Join Now
Home Climate Action
Climate Action in the Clark Fork Print E-mail

The impacts of climate change are clearly visible in the Clark Fork watershed.  In the last decade, we have witnessed drought, extreme wildfire seasons, declining snowpack, early runoff, and dramatic shrinkage of glaciers.  Yet we don't fully know what to expect from this warming in the watershed.  Our Climate Action in the Clark Fork program seeks to explore the range of variables for rivers and communities in the Clark Fork watershed within the next 25-50 years.

In 2008 and 2009, western Montana got a nice reprieve from the hot, low river flows of the first half of this decade.  Does this mean that the whole global warming thing is baloney?  Definitely not.  Read why in this NASA study by David Easterling and Michael Wehner titled, "Is the Climate Warming or Cooling?"  Unfortunately, short-term cooling trends do not imply that the world is no longer warming.  Read a summary of the report.

Image

 Reports and Research: 'Low Flows, Hot Trout': Our recent climate change report focuses on what we know now, what we might see in 50 years, and what we can do to protect rivers and streams today.  Our report is now its own "micro-website," and is a central resource that provides local and state policymakers as well as community leaders with tools for adapting to the effects of climate change.

office

 Environmenal and Social Sustainability Practices: At the Clark Fork Coalition, we follow numerous organizational practices to reduce our carbon footprint.

Image

 Conferences and Forums: At the recent Headwaters Summit, we initiaited regional, basin-wide discussion regarding the impacts of climate change, what actions we might take, and what options we have from here.  View the Headwaters Summit report.

 

Conferences and Forums: Based on our climate change research and our understanding of possible impacts on the Clark Fork watershed, we are implementing watershed-wide discussion about how best to help our rivers and streams buffer the impacts of global warming.  In September 2008, we co-hosted a regional Headwaters Summit to re-vision how we use water in the changing climate of the northern Rockies.  Visit the Headwaters Summit conference website or download the report.

Read about specific tools regarding water and energy use that can help the basin's communities adapt to climate change:

Water Efficiency Ideas

Using "Grey Water" in Montana

Montana Audubon - Take Global Action

Montana Climate Action Project

Calculate your individual or your business' "Water Footprint"

Other Climate Change Resources:

Trout in Trouble: This publication from Montana Trout Unlimited and NRDC examines the impact of global warming on trout in the Interior West.

The Montana Climate Action Project: A collaboration of partners in Montana working to find solutions, create opportunities, and empower people around the issue of climate change.

Montana Climate Change Advisory Committee: Recognizing the profound implications that global warming and climate variation could have on the economy, environment and quality of life in Montana, the Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) was established with the aim of formulating recommendations for specific actions for reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions.

Montana DEQ: Climate Change in Montana: Learn how key sectors of the Montana economy may be affected by a changing climate including: agriculture, transportation, tourism, and energy supply. The site also examines climate change and its impacts on the valuable natural resources of forestry, water, and wildlife.

Water in a Warming West: How will Western Water Policy Respond to Climate Change? Coalition Board member Sarah Bates presents to Oregon State University regarding western water use and future adaptive measures.