On July 17, 2024, Utah Department of Natural Resources traveled to Gunnison Island on the Great Salt Lake to band American white pelican fledglings. Pelicans nest on the Great Salt Lake every year but due to an increase of land bridges, the isolation the island provides is no longer an ideal nesting location. Last year saw total nest abandonment. This year biologists estimated an early total of 1200-1300 pelicans. Banding the young pelicans tracks their movement and health.