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The mining activity caused the pelicans to temporarily abandon
Gunnison Island as a nesting site, though the gulls remained despite the human company. Because of the difficulty of obtaining the guano, however, and its tendency to dissolve in the rain and wash back into the Great Salt Lake, the guano
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View looking south from the peak at the northern end of
Gunnison Island. Carrington Island is in the immediate distance. Notice the red water, which characterizes of the northern arm of the Great Salt Lake. Also notice the large number of nesting American pelicans along the shore of the bay on the
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Historically, the island's remote location protected it from predators, which made it an ideal spot for ground-nesting birds. However, due to recent low lake levels, it is no longer an island; it is connected to shore by a land bridge which predators can use.
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Wildlife biologists estimate that the population on
Gunnison Island (about 10,000) constitutes about 10–20% of the entire American white pelican population; there are also about 15,000 California gulls that nest on the island.
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spent a year living in solitude on the island. From
November 1895 to March 1896, he was alone. In March, a few enterprising individuals decided to harvest and sell the abundant
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The entire island is the
Gunnison Island State Wildlife Management Area. Access to the island is restricted to prevent curious tourists from disturbing the nesting birds.
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flows into the Great Salt Lake. In the bird refuge, the water's salinity is low enough that fish can live there. (The Great Salt Lake contains no fish.)
317:, which he authored during his time on the island. Lambourne left the island early in the winter of 1896 along with the first group of guano sifters.
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The remoteness also forces the pelicans to travel 30 miles (48 km) or more to find fresh water and food. The pelicans typically fly east to the
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and about 6 miles (9.7 km) east from the lake's western shore, and is best known as an important rookery for the
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361:"Recent Observations on the White Pelican on Gunnison Island, Great Salt Lake, Utah"
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201:) also nests on the island, and occasional nesters include the
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to a great height, then coast down to their destination.
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industry was abandoned about ten years after it began.
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The Origin of
Certain Place Names in the United States
181:, approximately 55 miles (89 km) northwest of
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410:R657-15 — Closure of Gunnison, Cub and Hat Islands
267:The pelicans have also been known to fly south to
359:Jessop B. Low; Lee Kay; D. I. Rasmussen (1950).
398:Gunnison Island State Wildlife Management Area
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165:is located in the northwest quadrant of the
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526:Protected areas of Box Elder County, Utah
497:(on official Utah History to Go website)
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309:that the nesting birds left behind as
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430:, The Great Salt Lake Page for Kids.
301:In the mid-1890s, artist and author
511:Landforms of Box Elder County, Utah
470:"Guano Sifters on Gunnison Island,"
442:, 1984. Utah State Wildlife Policy.
415:Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
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104:4.8 km (1.9 sq mi)
495:Guano Sifters on Gunnison Island
458:. Govt. Print. Off. p. 146.
283:Gunnison Island was named after
258:Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
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531:Uninhabited islands of Utah
244:western side of the island.
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468:Lyndia Carter (June 1996)
191:Pelecanus erythrorhynchus
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120:0.5 mi (0.8 km)
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452:Gannett, Henry (1905).
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187:American white pelican
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231:Salpinctes obsoltetus
112:1 mi (2 km)
39:Gunnison Island, 1891
18:Gunnison Island, Utah
516:Lake islands of Utah
341:Promontory Mountains
294:and surveyor of the
440:Utah Code Annotated
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475:2013-10-16 at the
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199:Larus californicus
85:41.339°N 112.858°W
400:. stateparks.com.
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298:valley in 1849.
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203:great blue heron
171:Box Elder County
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207:Ardea herodias
183:Salt Lake City
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88: /
76:112°51′29″W
64:Coordinates
505:Categories
347:References
311:fertilizer
262:Bear River
73:41°20′20″N
269:Utah Lake
227:rock wren
155:Box Elder
49:Geography
473:Archived
428:Mr. Hall
325:See also
292:explorer
289:American
273:thermals
54:Location
385:4080923
365:The Auk
279:History
225:), and
193:). The
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151:County
109:Length
381:JSTOR
307:guano
287:, an
141:State
117:Width
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175:Utah
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101:Area
373:doi
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