A proposed sale of hundreds of acres of wetlands near the Great Salt Lake that have been largely untouched by humans for decades is now facing some pushback from bird enthusiasts who would like to see it stay that way. The 950 acres of land, owned by Salt Lake City International Airport, is slated to be purchased by Utah’s Department of Natural Resources. Inside the parcel is a mitigation area that was set aside in the 1990s when the airport built a runway. Since then, the airport has done some minimal work to battle the invasive plant phragmites and keep birds from encroaching upon the airport and, after being approached by the state, considered a sale. … The plan is to fold the land into a larger waterfowl management area.