Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah protects a vast delta where the Bear River enters the Great Salt Lake, preserving about 74,000 acres of habitat, including more than 41,000 acres of freshwater wetlands. Open water, mudflats, marshes, and uplands make it one of Utah’s most important bird landscapes along a major migration route used by millions of birds each year. Established in 1928 and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge was heavily affected by rising Great Salt Lake floodwaters beginning in 1983. Today it balances habitat protection with public access, education, trails, exhibits, and an auto route through the marshes.