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Dorie Klissas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact Dorie Klissas at DKlissas@Manomet.org | (917) 287-5643
Manomet Conservation Sciences Global Youth Movement “Experiencia Ambientalia” Expands to Utah’s Great Salt Lake and Critical Shorebird Habitat
Fifth Anniversary of Saline Lake Protection Programs in Mono Lake, California, and Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina
PLYMOUTH, MA — October 8, 2025: Manomet Conservation Sciences is announcing that its groundbreaking international youth program, Experiencia Ambientalia, is expanding its reach to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Now in its fifth year, this innovative initiative has already been thriving at Mono Lake, California, and Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina, connecting young people across continents to protect critical saline lake ecosystems and the migratory shorebirds that depend on them.
Mono Lake, the Great Salt Lake, and Laguna Mar Chiquita have shared a long-standing “three-part twinning” relationship, established in 1992 to promote conservation through shared knowledge and coordinated action. Building on this foundation, Manomet and Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza launched Experiencia Ambientalia in 2021, inspiring students to become hands-on environmental stewards through immersive, cross-cultural experiences. Now, with Salt Lake City joining the network, the program spans three major hemispheric sites, uniting youth from North and South America to confront urgent ecological challenges and foster a global movement for the protection of vital saline lake ecosystems.
“This expansion marks an exciting new chapter,” said Juliana Bosi de Almeida, PhD, Managing Director of Flyways at Manomet. “The same migratory birds connect these lakes, and now the students who live near them are connected too—sharing ideas, culture, and solutions for protecting these vital ecosystems.”
“The Experiencia Ambientalia program connects youth to their local ecosystems while helping them see how their efforts are part of a hemispheric network of conservation,” said Marina Castellino, Education and Youth Engagement Specialist on Manomet’s Flyways team. “Through activities like bird-watching, shoreline cleanups, and mapping threats to Wilson’s Phalaropes, students develop a deep sense of environmental stewardship and a personal connection to these vital habitats.”
In Argentina, student leaders will gather for a regional youth forum from December 4 to 6, 2025, in Laguna Mar Chiquita, to showcase their environmental projects and share innovative solutions for protecting local ecosystems. The program has expanded to include students from 21 towns surrounding Laguna Mar Chiquita, engaging over 500 high school students, 50 teachers, and supporting 63 youth-led conservation projects that range from habitat restoration to sustainable community development.
The Shorebird Festival, taking place from December 6 to 8, 2025, and co-hosted by Manomet, Aves Argentinas, and Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza, will feature guided bird walks, educational programs, and opportunities to experience the stunning biodiversity of Laguna Mar Chiquita.
At the heart of this effort is a dynamic international youth program that forges deep connections between communities in Mono Lake, California, and Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina. In July 2024 and 2025, students from Mono Lake traveled to Argentina, immersing themselves in the local culture while gaining firsthand insight into the urgent challenges facing the country’s largest saline lake. These exchanges went far beyond conservation work, fostering lasting friendships and a shared commitment to protecting these vital ecosystems for future generations.
The exchange came full circle in June 2024, when Argentine students journeyed to Mono Lake. There, they explored California’s unique landscape and collaborated with their peers, creating a powerful bridge between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Together, these young environmental leaders are learning that while they may live worlds apart, their lakes—and their futures—are deeply connected.
Saline lakes are among the planet’s most threatened ecosystems, putting migrating birds such as the Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) at serious risk. These remarkable birds undertake one of the longest migrations of any shorebird. During late summer, hundreds of thousands gather at Mono Lake and the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they rest and feed on nutrient-rich brine shrimp to build strength for their journey south. By early fall, they travel thousands of miles across the hemisphere, ultimately arriving at Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina. Along this vast migratory route, there are no other habitats that provide the same critical resources for survival, making the protection of these three key lakes essential to the species’ future.
A 2023 study in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment revealed that more than half of the world’s saline lakes are in decline, with some disappearing entirely. The Great Salt Lake has lost 60% of its surface area and 70% of its water volume since the mid-1800s, exposing more than one million acres of lakebed that now generate toxic dust. Similarly, Laguna Mar Chiquita, the largest saline lake in South America, has lost over 50% of its water volume since the early 1990s. These alarming changes pose a significant threat to biodiversity, human health, agriculture, and local economies.
“When a saline lake disappears, it’s not just a local problem,” adds Juliana Bosi de Almeida, PhD, Managing Director of Flyways at Manomet. “These lakes are linked through the incredible journeys of shorebirds like the Wilson’s Phalarope. The decline of one lake affects the entire network, signaling a much larger environmental crisis.”
The Experiencia Ambientalia program is supported by Manomet, Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza, and the Mono Lake Committee, with additional collaboration from the International Phalarope Working Group (IPWG), which tracks migration patterns by tagging phalaropes with transmitters. This research provides vital data to guide conservation strategies across the Americas.
The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) supports these twinning efforts, recognizing that the health of these interconnected ecosystems is vital for the survival of migratory birds and the sustainability of the surrounding communities.
Additionally, Experiencia Ambientalia is expanding to Lake Abert in Lake County, Oregon, and Walker Lake in western Nevada.
About Manomet Conservation Sciences:
Manomet is a science-driven conservation organization with deep roots in bird conservation. Teams across the Western Hemisphere are focusing on improving the health of flyways and ecosystems that are being challenged by climate change and human activities. The goal is to reverse the decline of shorebirds, promote coastal resilience, and educate and empower the next generation of conservationists. To learn more, go to: https://www.manomet.org/