon Marina, shares some personal stories about his connection with Lindon Marina and sailing, updates us on the improvement project to create a campground at the marina, details about boat rentals and more! In this episode, we mentioned the following links: Lindon Marina website Lindon Marina Facebook page Timpanogos Yacht Club Facebook page

We discuss fishing at Utah Lake with awesome guest Mike Packer from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. This episode is a great place to start for a beginner or for someone who isn't familiar with fishing at Utah Lake. Topics covered include: access points, a brief history of some of the stocking efforts, improvement projects that will improve the fishery and access, the most common species to target, state fishing records at Utah Lake, and how to learn more about fishing and teaching others to fish. Links mentioned in this episode: DWR Utah Lake Fishing Seminar 2019 Casting a Fishing Line - a tutorial on how to cast by Mike Packer Utah Lake Public Access Points page Utah State Fishing Records June Sucker Recovery website Heckmann RA, Thompson CW, White DA (1981) Fishes of Utah Lake. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs, No. 5: Utah Lake Monograph. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Rocky Mountain Bowfishing Club Facebook group Ep. 04 - Walkara Way Conservation Project Ep. 07 - Provo River Delta Starts Construction Ep. 08 - June Sucker: Making Progress

Have you ever paddled down Provo River? If you have, chances are it was the section of Provo River in Provo Canyon. We're talking about paddling down the river all the way to Utah Lake. Done that? We recently did, and this episode shares our experience of paddle boarding from the Geneva Road trail head of the Provo River Parkway Trail all the way down to Utah Lake State Park.  Fun little rapids, peaceful waters, tons of birds, beautiful views of the fish and more were a part of this trip. You should try it too! Listen in to learn more. Here are some of the links mentioned in this episode: Youth Paddle Camp - Coming Soon! Ep. 07 - Provo River Delta Starts Construction Epic Recreation website Utah Lake State Park website

What is your favorite bird to spot at Utah Lake?? Keeli shares a couple of her favorites in this episode! Keeli Marvel, former president of Utah County Birders, speaks with the Utah Lake Commission about the basics of birdwatching at Utah Lake, good birding (only the cool people call it birding) spots at the lake and more! Utah County Birders (UCB) is a great club and they have several resources (mentioned in the epidode) for anyone wanting to learn more about birdwatching: UCB website UCB Facebook Group Ebird by Cornell University Birding helpful resources

Mark Greenwood, a Utah County resident and long-time fan of Utah Lake tells us stories of his adventures kayaking in Provo Bay. He shares some tips on things to know before kayaking at Utah Lake, how to be safe and not get lost and shares some of the cool wildlife encounters he has had while at the lake. Listen in to learn more about kayaking in Provo Bay and you will be ready to get down there and give it a try for yourself! Mark's blog about Kayaking Utah Utah County Kayakers Facebook Group

The story continues! This episode covers a first-hand account of that frightful day’s events was given by Grant Hammon, one of the twin brothers who were rescued. His retelling of the story is harrowing at times and helps us better understand the emotions felt during that crisis out on Utah Lake.  We hope you enjoy the story and stay safe and have fun at Utah Lake!

Every now and again, our thoughts and perspectives are uplifted by a story.  Unexpectedly, someone comes along who unselfishly touches lives and then continues on his or her way, oblivious to the impacts they have had.  Some of these are unsung heroes, who report to work every day never knowing what they will encounter.  This is the story of one of those days. This episode covers the story of two brothers, Grant and Steve Hammon who were rescued during a storm out on Utah Lake several years ago. The story will be covered in two episodes. In Part 1, the story is from the perspective of the Utah Lake State Park rangers who rescued the brothers. In Part 2, we will be sharing the perspective of the brothers themselves.

In this episode, we speak with Mike Mills, the head of the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program. He updates listeners on the exciting proposal to "downlist" June Sucker from endangered to threatened, background on carp removal and where it is going in the future, the issue of Northern Pike and more. Listen in, and if you like it make sure to subscribe to the podcast for exciting episodes all about Utah Lake!

In this episode, we interview Melissa Stamp with the Provo River Delta Restoration Project. This project is an effort to recreate the Provo River delta as habitat for the endangered June Sucker fish. Efforts have been underway for over 2 decades, and they started construction in March 2020! Listen in for details on what exactly is happening this year and in future years, answers to frequently asked questions and benefits to the public from this project. 

We were interviewed on the Utah Famous Podcast! Sam talked with Utah Famous hosts Jordan and Sarah about algae blooms, Utah Lake history, events happening this year at the lake and more!