As saline lakes across the Americas decline, migratory birds are increasingly concentrating at the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA)—a worrying trend that underscores the critical role these ecosystems play in sustaining avian populations. Biologist Kyle Stone of Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources reports that with the Salton Sea and Mono Lake shrinking, “more of the birds are being drawn to Great Salt Lake,” creating artificial population spikes even as overall shorebird numbers continue to decline.

This interconnection between water and terrestrial ecosystems—where saline lakes serve as indispensable pit stops along continental flyways—is also the focus of the youth-led project Experience Ambientalia. Connecting students in Argentina and the United States, the initiative operates at Laguna Mar Chiquita, Laguna de los Pozuelos, Mono Lake, and Great Salt Lake. Through 76 community projects and over 800 participating students, the program builds cross-border stewardship for the saline lakes that birds depend on from Patagonia to the Great Basin.

“Birds are unaware of borders,” the project reminds us. Protecting salt lakes means protecting the hemisphere’s migratory birdlife—one lake, one generation at a time.