Jeri Gravlin

I was raised on the shores of Lake Huron, another great lake. Some of my first memories are dipping my toes in the water, watching birds gather and then fly away, catching minnows with my hands and then releasing them. I grew up with such a deep reverence and love for water. So when I moved to Salt Lake, just under a decade ago, I was shocked by the lack of relationship with Great Salt Lake. So many people I knew had never been to her shores. As a lover of lakes, one of the very first things I did when I moved here was go out and be with the water. How can we protect something if most of us know nothing about it? How can we get others to care if they have no connection? I think if you have the ability, it's so important to go be with the water. She is beautiful. She is important. She is life. Go spend time with the lake. She is so worthy of it.

Jeri Gravlin is the photographer and Visual Director of the Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories project. She is a Michigan-raised and now Salt Lake City-based photographer. Her mission is to tell stories through imagery that inspire positive change. She is the Salt Lake City Public Library’s Social Media Manager and Photographer.