ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Low Flows, Hot Trout

Climate Change Threatens Rocky Mountain Headwater Streams

The photo is striking: A very sad looking West Slope cutthroat trout navigates the low waters of the Blackfoot River in the blistering hot summer of 2007. In recognition of the stress this meant for coldwater fish, Montana fisheries managers closed the renowned waters of the Blackfoot River for much of the summer. Anglers and boaters had pretty glum faces as well.

This year, after a late snowpack and cooler temperatures that delayed the annual melt, Rocky Mountain rivers are flowing a little higher and cooler than last year, so perhaps the trout are a little more cheerful. But anyone following the growing scientific consensus on climate change impacts on western rivers has to be concerned that the long-term trends are not good for western trout and the coldwater rivers that sustain them. (See the sidebar for a summary of projected impacts.)

Two reports released last week highlight significant changes already underway in this region. The first, “Low Flows, Hot Trout,” focuses on the Clark Fork River basin, of which the Blackfoot is an important tributary. Produced by the Missoula-based Clark Fork Coalition in partnership with National Wildlife Federation, this report features compelling stories from individuals living and working in the river basin, describing how changes in snowpack, runoff, and stream temperatures will limit their economic, recreational, and other opportunities. “Low Flows, Hot Trout” was featured in a recent column in the Rocky Mountain West’s leading online news source, Headwaters News.

The second report, “Trout in Trouble,” emerged from a partnership between the Natural Resources Defense Council and Montana Trout Unlimited. It describes similar impacts throughout the interior West, and suggests both policy reform and specific steps anglers can take to reduce their impacts on coldwater fish.

These publications are significant for their approach as well as for their important messages. Most commonly, conservation groups present the threats of climate change with a wide angle of reference. We often hear how difficult it is to project impacts on the finer scales necessary to know the specific changes coming in any given river basin. Unfortunately, when the impacts come across as global or continental in scale, individuals may have trouble relating to what it means for them or the lands and waters they know and enjoy. It is easy to be paralyzed by inaction when the problem seems too big to tackle, or when one’s own role in responding appears insignificant.

For the past year or so I’ve been participating in a collaborative group called Carpe Diem: Western Water and Climate Change, which has explored both policy options and messaging opportunities to bridge scientific knowledge and political responses. In our regional gatherings in Seattle and Albuquerque, we were impressed with the value of local knowledge, the power of storytelling, and the need to combine both to compel effective action.

These two new reports address this need, in complementary and mutually reinforcing ways. “Low Flows, Hot Trout” introduces us to the people who live in one western watershed and illustrates their connection to high-quality, living rivers. While acknowledging the uncertainties of regional climate change science, it makes a strong case for acting now on what we do know and what we can observe. Similarly, “Trout in Trouble” takes the compelling message about climate change impacts and western water presented in last year’s “In Hot Water” and applies it to specific western rivers, looking at innovative measures to save and restore trout habitats in a warming, drying region.

In short, this is the kind of information we need—straightforward, factual, and identified with known people and places—in order to build a constituency for action on climate change.

But, although reports such as these are critical steps in sparking citizens to demand policy change, we also need to be talking with our political leaders about the necessary next steps. Thus, it is encouraging that advocates and policy makers will gather this fall at a results-oriented workshop on water and climate change in the northern Rockies states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The Headwaters Summit, which will take place in Missoula, Mont. on Sept. 15-17, will address opportunities for outreach, incentives, and policy change. Participants will share strategies, resources, and discuss possible partnerships to deal with shared challenges.

Even if all the recommended mitigation measures are implemented immediately to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the changes already underway will continue to impact water-challenged western states. So, while taking every possible step to reverse climate change, the time is ripe to look at changes in water and land use policies and management practices to deal with both the impacts that will come and those already underway. We owe it to the frowning trout in the Blackfoot River, and we owe it to future generations who deserve healthy, flowing rivers for centuries to come.

Sarah Bates is the deputy director for policy and outreach at Western Progress, a nonpartisan regional policy institute dedicated to advancing progressive policy solutions for the Rocky Mountain West. She also serves on the board of the Clark Fork Coalition. Western Progress, Clark Fork Coalition, and National Wildlife Federation are jointly organizing the Headwaters Summit referenced here.

Tags: environment, water

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