| Sometimes it’s hard for us to relate to the global aspects of climate change. Stories of melting Arctic ice caps and rising sea levels in the South Pacific can seem awfully far away and abstract.
But two new reports on the looming troubles for trout in the interior West bring the issue of global warming very close to home, highlighting the significant changes already under way in this region. These reports will provide the starting point for discussion of policy responses at the Headwaters Summit, a strategy session in Missoula, Mont., on Sept. 15-17, 2008.
The first report, “Low Flows, Hot Trout,” deals with the Clark Fork River basin and was prepared by the Clark Fork Coalition in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation. It contains compelling stories from individuals living, working and recreating in the river basin, describing how changes in snowpack, runoff and stream temperatures will limit their economic, recreational and other opportunities.
The second, “Trout in Trouble,” covers some of the same likely impacts over the larger western landscape, including focused sections on individual river basins at high risk for losing coldwater fish habitat. The report comes from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Montana Trout Unlimited.
Both reports highlight the vulnerability of headwaters streams, where small changes in flows and flow patterns can have dramatic impacts on the fish, wildlife and plant species dependent on them. While much attention has focused on large mainstem rivers in this region, policy responses to climate change will increasingly need to look upstream to the tributaries, and to the land and water management practices that impact these critical waterways.
Policy reform recommendations outlined in these reports range from mitigation measures to reduce climate change impacts to specific adaptation measures to ensure that the impacts already underway are addressed through smart growth management and better use of existing water supplies. They also suggest measures anglers can take to help coldwater fisheries in their own backyard.
These reports join a chorus of other calls for action. The widely reported 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described in detail the scientific consensus on worldwide changes.
Early this year, the Natural Resources Defense Council issued an excellent summary of the IPCC’s findings as they relate to the western United States, “Hotter and Drier.”
And, just last month, the National Council of State Legislatures released several reports outlining the economic and environmental costs of climate change, including analyses of impacts on Colorado and Nevada.
Even as we celebrate this year’s abundant snowpack and (so far) mild fire season in the Northern Rockies, we must pay attention to the longer-term trends and take account of the impacts already observed in our region. As so ably reported in the publications listed here and many others, we can expect significant alterations in the kind of precipitation (rain vs. snow), the timing of runoff, and the temperatures we experience in coming decades—even if all the recommended mitigation measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Westerners from all walks of life are becoming increasingly engaged with the looming problems associated with climate change, and a gathering in Missoula, Mont., this fall will use both of these reports as a starting point to talk about priorities for taking the next steps in addressing climate change impacts on Northern Rockies headwaters streams and the communities who depend upon them.
The Headwaters Summit on Sept. 15-17 will explore opportunities for partnerships and action on this critical issue. This action-oriented workshop will focus on effective public outreach, community engagement and specific policy responses in the upcoming legislative sessions. Legislators, river advocates, and water user organizations are all strongly encouraged to attend. Organizers include Western Progress, Clark Fork Coalition, and the National Wildlife Federation.
Leading off the Summit will be a keynote address by David James Duncan, a father, a fly fisher, a practitioner of what he calls "direct, small-scale compassion/activism," and the author of the novels The River Why and The Brothers K, the story collection River Teeth, and the nonfiction collections My Story as Told by Water and God Laughs & Plays. His keynote address, titled “Being Cool: The new key to a compassionate daily life,” will take place in the University Center Theater at the University of Montana at 7:00 pm on Monday, Sept. 15.
The keynote address is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required for the strategy workshop that will follow all day on Sept. 16 and through noon on Sept. 17. Registration and agenda details are available at www.northernheadwaters.org. An early registration discount is available to those who sign up by Sept. 2.
Sarah Bates is the deputy director for policy and outreach at Western Progress [www.westernprogress.org], a nonpartisan regional policy institute dedicated to advancing progressive policy solutions for the Rocky Mountain West, and one of the three partner organizations hosting the Headwaters Summit.
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