Leia Larsen

Investigative Fellow at The New York Times

Local Investigations fellow for @nytimes. Water+land use for @sltrib. Named after a Star Wars character, but it's LEE-uh.

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Articles

The Great Salt Lake Is Drying. Can Utah Save It?

2 weeks ago | ironcountytoday.com | Leia Larsen

The loss of the Great Salt Lake would be an environmental disaster with health and economic effects far beyond Utah’s borders. The state is taking action, but critics say it’s not doing enough. By Leia Larsen | The New York Times and The Salt Lake TribuneThis article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state. Editor’s note: Leia Larsen is a reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune.
Can the Great Salt Lake be saved?

3 weeks ago | parkrecord.com | Leia Larsen

Editor’s note: Leia Larsen is a reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune. She spent a year as a New York Times Local Investigations fellow examining the intersection of politics and environmental issues. Three years ago, when Utah’s Great Salt Lake was at its lowest levels, state lawmakers were alarmed enough to try what may be impossible: save the lake from drying up. If Utah succeeds, it would be the first place in the world to reverse a saline lake’s decline.
The Great Salt Lake Is Drying. Can Utah Save It?

1 month ago | ksltv.com | Leia Larsen

Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services developmentStore and/or access information on a deviceYou can choose how your personal data is used.
The Great Salt Lake Is Drying. Can Utah Save It?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Leia Larsen

Sandbars stretching out along the shallow southern shore of the Great Salt Lake. Credit... Video by Francisco Kjolseth/the Salt Lake Tribune The loss of the Great Salt Lake would be an environmental disaster with health and economic effects far beyond Utah's borders. The state is taking action, but critics say it's not doing enough. Sandbars stretching out along the shallow southern shore of the Great Salt Lake. Credit...
In a Growing Utah City, Residents Are Turning Against Their Mayor

Dec 12, 2024 | nytimes.com | Leia Larsen |Kim Raff

"She said, 'My office is full of liberals,'" Mrs. Price recalled. "'I don't trust anybody.'"Mrs. Price helped with the mayor's 2021 campaign. When residents complained on social media about restaurants and businesses not keeping pace with Vineyard's rapid growth, the mayor wrote a 972-word reply and asked Mrs. Price to post it using her own account, text messages show. Mrs. Price also won a raffle at an event hosted by Ms. Fullmer encouraging women to seek office.
Man vs. Trees: How a Rancher’s Bulldozing Project Cost Utah Taxpayers

Sep 17, 2024 | rsn.org | Leia Larsen

The state footed a big bill for the owner of a hunting retreat to knock down trees on his and nearby properties. He made big environmental promises, but the science was lacking. Mike Siaperas, a wealthy software executive, was looking for a change. He found it 10,000 feet above sea level in Utah, buying a ranch that he would turn into a luxury hunting retreat. But there was a problem.
Man vs. Trees: How a Rancher’s Bulldozing Project Cost Utah Taxpayers

Sep 14, 2024 | yahoo.com | Leia Larsen

CARBON COUNTY, Utah — Mike Siaperas, a wealthy software executive, was looking for a change. He found it 10,000 feet above sea level in Utah, buying a ranch that he would turn into a luxury hunting retreat. But there was a problem. “You couldn’t see 10 feet in front of you, the trees were so overgrown,” he recalled in an interview for a podcast in 2021. “I wanted to see wildlife.”So he bulldozed swaths of forest on his property and an adjacent state reserve.
Man vs. Trees: How a Rancher’s Bulldozing Project Cost Utah Taxpayers

Sep 10, 2024 | treefrogcreative.ca | Leia Larsen |Robert McKellar |David Elstone |Derek Nighbor

Man vs. Trees: How a Rancher’s Bulldozing Project Cost Utah Taxpayers By Leia Larsen The New York Times September 10, 2024 Category: Business & Politics Region: United States, US West Mike Siaperas, a wealthy software executive, was looking for a change.
How a Rancher's Bulldozing Project Cost Utah Taxpayers

Sep 10, 2024 | nytimes.com | Leia Larsen

Mike Siaperas, a wealthy software executive, was looking for a change. He found it 10,000 feet above sea level in Utah, buying a ranch that he would turn into a luxury hunting retreat. But there was a problem. "You couldn't see 10 feet in front of you, the trees were so overgrown," he recalled in an interview for a podcast in 2021. "I wanted to see wildlife."So he bulldozed swaths of forest on his property and an adjacent state reserve.
How a tiny bird could trigger a federal response on Great Salt Lake

Apr 9, 2024 | globeslcc.com | Leia Larsen

The Great Salt Lake Collaborative is a group of news, education and media organizations – including The Globe and student journalists at Salt Lake Community College – that have come together to better inform and engage the public about the crisis facing Great Salt Lake. The following story was originally published by The Salt Lake Tribune, a collaborative partner. Hundreds of migrating bird species depend on the imperiled Great Salt Lake for survival each year.