(Abduaziz Madyarov | The Great Salt Lake Collaborative) Fishermen drag their boats through the shallow waters of the Aral Sea in western Kazakhstan to a point where the water becomes deep enough to start the engines on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A failure to manage to the lake's tributaries in recent years has resulted in a steep drop in the lake's water level.
Leia Larsen is a sixth generation Utahn and a water and land use reporter reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. She has covered environment, energy and political issues throughout the West. When she’s not chasing the news, Leia can be found exploring the Wasatch Mountains, sleeping in the desert or rooting around her garden.