Social Media Campaign Update: Early Results & Expansion
Our soft rollout on Facebook and Instagram has been a great success, reaching hundreds of
thousands of people, many beyond the racing community.
We will be expanding to TikTok, YouTube, and additional platforms to further amplify our message
and reach well beyond the racing community.
Our website is also being updated and will be ready soon.
Our Mission: Building a Broader Coalition
Racers have called for change at Bonneville for over 60 years with little result. This campaign targets
the public, because the racing community cannot win this fight alone.
We must make the case that Bonneville matters as a natural landmark, cultural treasure, and
American icon, and that the BLM’s mismanagement is a public problem.
We are building a broad coalition. The more voices we have, the stronger our case.
Social Media Engagement: Educate, Don’t Berate
We will encounter posts of people doing donuts, getting stuck, or making uninformed comments.
Treat these as opportunities, not offenses. People are going to say and do dumb things. Come at
them with facts, not emotion.
A STRONG SUGGESTION FOR ENGAGEMENT
EDUCATE, DON’T BERATE
People who arrive at Bonneville have no signs to guide them, no warnings to heed, and
no idea that the very ground beneath their feet is disappearing. Visitors have never seen
what the salt truly looks like at its best and don’t know what has been lost. Visitors
enjoying Bonneville are not the problem. The BLM’s mismanagement is. We want lots of
people to enjoy the Bonneville Salt Flats. A welcoming ‘Did you know the salt flats are in
danger?’ followed by a genuine explanation of why, will always do more than shaming.
Key Talking Points for Public Engagement
When engaging with the public on social media, keep the following in mind:
- The Bonneville Salt Flats are public land managed by the BLM; everyone has a right to be there and enjoy them.
- The salt surface has been dramatically shrinking and deteriorating for decades due to inadequate management.
- Better BLM management should include, at the very least, the restart of mass balance pumping and ultimately a full restoration effort. This would protect both the land and visitors.
- Bonneville is a national and cultural treasure, a vast otherworldly landscape and one of the most unique natural landmarks in the West. It belongs to all Americans.
- People who are unaware of the issue are potential advocates. We have an uphill battle and will need as many as possible. Let’s make advocates, not enemies.
Washington D.C.: Working with the Department of the Interior
Russ Deane and Stuart Gosswein are currently in Washington D.C. working directly with the
Department of the Interior on behalf of Save the Salt and the Bonneville Salt Flats. While we build
public awareness from the ground up, they are pushing for meaningful action at the agency level.
We are hopeful their work will produce real progress and will update with any developments.
State & Local Engagement: Building the Case in Utah
We are also engaged at the state and local level in Utah. For now, we are working with the following
agencies and organizations:
- Utah State Parks & Division of Wildlife Resources
- Utah Outdoor Recreation
- Travel Utah
- Utah Geological Survey (UGS)
Our goal is to start cultivating support at the state and local level — people and organizations who
can help raise awareness, create opportunities, and apply pressure where it counts.
Critical Update
No Pumping— Third Consecutive Year
This is the third year of no pumping. Both the BLM and Intrepid have, at various points,
made the decision not to pump and this year neither will. This is devastating to the
conditions on the salt. This pumping is what kept Bonneville on life support, a process
called mass balance, where whatever waste salt is left over from potash production for
the year is supposed to be pumped back onto the flats. Getting this pumping restarted is
critical. This is separate from the restoration and laydown project, which remains Save the
Salt’s main objective.
World Monuments Fund: Irreplaceable America Nomination
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has launched Irreplaceable America, an open call to recognize
ten heritage sites that reflect the breadth of the American experience, timed to the 250th anniversary
of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026.
Robert Rampton is nominating the Bonneville Salt Flats on behalf of Save the Salt. The nomination
is a significant undertaking, and we are grateful for his efforts.
If selected, Bonneville would receive:
- National and local media coverage tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
- Spotlights in WMF’s digital and printed materials
- One year of strategic consultation with WMF heritage experts
- Opportunities to develop preservation projects in partnership with WMF
The Open Letter Campaign (In Development)
This initiative is currently in the works. The concept: an open letter, addressed to the Secretary of the
Interior, will bypass the BLM and be sent directly to the agency that governs them.
The letter will first be signed by 400+ mph record holders and their crews, followed by the 300+ mph
and 200+ mph teams, before expanding outward to all record setters, racers, and supporters.
The core concept is to develop a united front of the people who built, drove, and wrenched on these
vehicles, demanding an immediate halt to the mismanagement and swift restoration actions.
The message is simple: the Bonneville Salt Flats International Raceway is irreplaceable, conditions
have been allowed to become dangerous for American amateur motorsport, and the citizens who use
it demand corrective action without delay.
Once the racing community is aligned behind the message, it goes public and anyone who cares
about Bonneville can sign.
The goal: prove racers speak with one voice and put the Secretary of the Interior on notice about the
reckless stewardship of our public lands.
Closing
The early results prove that when Bonneville’s story is told well, people listen. The racing community
has fought this fight for 60 years and now the rest of the world is starting to hear us. Let’s make
history.