Some of the many ways climate change is creating a "new normal" in America


** Welcome to the new normal
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Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

4th of July fireworks shows were canceled across the West ([link removed]) this year, one of the many ways climate change is creating a "new normal" in America. More than 150 fire scientists signed a letter ([link removed]) urging people to skip fireworks, citing unprecedented heat and wildfires burning across the region.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, people have started more than 370 wildfires in Utah ([link removed]) this year alone. A wildfire in Alaska ([link removed]) triggered an evacuation order for a hot springs resort on Monday, and even Hawaii is battling ([link removed]) a surge in wildfires.

Climate change is also driving changes at Yellowstone National Park, where a new assessment ([link removed]) found that temperatures are as high or higher than any time in the last 20,000 years, and likely the warmest in 800,000 years. The most severe warming in the park is happening above 5,000 feet in elevation. Below sea level, Death Valley National Park was nearly 8 degrees hotter than normal in June ([link removed]) , reporting an average temperature of 102.9 degrees, peaking at 128 degrees on June 17.

America's power grid is woefully unprepared for climate change. Kyri Baker, an engineering professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, told Recode ([link removed]) “I would probably give our power grid maybe a C minus. It’s like this perfect storm of extreme temperatures, more electricity consumption, and aging infrastructure.”


** How to handle the crowds
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As America's national parks overflow with visitors ([link removed]) , travelers are discovering nearby public lands, especially in places like Utah, where the Bureau of Land Management has taken on a larger role managing crowds. The St. George News profiles Allysia Angus ([link removed]) , one of just two landscape architects employed by the entire agency. Angus has spent more than 20 years based out of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, although she's worked on projects from Alaska to Oregon as well.

“First thing you do is listen,” Angus said of her work with local residents and visitors. “You try to understand. I would say it’s not that uncommon that our visitors and the local public actually share a lot of the same concerns. You have to acknowledge that making everyone ‘happy’ is impossible. We have to make decisions that are solid for the location and for the variety of people and critters that depend on it.”
Quick hits


** Calls for climate action build from New Mexico while awaiting federal oil and gas report
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** Right wing smears against Biden's BLM nominee don't reflect what happened 30 years ago
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Montana nonprofit caps methane-spewing oil wells as Biden pushes for long-term solutions
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Investigation into Indigenous boarding schools will change how America thinks about its past
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The Week ([link removed])


** Public employees’ group says BLM whistleblower is enduring ‘torture of the damned’
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** Ammon Bundy convicted of trespassing, takes land seizure campaign to Idaho
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Idaho Statesman ([link removed])


** Drought and climate change have changed the 4th of July in America
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Bloomberg ([link removed]) | Colorado Newsline ([link removed]) | ABC News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) [Opinion] | Salt Lake Magazine ([link removed])


** Five natural landscapes on our national monument wish list
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Sierra Magazine ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Things get full really, really fast. And that's where we're seeing a lot of struggles. Folks are new to this, this recreating on public lands, and they don't quite understand what that means ... it's not a hotel."
—Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt ([link removed])
Bureau of Land Management field manager, Moab
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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WOW! Now that's a gorgeous view to wake up to! 😍👍🏕️

Arizona's Vermillion Cliffs is a remote and unspoiled 280,000-acre geologic treasure with some of the most spectacular trails and views in the world. The monument contains many diverse landscapes, including the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon. 📸 @alicat_woof ([link removed]) .

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