West's parks termed at risk

Report catalogs ills linked to continued warming of globe

Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Western national parks and their signature scenery and wildlife - from grizzly bears in Yellowstone to white-tailed ptarmigans at Rocky Mountain - are at grave risk from global climate change, said a report issued Tuesday by a Louisville-based group.

The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization outlined a litany of threats to 12 of the most popular national parks in the West, including the potential for stark changes to the postcard images of snow-capped peaks, expansive forests and colorful meadows of wildflowers.

The findings are contained in a 39-page report titled "Losing Ground: Western National Parks Threatened by Climate Disruption." The document pulls together dozens of studies from academics and government scientists outlining changes expected at the parks if heat-trapping gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere.

"Imagine Glacier National Park without glaciers and Yellowstone without grizzly bears," said Theo Spencer of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which teamed with the climate group to prepare the report. "Some species on the mountaintop will literally have no place to go if temperatures get too hot in the parks."

The potential impacts of climate change range from specific changes to ecosystems - such as forests overtaking alpine tundra in Rocky Mountain or Joshua trees disappearing from Joshua Tree National Park in California - to effects on visitors.

Some desert parks, such as the archaeological mecca of Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado or Zion National Park in Utah, could become too broiling hot to visit. At the same time, high-mountain parks in Colorado and the Pacific Northwest, could become overcrowded as people seek vacations in higher elevations to escape the lowland heat.

"The continued ability of Western national parks to bring enjoyment to people is at risk," Spencer said.

Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization - a group that includes nine local governments in the state as well as Denver Water - said the Western parks are particularly vulnerable. Scientists believe the western part of the country is warming faster than the eastern side, though the reasons for that aren't altogether clear, Saunders said.

"Never has there been a risk (to parks) comparable to this one," said Saunders, a deputy assistant secretary in the Interior Department under President Clinton. "This is another wake-up call for all of us, in government and out of government."

Rocky Mountain National Park, along with Yosemite and Grand Teton, had eight categories of risk tied to global warming.

Those included the loss of snowcapped peaks and snowfields, vegetation changes such as forests and grasslands moving up in elevation and threats to tundra-dependent species such as pikas and white-tailed ptarmigans. The latter species, scientists say, could disappear by mid-century if warming continues.

Rocky Mountain was also cited for an increased wildfire risk, loss of winter recreation as snowpack declines, overcrowding by those escaping hotter weather and threats to trout fisheries as stream temperatures rise. The authors also cited risks to Mesa Verde, including loss of historical and cultural artifacts tied to increased flooding, erosion, wildfire and changes in vegetation, including drought-connected loss of piñon pine forests.

Global warming even threatens grizzly bears in Yellowstone, the report said. The bears gorge on seeds from whitebark pines before winter hibernation. But the same pines are facing a new threat from beetles that are moving in from lower elevations and surviving through milder winters.

"These trees have not been able to develop a resistance to pine beetles," said Janet Barwick, a grizzly bear specialist with the NRDC. "And winters are not cold enough to kill the pine beetles."

High mountain wildflower meadows could also shrink, as such areas depend on lower temperatures, heavy snow cover in winter and a short growing season in summer to prevent tree seedlings from surviving, the report said.

Colorado's state climatologist, Nolan Doesken, was cautious about commenting on the report. He said Colorado's own climate data over the decades is sketchy about any clear warming trends, but that doesn't mean the potential troubles for national parks here and across the West shouldn't be taken seriously.

"There's always been reasons to kind of cool the jets of some of the real doomsayers, but there's also quite a pool of evidence to support some of their claims," Doesken said. "We've been having one hot summer after another, and one warm winter after another, and it's certainly getting my attention."

Plight of parks

A report by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, an activistgroup concerned about climate change, found that national parksin the West could experience significant ecological disruption ifglobal warming continues. According to the report:

• Glaciers in Glacier National Park could melt away by 2030. Other parks also are losing glaciers, including North Cascades National Park, which accounts for 60 percent of the land covered by glaciers in the lower 48 states.

• The majestic snow-covered peaks of Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Grand Teton, Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Yosemite national parks could be barren of snow in the summers, when most people visit the areas.

• Areas of alpine tundra, such as those along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, could shrivel or disappear. Along with the tundra, species that depend on the habitat and the short summers, such as pikas and white-tailed ptarmigans, are at risk. As mountaintop creatures, they have nowhere else to go.

• High temperatures and drought, both likely to increase with climate change, already are threatening the elimination of entire forests in Southwestern parks, such as Mesa Verde and Bandelier. The drought and heat put greater stress on the trees and leave them more vulnerable to invading beetles.

• Reduced snowfall and snowpack, earlier snowmelt and more drought could cut opportunities for rafting, kayaking and boating in Glen Canyon and Lake Mead national recreation areas. Rising stream temperatures also threaten cold-water trout fisheries in the West, including in Rocky Mountain National Park.

• To read the report go to www.rockymountainclimate.org/ website%20pictures/ Losing%20Ground.pdf

hartmant@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5048