The Green Hiker

With the recent release of global warming reports …. and the intensifying debate on human inputs and individual hubris …. it’s time once again to visit how the ever-changing climate affects our beautiful National Parks .

Here are ten climate change reports that touch the U.S. National Park system.

Climate Change 101: State Parks Adopts Sustainability Blueprint

A critical component is the goal to eliminate pesticides from parks, especially areas frequented by children, such as beaches, playgrounds, picnic areas, ball fields, campgrounds, and hiking trails. The plan acknowledges areas for which …

Climate change discussion brought to Joshua Tree National Park …

A federal spotlight was on Joshua Tree National Park this week during a congressional subcommittee hearing to discuss how climate change is affecting the country’s parks. Eight parks, conservation and wildlife experts testified at the three -hour … A 2006 Outdoor Industry Association study said that outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and wildlife watching annually contribute $730 billion to the U.S. economy. The most passionate testimony, however, focused on what is …

How climate change may be threatening national parks

Global climate change is “the single greatest threat to the health of our national parks,” says Michael Cipra, California desert program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association. In the case of the Joshua Tree National …

Heatstroke — Hot Topic

Many scales of climate change have occurred, from slow tectonic to the fast changes embedded within glacial and inter-glacial times. Why should an ecologist worry about today’s global warming which is just one more scale? … Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, Kruger Park in Africa and Tambopata Nature Reserve in Peru, are among places Barnosky selects for closer attention. Small mammal species in Yosemite have changed how they live in the park, …

Is There A New Dawn For the National Park Service? | National …

A massive influx of dollars is heading towards the National Park System, part due to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, some proposed within the Obama administration’s Fiscal 2010 budget proposal. It certainly is a change from …

Of Gray Whales, National Parks, and Climate Change | National …

Migrating gray whales are a common sight in the near-shore waters of the Pacific Coast, and two of the region’s national parks are whale watching hot spots. Now the timing of the gray whale migrations has shifted perceptibly, fewer whales …

Tree-Ring Lab Director Testifies on Impacts of Climate Change on …

“Much of what we have learned about he effects of past and recent climate variations and change on ecosystems has come from studies conducted within the national parks and national forests. In the future, we need to continue and expand …

Are Yellowstone National Park’s Grizzlies Changing Denning Habits …

Are grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park altering their long winter’s slumber due to a changing climate? Federal wildlife biologists think so, and want to take a closer look into this possibility.

AP Interview: New Forest Service chief vows quick spending on …

Tidwell said he will continue many of the policies of his predecessor, Gail Kimbell, including a focus on fighting climate change and reaching out to children to make them more aware of and comfortable with national forests. …. YORK — Tourists in New York can expect to see some construction projects at national monuments in the coming months. The National Park Service said Wednesday that more than $37 million in federal economic stimulus money will be spent on repairs. …

Climate change comes to our National Parks

The problems (frequent 100-year storms, closed roads, vanishing glaciers) are straining the systems. Some conferences begin to grapple with the immense consequences and trade-offs.

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Are you a dedicated green hiker or backpacker looking for additional eco-friendly info and insights?

One place to start is Backpacker Magazine’s Green Guide. This compilation places a link list under three categories:  Featured Stories, Nature, and Gear.

So … here comes Super Poison Ivy? (Under the “Nature” category.)

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Hiking trails and all our outdoor resources are impacted by decisions made in response to climate change. An occasional topic post, today’s installment peeks at the eco-friendly (or not) happenings in New Hampshire.

The next three excerpts present opposing reactions to Gov. Lynch’s Climate Change Task Force:

• Observed Climate Change in New Hampshire …. In December 2007, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed an Executive Order calling for the establishment of a “Task Force…

• The green police state coming to New Hampshire …. John Lynch created the New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force to work in conjunction with DES to develop policy options designed to address global warming. The DES, in turn, hired a global warming alarmist group called Carbon …

• Global warming deniers aim to hold New Hampshire back …. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has struck a climate change task force to craft an action plan with the goal of finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are good for the state’s economy. Great news for New Hampshire, …

Yes, New Hampshire does have an ocean coast line:

• Project to Help NH Coastal Communities Adapt to Climate Change …. New Hampshire Estuaries Project launches program the help coastal communities adapt to climate change.

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Newsletter …. A useful resource

Please comment if you have any climate change insights from a New Hampshire point of view.

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Hiking trails and our backpacking experiences may be severely impacted by decisions made in response to climate change. In this occasional series, we’ll peek at the eco-friendly (or not) happenings in each state. Today:  Wyoming.

Living Within Your Climate

Since then, I saw people in South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California all trying to grow the same grass lawns that people try to grow in Minnesota. Those grasses don’t grow well in Minnesota without significant watering, …

Wyoming Solves Climate Change With Coal. Wait, what?

A team of researchers from the University of Wyoming says they’ve created a carbon capture device capable of trapping 90% of CO2 at low cost. Traditional attempts to suck CO2 out of emissions are expensive due to the cost of materials …

Wyoming Considers Climate Change

More than 130 biologists, scientists, policy-makers, sportsmen and members of the media came together in Cheyenne on Monday, June 16 to learn more about climate change and how it could potentially affect Wyoming’s resources. …

USGS study tracks climate change’s effects on wildlife in Wyoming

A two-year US Geological Survey will use satellite imagery and information obtained from scientists’ field operations in Wyoming to track what effect, if any, climate change is having on elk, moose, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. …

Climate Change Effects on Wyoming Rangeland Part of Cheyenne Symposium

8, 2008 — How climate change may affect rangelands and the scientific background for making management decisions for the long-term sustainability of grazing systems will be presented during a September symposium in Cheyenne.

Wyoming has the right to preserve special places

Casper Star-Tribune: As gasoline prices continue to rise, Americans are changing their opinions about how to solve the current energy crisis. A Pew Research Center report in February found that 35 percent of the public wanted to expand …

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