Tag Archives: climate change

Park’s glaciers illustrate climate change impact

Environmental Issues, History, News, ,

The Flathead Beacon posted an interesting profile of the work of Dan Fagre, a USGS  research ecologist stationed at Glacier Park . . .

Twenty-two years ago, when Dan Fagre first walked up to the Grinnell Glacier, its icy mass towered overhead. Today, it’s about as high as his knees.

Grinnell is one of the few glaciers that still exists inside the 1 million acres of Glacier National Park. But just because Grinnell and the other glaciers find shelter inside the preserve doesn’t mean they are not endangered. In fact, due to rising temperatures, scientists believe the park’s namesake bodies of ice will be gone in a few decades. In 1850, it’s estimated that there were 150 glaciers inside the park; today there are just 25. Fagre, a research ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, says it is one of the most visual examples of climate change in the continental United States.

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Effects of climate change on Crown of the Continent uncertain

Environmental Issues, News,

A recent meeting of land managers along the Crown of the Continent discussed the uncertainties of dealing with the effects of climate change . . .

Glacier National Park’s superintendent once lost a glacier at another park he supervised, and he advises fellow land managers to get used to the feeling.

“You’d better develop your zest for ambiguity,” Jeff Mow told the 2014 Crown Managers Partnership Forum on Tuesday. “The problem with taking risks in the public sector is people just don’t know where they’re going.”

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Western wildlife officials want wolverine listing delayed

Environmental Issues, News, ,

There’s still resistance to listing the Wolverine as a threatened species . . .

An organization of wildlife officials for Western states is asking the federal government to delay a possible listing for wolverines as a threatened species, which could mean an end to trapping outside Alaska for the animal’s fur.

The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife objects to any listing based solely on fears climate change could shrink the wolverine’s wintry terrain along the spine of the Rocky Mountains and other Western ranges.

“Climate change models are not a reason to list species under the Endangered Species Act,” Bill Bates, a representative from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, told The Salt Lake Tribune.

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USDA report says warming to bring more changes to national forests

Environmental Issues, News, ,

At first glance, this appears to be a fairly routine write-up about a recently released USDA report on the forecast impact of climate change on forest lands. However, it appears there is disagreement in some quarters with a number of details . . .

Big changes are in store for the nation’s forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns in a report released Tuesday.

The compilation of more than 1,000 scientific studies is part of the National Climate Assessment and will serve as a roadmap for managing national forests across the country in coming years.

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It’s official: Feds want wolverines on Endangered Species List

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

As expected, the federal government will propose giving wolverines Endangered Species Act protection today. The recommendation includes a proposal to reintroduce wolverines into Colorado and, of course, would permanently ban trapping and hunting of wolverines in the lower 48 states . . .

The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the “mountain devil,” is being added to the list of species threatened by climate change — a dubious distinction that puts it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals that could see their habitats shrink drastically due to warming temperatures.

Federal wildlife officials on Friday will propose Endangered Species Act protections for the wolverine in the lower 48 states, a step twice denied under the Bush administration.

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Glacier Park stonefly could be first species put on endangered list due to climate change

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Glacier Park’s meltwater stonefly is a candidate species for addition to the endangered species list . . .

An obscure aquatic insect found exclusively in the high alpine streams of Glacier National Park will remain a high-priority candidate for endangered species protection because it is at risk of extinction due to climate change, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week.

The rare stonefly, called Lednia tumana, has narrow temperature requirements and lives only in cold-water streams fed by Glacier Park’s melting glaciers and snowfields – a mountain ecosystem rapidly disappearing due to global warming. It was included on the most recent list of 192 candidate species eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act. However, it did not receive emergency listing for protection.

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Earth Day: Glacier Park embracing green initiative

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Glacier National Park is a climate change poster child . . .

Against the backdrop of a warming world, Glacier National Park and its waning namesakes have for years stood out as one of the most tangible manifestations of climate change.

And because the park’s administrative brass consistently marches at the vanguard of research, education and climate-friendly initiatives, Glacier Park has assumed a dual role, serving both as a poster child for the perils of global warming and a trailblazer in the efforts to mitigate its effects.

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Bugs, fire, politics to transform western Montana forests

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Here’s a pretty good discussion of the impacts on Montana’s forests over the next 50 years or so. Interestingly, some of the changes may actually restore earlier, healthier conditions . . .

Three things will combine to radically transform Montana forests in the next 50 years: bugs, fire and politics.

Mountain pine beetles have killed millions of acres of lodgepole pine trees. Those dead stands, combined with a progressively drier climate, will likely burn in wilder, more intense fashion. The biological aftermath should bring a wider mix of tree species, open areas and wildlife habitat, according to new computer models.

How humans tinker with that progression remains a wildcard…

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Glacier Park’s climate a paradox – both wetter and drier

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Here’s an interesting article from the Hungry Horse News on the shifting climate in Glacier National Park . . .

Precipitation in Glacier National Park over the past few decades is up about 14 percent, but the Park is actually drier in many respects, with streams hitting low flows earlier than usual and wildfires occurring more frequently.

How can that be? Trees, U.S. Geological Survey scientist Dan Fagre explained at a recent talk in Apgar. While the Park may be wetter, it’s also warmer. And with warmth, there’s been less snow on average than in the past, he said.

With less snow, the treeline in Glacier Park has slowly but surely moved higher in elevation. And with more trees growing in the Park, there is more evapotranspiration, Fagre said. The trees draw water out of the ground and release it into the atmosphere, creating drier conditions, particularly in late July and August.

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Some of last winter’s snow persists in Glacier and other parts of Rockies

Environmental Issues, News, ,

From today’s Missoulian . . .

Scientists who monitor the effects of global warming are watching glaciers shrink all over the world, but this year could be an exception in parts of the Rocky Mountains.

Snow is already piling up in the high country, but not all of the unusually deep snow from last winter has melted. As a result, some glaciers and snowfields are actually gaining volume this year.

Scientists have measured new ice in Glacier National Park and atop Colorado’s Front Range mountains. In northwest Wyoming, there is photographic evidence of snowfield growth…

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