# Effects of Global Warming on Western Wildlife-- NWF



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\ZC7ZC78C\Western Wildlife and Global Warming - National Wildlife Federation.htm

The Effects of Global Warming on Western Wildlife

In October 2006, NWF published a report entitled Fueling the Fire: Global Warming, Fossil Fuels and the Fish and Wildlife of the American West. (PDF, 1.4 MB) This report pulls together the latest scientific research about global warming impacts in the West and provides both personal and national policy solutions to combat this urgent crisis.

Major Threats to Western Wildlife

The report identifies global warming as the primary cause of the following threats to western wildlife:

Reduced snowpack - Global warming will cause a dramatic reduction in snowpack in some areas, placing considerable strain on the region's water supply. Mountains in the Pacific Northwest are projected to lose as much as 88 percent of average snowpack by 2090; the Central Rocky Mountains could lose up to 75 percent; and parts of the Southern Rockies and the Sierra Nevada range could lose 98-100 percent.

Heat waves - The past nine years (1997-2005) were the warmest years on record, and scientists project that heat waves will become more intense, more frequent and longer lasting during this century if global warming continues unabated.

Drought - The current drought plaguing the West is the worst in 500 years and has drastically reduced available water resources for people and wildlife alike.

Invasive species & diseases - If warming trends continue as projected, forest die-offs due to pine bark beetles and other pests are expected to become even worse than the recent devastating epidemics.

Wildfires - Warmer, drier conditions due to global warming have caused a four-fold increase in the number of major wildfires in western forests and a six-fold increase in the area of forest burned since the mid-1980s. Scientists predict that the overall area of acreage burned by wildfires will double in size across 11 western states between 2070-2100. States hit particularly hard include Montana, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.

Declining sagebrush habitats - Big sagebrush habitats throughout the western U.S. could decline by 59 percent before the end of this century, which would have devastating consequences for sage grouse, mule deer, pronghorn and other species that depend on them.

Higher stream temperatures - This would significantly reduce viable habitat for trout, salmon and other cold-water fish across the West. The Rocky Mountain region alone could see the area of suitable habitat for cold-water fish decline by 50 percent if average July temperatures rise 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Reduced wetlands - This includes areas that provide critical breeding and wintering habitat for waterfowl. The Prairie Pothole Region could see as much as a 91-percent reduction in prairie pothole wetlands by the 2080s, resulting in up to 69-percent reduction in the abundance of ducks breeding there.

Special threats for species who live at high elevations - They have limited space available to find new habitats as higher average temperatures push them farther up in the mountains. Wildlife species at risk include mountain goats, bighorn sheep and ptarmigan.

Extinction - There is growing concern that the accelerating pace of change will put alarming numbers of species on the path to extinction. Global warming is projected to reduce boreal habitat in all of the mountain ranges of the Great Basin region, contributing to a 44-percent loss of mammal species, a 23-percent loss of butterfly species, a 30-percent loss of perennial grasses and forbs and a 17 percent loss of shrub species. 
Drilling the Last Best Places

America's over-dependence on fossil fuels has also had a direct impact on the western landscape. Rising demand for domestically produced oil and gas has led to the expansion of energy development into pristine public lands throughout the Rocky Mountain region, destroying unique and important habitats for fish and wildlife. There are currently more than 850,000 oil and gas wells strewn across the 33 states, mostly in the West (including Alaska), with proposals to drill countless more waiting in the wings.

A Plan of Action

Fortunately, solutions are at hand. Effective and affordable technologies are available that can significantly reduce global warming emmissions. Congress must act quickly to implement a national strategy to combat global warming. A meaningful strategy should include the following actions:

Place significant, mandatory limits on U.S. global warming pollution.

Reduce the nation's overall dependence on fossil fuels through greater investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Implement strategies to help wildlife survive the effects of global warming that are already underway.

Promote strong wildlife stewardship as an important part of a new energy future. 
You can take action against global warming by contacting your Senator or Representative today and urging him or her to support legislation to combat global warming.

Fueling the Fire also lists a number of things that people can do at home and in their community to reduce energy demand and combat global warming. You can find these tips and more in our Cool It!™ section.

A summary of what states are doing to confront global warming (PDF, 216 kb) 
Global Warming in your State - Fact sheets on the effects of global warming in each state 
More about Congress and Global Warming


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Just heard on the evening news that England is having it's warmest winter in 347 years. That ought to polish the ice cap.


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Dick,

Interesting info. Thanks for posting it.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

http://www.clearlight.com/~mhieb/WVFoss ... _ages.html

Dick, heres some opposing viewpoints by some pretty well credentialed (sp?) folks.

I am all for changing our energy source but why do the same people that claim the global warming is man made fight against nuclear power when thats a technology that currently exists and would solve most of the greenhouse gases?

I think global warming is a political ajenda not a real issue that we have any control over, its a long term natural cycle.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

The national news services just ran a story last night that the Bush administration may be moving polar bears to the threatened list. The administration said they feared the polar ice cap would be melted in forty years at the rate it is disappearing.  No more Santa Claus.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

> No more Santa Claus.


I wouldn't worry about that Dick. My wife and I seen him in Venezuela, and he looked like he was doing ok in red shorts, muscle shirt and hat.


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## BigDaddy (Mar 4, 2002)

There is a message string on the Politics board on the subject of global warming: http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33658

Not to sink Bobm's balloon, but several reputable groups are on record with the position that global warming is real and due to human involvement. These include the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Panel on Climate Change.

Global warming is real, and I am absolutely flabbergasted by those that claim it is a myth conjured up by liberal environmentalists.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Your not sinking my balloon but once again you are are insinuating a falsehood.

I never said global warming isn't real, I clearly stated I think it is real but not human caused.

I also clearly stated I believe its a natural cycle thats happend before, and has nothing to do with humans one way or the other.

And there are many many more big time climeatologists and scientists that agree with that position.

I posted specific references to their position.

Why don't you or anyone else answer my question about nuclear power and the fact that the same groups that claim we cause greenhouse gas related global warming are the ones that oppose nuclear power which would eliminate most greenhouse gases?

Human caused global warmimg is a left wing agenda, unsupportable with science.


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## BigDaddy (Mar 4, 2002)

Bob,

My reply can be found on the Politics board. No need to carry on a conversation in two locations.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

BD so you admit its politics not science :wink:


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

I think all reputable scientists agree that the earth is warming and has been for a long time. Also that it is now warming at an unprecidented rate. What the argument is, as Bobm pointed out, what's causing it? Natural, Man made, or a combination of both?
The C02/greenhouse/man produced theory is at present an unproven theory, and can't be proven or disproven probably for a few hundred years in the future, at least. Probably not in our lifetimes.
But in my lowly opinion, we are much smarter to perhaps overreact and change most of the things that at least theoretically could be contributing to the temperature increase. Anti pollution research, less wasting of our resources, better technology research, world population control, smaller vehicles, smaller houses to heat and cool, and on and on. 
If we wait for a few hundred years until the theory is PROVEN or DISPROVEN, it could be too late make a significant change in the outcome. What's wrong with world environmental changes starting right now, even if the theory ultimately in a few centuries proves to be untrue?


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## heelerman (May 22, 2008)

Greetings from "The Beautiful land of entrapment" N.M.
This whole global warming flap is a crock. It is a shame that the alarmists and agenda driven politicos need be so disingenuous. Lets just call it what it is. Climate change. Climate change IS taking place as it always has. It is cyclical.
Now, the results may be not so good for the human specie. So what? Every life form on the planet has a life span. Dont' see many Cave Sloths or Saber Tooth Cats around do ya? We humans are no diffrent. We will make the genetic and evolutionary changes to adapt, or we will fade away. In either event, the planet will be just fine. The Earth has Eons to heal herself.
All one need do to see the whole "Global Warming" frenzy for what it is, is to follow the money. Money can also be used as another way to say "control".
Start with the fact that 1700 scientists, from NASA, the NWS and others have signed a petition calling for an open debate on the issue, and that Al Gore and his bunch dont' care to do it.
Also, remember that the self same groups that are now telling us that global warming will wipe us out, are the same ones that told us we were all in for a new ice age back in the 70s. They were wrong then too.
And how, do tell me, can all of these learned men forcast with even a small degree of accuracy the weather patterns fifty years down the road , when we have trouble getting it right five days out?
Who then is to benifit from all this Global warming BS? Follow the money!
I could rewrite what has already been written. But I have stuff to do.
So I will simply point you to rangemagazine.com Once there look under "Special Reports" and read the three part article by M. Coffman Phd. Called "The Greening of America" and then read "Natures Landlords" by Tim Findley.
A hint here, Al Gore gets a fair bit of the money.......
It is a shame that Sportsmen. People that supposedly spend time in the woods, are actually cheerfully funding this crap! By donating to groups like The Nature conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Greenpeace and the rest. They are speeding thier own demise.


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## rberglof (May 17, 2007)

Not to hard to find opposing view to global warming.

South African Professor says 'man-made global warming is not real' 11 Jun 08 - Professor Dr. William J.R. Alexander, Emeritus of the Department of Civil and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, says that climate change is simply caused by natural climatic variability.
See South African Professor says 'man-made global warming is not real'
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Army: Sun, Not Man, Causing Climate Change
3 June 08 - "Changes in the earth's average surface temperature
are directly linked to ... the short-term statistical fluctuations in the
Sun's irradiance and the longer-term solar cycles."
See Army says Sun Causing Climate Change
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Sacrifices to the Climate Gods
Great article by Roy Spencer
29 May 08 - "Although we shudder at the thought of such barbaric
practices, I believe that we have unwittingly reinstituted human sacrifice in modern times. But while the list of justifications has grown immensely, our new rituals are still performed in the name of avoiding the wrath of the gods of nature."
See Sacrifices to the Climate Gods
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.31,000 + scientists dispute UN's global warming claims!19 May 08 - It is evident that 31,072 Americans with university degrees in science - including 9,021 PhDs, are not "a few."See 31,000 scientists dispute global warming claims
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A top scientist from the Philippines publicly dissents
Joins the 31,000 plus just announced 
19 May 08 - Dissent Grows Louder: Award-winning scientist from Philippines raps Gore, dismisses climate fear as 'hyped up'
See Top scientist from the Philippines publicly dissents
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Famed Hurricane Forecaster Predicts Global Cooling in 10 Years - Prominent hurricane forecaster Dr. William M. Gray told the audience at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change in New York that a natural period of cooling would begin within 10 years.
See Hurricane Forecaster Predicts Global Cooling
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New Jason satellite indicates 23-year global cooling
(The sun, not CO2, controls the earth's temperatures)
5 May 08 - "The new Jason oceanographic satellite shows that the
Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has turned into its cool phase, telling us to expect moderately lower global temperatures until 2030 or so.
See Jason satellite indicates global cooling
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. 
Meteorologist Takes Down Newsweek science writer for Shoddy Climate Reporting
(By Chief Meteorologist Craig James, of a Michigan NBC TV affiliate)
Was she out of the country this winter? Snow depth comparisons from the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center in Seattle, Washington [show] that this year's snow pack in the Northwest was between 133% and 330% above normal. In many locations in the central Rockies, the midwest and northern New England, the highest snowfall amounts of any year were recorded.
See Meteorologist Takes Down Newsweek science writer
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NASA Says Climate Shifting to Cooler Temperatures
(This is a major admission by NASA)
1 May 08 - "The allegedly warming earth is in for about 30 years of cooling according to NASA, one of the leading global warming theory advocates.
See NASA Says Climate Shifting to Cooler Temperatures
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Geophysicist: Sorry to ruin the fun, but an ice age cometh
23 Apr 08 - The first sunspot appeared in January this year and 
lasted only two days. A tiny spot appeared last Monday but vanished within 24 hours. Another little spot appeared this Monday. Pray that there will be many more, and soon. 
See Geophysicist: Sorry to ruin the fun, but an ice age cometh
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The Coming of a New Ice Age
21 Feb 08 - By Gerald E. Marsh 
Yet another dissenter of the church of global warming. 
If ever there was a consensus, it is about the next ice age!!
See The Coming of a New Ice Age
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Bombshell Letter to the UN
14 April 08 - The UN's Climate Committee leadership and policies were today challenged by four scientists, including one Nobel Peace Prize winner, from around the world to admit that CO2 does not drive the climate, and to renounce the theory and associated 'devastating policies' which are weakening the world economy and increasing food shortages and destruction of forest across the planet.
See Scientists call on UN to renounce Global Warming claims
. 
Last I heard I believe Al Gore has made somewhere in the neighbor hood of 11 million dollars on "Global warming".

Ice between Canada and SW Greenland: highest level in 15 years.
16 02 2008

feb08_artic_ice
As yet another indicator of the impact January 2008 has had on the Northern Hemisphere, we find this story from Greenland's Sermitsiaq News:

Minus 30 degrees Celsius. That's how cold it's been in large parts of western Greenland where the population has been bundling up in hats and scarves. At the same time, Denmark's Meteorological Institute states that the ice between Canada and southwest Greenland right now has reached its greatest extent in 15 years.

'Satellite pictures show that the ice expansion has extended farther south this year. In fact, it's a bit past the Nuuk area. We have to go back 15 years to find ice expansion so far south. On the eastern coast it hasn't been colder than normal, but there has been a good amount of snow.'

And on the front page, a story about that other "indicator of climate", the polar bear:

More polar bears seen at Sisimiut

Apparently, they don't have the same affinity for them as some others do.


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