I saw this news item yesterday and mused on it a bit.
Why is the Great Salt Lake full of mercury?

I can't say I'm surprised by the fact that we have a mercury problem in the Great Salt Lake- really, with all of the smelters/ ore extraction companies it's not a shock.

What was fun about reading this since the relevant environmental destruction- and threat to bird habitat- makes me sad?
The sheer level of ignorance of some of the commenters. The hatred for Utah, a state that the vast majority of them have likely never set foot in. And while I admit that I often make fun of some of our cultural idiosyncrasies (and the theocratic red-stateness of the state as a whole), I've lived here for a decade and have earned that right. In my attempt to dispel a few Utah myths propagated by the HuffPo commenters, a group who I typically belive to be somewhat more enlightened than your average bear, here goes:

• Not everyone in Utah is Mormon, and moving here doesn't mean that I intend to leave my Methodist upbringing behind. Fact: Less than half of the population of Salt Lake City is active LDS.
  
• Polygamists are not Mormons. They're an offshoot of the church, but they don't represent the LDS church.
• Yes, buying a drink at a "bar" can be a major pain in the ass....but that has the potential to improve. Maybe.
  
• Rocky Anderson is not the only Democrat mayor SLC has ever had, he is simply the most nationally prominent. We have a long string of either non-partisan or Democrat mayors in our local history. We also regularly supply Democrats to the Utah House and Senate, as does Summit County/ Park City and Moab. And for the record, I'm registered as a Green here (yes, I'm a heretic).
  
• While the state powers that be tend to be not environmentally friendly, the Green movement is alive and well in Salt Lake and in Utah. I have far better experience with not needing to explain my canvas grocery bags here than I did living on the Gulf Coast. SUWA is an active and vital voice for our wilderness. And there are many, many people who moved here because of their passion for the outdoors.
  
• For a historical expansion on the above, please see any book by Wallace Stegner. Then pick up some Terry Tempest Williams for the more modern take.
  
• Yes, it's a little different here. But it's not bad different- just different. Everywhere has quirks. It's all about choosing the quirks you can live with.

Peace, out. I'm headed back to the Evil Empire for an admission, then I hope outdoors to watch the sunset over the above mentioned mercury containing lake.