People

Shaela Adams

Communications Manager, Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust & Saline Lakes Program

Shaela Adams is the Communications Manager for the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust and Audubon's Saline Lakes Program. Housed within Audubon’s Western Water and Saline Lakes program, the Trust focuses on increasing water flows to Great Salt Lake—and its wetlands—as it faces precipitous water level decline and record low levels.

Born and raised in Utah, Shaela has observed Great Salt Lake throughout her lifetime and regards it as a keystone ecosystem indicating the overall health of the complex desert state that she calls home. As we bear witness to the impacts of a changing climate, Shaela believes it is our responsibility to protect and advocate for irreplaceable ecosystems, like Great Salt Lake, that define environmental health equity for both humans and wildlife, especially birds.

Shaela graduated from the University of Utah with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sustainability Studies, a minor in Urban Ecology, and an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Arts. Her interdisciplinary experience and studies inform her work at Audubon and her passion for environmental advocacy and climate communications.

Articles by Shaela Adams

A Day in the Field with Intermountain West Shorebird Surveyors
November 19, 2024 — What it looks like to have boots on the ground for one of the most important surveys.
Three grebes swim in a line on a lake; distant mountains out of focus in the background.
Increased Water Flows and Control Bring Benefits to Great Salt Lake and Wetlands
August 20, 2024 — More water is better to combat botulism outbreaks and invasive plants
The Monumental Effort to Understand Migrating Shorebirds
July 02, 2024 — Community science and Audubon bring unparalleled coordination to understand shorebirds and improve wetlands
Birders Flock to Great Salt Lake for Annual Birding Festival
June 20, 2024 — How birding festivals bring people together for birds and the habitats on which they depend
Great Salt Lake Levels Rising but Not Healthy Yet
May 13, 2024 — A seven-year lake level high brings relief, but not permission to slow down
Replicating a Census from the Past to Protect Shorebirds of the Future
February 27, 2024 — Thirty years later surveying methods haven’t changed, but have the shorebirds we’re counting?