You can help our conservation efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
Utah's Hogle Zoo
Conserving the Jordan River
A Few Facts
- Located in Salt Lake Valley
- Connects Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake
- An Essential Urban Waterway
- Provides habitat for fish, deer, beaver, fox, and more.
The Jordan River connects Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake wetlands, carving a path through the Salt Lake Valley. Though the river is loved by the local community, it has been neglected due to human development. Irrigation canals draw away much of the river’s necessary water, making it difficult for the waterway to flourish. If the Jordan River is not conserved, local ecosystems will suffer.
You can join Utah’s Hogle Zoo and The Jordan River Commission by joining us for our monthly outings and restoration events that include tree planting, water trail maintenance, and removal of invasive weeds. These are family friendly events and a great way to get outside and become more familiar with our unique and beautiful urban river.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is always looking for volunteers for monthly Jordan River clean-up events. If you have any questions, contact our Conservation Action Coordinator, Tori Bird at [email protected]
Trail cameras are widely used around the world to learn about wildlife in a particular area. They are a non-invasive way to get valuable data on wildlife habitat use and behavior. Utah’s Hogle Zoo saw wildlife cameras as an opportunity for Zoo guests and community members to be engaged in meaningful, direct action. This led us to partner with Wasatch Wildlife Watch in 2020.
Wasatch Wildlife Watch was a community science project led by the University of Utah’s Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab. Operating from 2018 to 2025 in the seven canyons surrounding and within the Salt Lake Valley, the project filled data gaps in our understanding about local wildlife, such as how wild animals respond to human disturbance, and it contributed key information for urban planning. Wasatch Wildlife Watch utilized dedicated community scientists who maintained the cameras, sorted photos, and uploaded photos to a web-based platform for identification.
Through our partnership with this project, Utah’s Hogle Zoo expanded the study area to cover 22 miles along the Jordan River, offered financial support and resources, utilized the Zoo’s volunteer network, and allowed data to be collected year-round. Although the Wildlife Wasatch Watch program ended in 2025, Hogle Zoo continues to analyze hundreds of images. The data from these cameras contribute to other projects and research studies through Snapshot USA and the Urban Wildlife Information Network.
