Up a winding canyon road outside Spanish Fork, UT, sits Diamond Fork Canyon, the location for this year’s Basin and Range Seminar weekend, organized by Great Salt Lake Audubon. This event is an annual gathering of bird nerds, nature enthusiasts, artists, and scientists where people camp together and attend a variety of workshop sessions throughout the weekend on a wide range of topics. These workshops can range from macroinvertebrate investigations in the local stream to nature journaling to geology walks, and so much more.

This year’s Basin and Range was different for one particular reason: water, or rather the lack of it. Utah is coming out of its warmest and driest winter on record, and that affects when migratory birds are arriving, how much food is available, and the level of all the rivers, streams, and lakes that sustain them. The Great Salt Lake is on pace to reach its lowest level on record, and that could spell disaster for millions of birds that rely on it every year.

I attended my first Basin and Range in 2025, less than 6 months after moving across the country to Utah from North Carolina, and I was eager to get involved with the local birding community as an avid birder myself. The event moves locations each year across northern Utah to highlight different ecosystems and accessibility to different audiences. As someone who was spending a lot of my free time out birding and job hunting, spending a weekend in the woods and meeting a bunch of really interesting and smart people was well worth the $40 price of registration.

In the year since, I have gone on several of GSL Audubon’s guided walks along the Jordan River, started my Salt Lake County Bird Photo project, and participated in the annual Brighton Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count. When it came time to start looking for registration for the 2026 Basin and Range, I was unexpectedly approached by the organizing committee if I would be interested in not only attending, but leading one of the workshop sessions at this year’s Basin and Range. Needless to say, I was flattered and said yes without hesitation.

I ended up pitching and leading two different sessions for the event, as one of the other presenters unfortunately had to back out, titled “Birds are Storytellers” and “Bird Photography 101”. I do not consider myself a true expert on most things, but I am pretty competent in several different areas. My teaching style focused on holistic, inquiry-based learning where people learn by doing, asking questions, and making connections. If that sounds like something you would be interested in, I’d love to help lead a workshop for your group or organization.

Diamond Fork Canyon is a popular place for many outdoor recreation sports that are also conducive for many species of birds. From rising canyon walls to flowing streams to a wide array of vegetation and other wildlife. Something unique to this area is the hot springs that are very popular during the winter, as well as rock climbing, mountain biking, and horseback riding throughout the year. Much of the area is actively utilized for cattle ranching, so many areas have gates and cattle crossings to prevent the herds from leaving their designated areas.

It is truly such a pleasure to meet and work with some incredibly curious and passionate individuals in these sessions, as well as during meals, breaks, and downtime. Each session brought together people of all skill levels to listen and learn from each other. I was merely there to help guide the conversation and lead the walk to see what we could find.

Birds are critical to ecological health and environmental sustainability. If we lose the birds, we lose the habitat and everything they are connected to. I encourage you to find out more about Great Salt Lake Audubon and the work they do to protect and enhance habitat for wild birds, animals, and plants, and to maintain healthy and diverse environments for wildlife and people throughout the state.