** The West's drought emergency
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Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, has been losing water after years of drought in the Colorado River Basin | Michael Rosen, USGS ([link removed])

The Western United States is entering its 22nd year of a megadrought, with some Western leaders declaring states of emergency. The continued megadrought is a result of the rapidly changing climate ([link removed]) , driven by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Part of the problem is that unusual feedback loops are created as climate change drives the planet's systems further from their natural state.

The continued drought has driven depleted water resources across the West. Creeks and rivers in Colorado ([link removed]) are running low, while a new report in Arizona has found that groundwater systems are seriously over-allocated ([link removed]) , allowing for unsustainable pumping. The massive holding pools of Lake Mead ([link removed]) and Lake Powell
([link removed]) , which allowed human life to thrive in the desert for many years ([link removed]) , are already at critically low levels.

Even this year's higher-than-average snowpack in some parts of Colorado won't be enough to help: exceptionally dry soils from last year will absorb much of the melting snowpack, preventing runoff from entering river systems ([link removed]) . With less water in river systems, more soils dry out over the summer, creating a feedback loop of hot soils then evaporating water.

The drought is also tied to the West's devastating wildfire seasons. As climate change causes snow to melt earlier in the spring ([link removed]) , the landscape becomes drier and drier by late summer and early fall. This dry vegetation makes our forests ripe for fire, which we saw roar across the West last year. However, wildfires create yet another feedback loop: in recently-burnt areas, snow in following years becomes inundated with burnt carbon, which absorbs solar radiation ([link removed]) like a black t-shirt and melts the snow even more rapidly the following spring, contributing to a continued cycle of drought.

Drought has serious impacts on many communities in the West, including ranchers. Entering a drought season, many ranchers are faced with the tough decision ([link removed]) between selling off cattle that their fields can't sustain—but potentially flooding the market and getting a low price—or risk overgrazing and further drying out their land. One of the best solutions may be focusing on range restoration and enhancing biodiversity ([link removed]) . By restoring native, diverse, perennial grassland ecosystems, ranchers can create systems more resilient to climactic changes, while managing to avoid bare soil and
preventing overgrazing can help retain moisture in soils and vegetation.
Quick hits


** What to save? Climate change forces brutal choices at national parks
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New York Times ([link removed])


** White House brings back climate scientist forced out by Trump administration
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Reclaiming the genius of ancestors: For these students, helping solve Colorado's wildfire problem means studying indigenous traditions
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CPR News ([link removed])


** New Mexico senator pushes Interior to protect area around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from oil and gas
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NM Political Report ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Ancient Native Americans may have cultivated medicinal plants in Bears Ears, study finds
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Opinion: Implementing private conservation as part of America the Beautiful plan
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Critter atlas aims to conserve migration routes
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Missoulian ([link removed])


** Visiting Utah? Check out guides for southern Utah's darkest skies, exploring near national parks, and traveling mindfully
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Outside [Darkest skies] ([link removed]) | Outside [Explore] ([link removed]) | Outside [Mindful travel] ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We were probably always wrong to think about protected places as static."

—Dr. Miller-Rushing, ecologist and the science coordinator at Acadia National Park, New York Times ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Parenting 101: When the kids are noisy, feed them snacks. Barn swallows, like the ones seen here at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in #NewJersey ([link removed]) , are voracious insectivores. Photo by Christopher Borkowski ([link removed] ([link removed]) )

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