SALT LAKE CITY— Utah religious leaders will hold a news conference Thursday at the Utah State Capitol to urge Utah lawmakers to do everything in their power to restore the Great Salt Lake to ecological health.

The lake plays a crucial role in Utah’s water supply, provides food and shelter for more than 10 million birds that migrate around the globe every year, and generates billions of dollars in revenue from tourism and the brine shrimp industry. The lake has already shrunk by two-thirds. Without urgent and long-term actions to provide water to the lake, the ecosystem may pass a tipping point beyond which recovery could be out of reach.

What: Faith leaders urge Utah legislators to save the Great Salt Lake

When: 9:30 a.m. MT, Feb. 16

Where: Utah State Capitol Rotunda, West Steps, 350 State St., Salt Lake City, UT 84103

Who: Leaders and members of Utah’s faith communities, including speakers from the Unitarian Universalists, United Church of Christ, Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance and a Northwestern Shoshone spiritual leader; emceed by Deeda Seed, Utah campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity

The faith groups have been collecting postcards addressed to legislators urging immediate action to save the Great Salt Lake. They will deliver the postcards to legislators, along with packets containing their statements, following the news conference.

In addition to those providing statements, represented faith groups include First Unitarian Church, Chavurah B’Yachad, First United Methodist Church, Centenary United Methodist Church, Christ Methodist Church, Holladay United Church of Christ, Union Congregational United Church of Christ (Green River, Wyo.), Mount Olympus Presbyterian Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church (Ogden) and Mount Tabor Lutheran Church.