Oregon and Climate Change
By 
One of the many awesome features of Oregon is that you can ski in the summer on Mt. Hood. Not that I am a skier personally, but for those who are, this is an unusual feature of the state. But this summer has seen the combination of a severe drought (which is rare but historically possible) with skyrocketing temperatures now going back for years (which is about long-term climate change). This has had a major effect on that summer ski season, which, because of its public nature, can serve as a warning signal for the region.
Oregon has more mountain ice than most (it’s second only to Alaska), but experts say the region’s disappearing summer skiing and shrinking snowpack are leading indicators that major climate shifts are happening. “It’s not just about skiing, but it is this canary in the coal mine — it’s really, really visible,” Anne Nolin, professor of geography and head of the mountain hydro- climatology research group at Oregon State University, says. “When things go from bright white, glittering snowpack to brown dirt and flaming forests, everyone sees it.”
With the smaller snowpack, Nolin and a team of OSU researchers took streamflow measurements this summer that were the lowest they’ve ever seen. That has a ripple effect beyond the ski area. When less meltwater flows into the streams, economies that depend on summer recreation suffer, too. This season, rafting companies experienced some of the fewest viable days for kayaking and rafting on the nearby Deschutes River. “Our society tends to ignore the fact that rural communities depend on what others might consider an elitist sport,” Nolin says. “I’m concerned about the loss of income to rural communities that depend on summer and winter recreation — everyone hurt financially this year.”
Those economic impacts are real. Oregon in 2015 is not Oregon in 1985. The timber jobs are gone and for many small communities, tourism is the lifeline. With the huge forest fires affecting the region this year and the never-ending above average temperatures, the future of outdoor recreation, water supplies, and economic sustainability in much of the Northwest is in question. That’s scary.