Utah close to settling lawsuit over Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

The state of Utah appears to be close to settling a long-running lawsuit over control of land within the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

In a court filing obtained by FOX 13 News, lawyers for the Utah Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice asked for more time to evaluate an appraisal of the land.

"The proposed settlement contemplates the acquisition by the United States of certain lands and interests within the Refuge in exchange for payment to the State," attorneys wrote to U.S. Magistrate Judge Daphne Oberg.

Utah sued the federal government in 2012, laying claim to lands within the refuge that lie below the Great Salt Lake's ordinary high water mark dating back to statehood. The filing indicates the two sides settled on where that line is and in 2020, they began settlement talks.

While progress has been made, lawyers told the judge, there is more work to do.

"Any final settlement of the claims in this case will require sequential approvals by the Parties’ principal decision-makers, who include the Utah State Legislature or Legislative Management Committee... for Plaintiff and the appropriate high-ranking officials in the United States Departments of the Interior and of Justice for Defendants," the filing stated.

This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org .

Recent Great Salt Lake Collaborative stories

• A new study shows what areas are impacted more by Great Salt Lake dust

  Ben Winslow

  4:02 PM, Jul 04, 2024

• Taxpayers not getting money's worth in GSL mineral extraction, audit says

  Ben Winslow

  4:16 PM, Jun 18, 2024

• Changes to Great Salt Lake causeway berm explored

  Ben Winslow

  4:23 PM, Jun 05, 2024

• After years of killing invasive species, native plants return to Utah Lake

  Ben Winslow

  4:18 PM, Jun 04, 2024