Donna Dewhurst, US FWS

Transcription

1 Donn Dwhurst, US FWS : t s c r o F ish F & Gm d n g n h C t m i l C f i l d l i W k s Nbr D. Hovork Alc Engbrtson, US FWS

2 Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif Mul Dr Gry Zhm, US FWS Nbrskns who fish, hunt, cno, cmp, nd wtch wildlif r t th front lins of climt chng. W s firsthnd tht climt chng prsnts vry rl nd srious thrt to th hunting, fishing nd outdoor rcrtion opportunitis w chrish. Nbrskns who lov th outdoors r lrdy sing th ffcts of climt chng on fish nd wildlif. Th chngs to com if climt chng gos on unchckd r s frightning s thy r forsbl nd voidbl. 1 Two cnturis go Nbrsk bostd plntiful popultions of dr, lk, nd turky, nd millions of bufflo romd th Grt Plins. Priri chickns dottd th lndscp, nd th journls of Lwis nd Clrk tll of hug flocks of migrting ducks nd gs tht drknd th sky. 2 Sdly, Nbrsk ws lft nrly dvoid of wildlif by cntury of ovr-hunting s trpprs, trdrs nd sttlrs movd wst, nd wr on th grt hrds of bufflo by th U.S. Army. Th 1900 Cnsus of Wildlif in Nbrsk tlls th strk tl: just 50 dr in our stt, nd 100 pronghorn. Th lk nd bufflo wr gon, s wr onc plntiful bvr, mink nd ottr. 3 It is rmindr of th impct humns cn hv on fish nd wildlif in just fw yrs. Fortuntly, ddictd consrvtionists, big chngs in public policy, nd commitmnt to hbitt turnd th sitution round. A LEGACY OF CONSERVATION Popl who hunt nd fish hv providd much of th funding to consrv fish nd wildlif hbitt nd rstor wildlif popultions. Ntionlly, huntrs nd nglrs provid $1.1 billion pr yr for stt-lvl hbitt consrvtion through xcis fs on guns, mmunition, rchry quipmnt nd fishing tckl. Thy pump som $90 billion yr into Amric s conomy, supporting mor thn 680,000 jobs. 4 Hunting, fishing nd wildlif wtching in Nbrsk ws $1.3 billion industry in 2011, spnding tht doubld ovr th prvious dcd. 5 Th Outdoor Rcrtion Assocition sys th whol outdoor rcrtion industry rprsnts $5.7 billion in spnding in Nbrsk, supporting ovr 74,000 dirct jobs in our stt. 6 1

3 Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif Nbrskn who lov wildlif nd th outdoors provid tns of millions of dollrs vry yr in stt fs for hunting prmits, fishing prmits, stt prk psss nd cmping fs, ll of which r ddictd for mnging wildlif, wildlif hbitt nd our stt prks. 7 Consrvtion funding nd crful wildlif mngmnt hv rstord wildlif to Nbrsk s lndscp, nd protctd som of our lst bst wild plcs. CLIMATE CHANGE Aftr cntury of progrss, climt chng now poss hug thrt to Nbrsk s divrs fish nd wildlif lgcy. Climt chng is lrdy occurring. Globl tmprturs hv incrsd by bout 1.5 F sinc 1880, nd th first dcd of th 21st Cntury ws th wrmst on rcord. 8 Ntur is rsponding. Bird migrtion pttrns r lrdy chnging, nd th rngs of mny southrn spcis r moving north. 9 If crbon pollution gos on unchckd, mid-rng projctions from th world s lding climt scintists r tht Nbrsk wintrs will wrm by 3-5 F by 2050, nd Nbrsk summrs will wrm by 5-6 F by thn. 10 How much diffrnc will tht mk? With 3-5 F incrs in vrg wintr tmprturs, wintrs in Nbrsk by 2050 will hv vrg tmprturs similr to wintrs in Knss tody. But 5-6 F incrs in Nbrsk summr Stvn Emmons, US FWS Sndhill Crn tmprturs by 2050 mns our summrs will hv vrg tmprturs lik thos xprincd tody in Txs nd 2 southrn Oklhom. 11 Tht wrming splls big chng for th fish nd wildlif spcis importnt to Nbrskns who hunt, fish nd wtch wildlif. Climt modls diffr on whthr Nbrsk will likly b wttr or dryr in th futur. In gnrl, climt xprts xpct stts wst of Nbrsk to b dryr, nd stts st of Nbrsk to b wttr, nd Nbrsk my b right on th dividing lin. 12 Wht sms clr is tht with highr tmprturs, Nbrsk rivrs, lks nd soils will s mor vportion. Wrmr tmprturs mn highr wtr nds for plnts nd livstock, putting dditionl prssur on our stt s wtr rsourcs. 13 Climt scintists lso xpct prcipittion to com in fwr, hvir rinflls. Bcus of th wrmr tmprturs, mor of our prcipittion is likly to com s rin rthr thn snow, which will impct runoff. Tht, long with rlir snowmlt, will impct th timing of Pltt Rivr flows out of th Rocky Mountins. 14 Tkn togthr, ths chngs hv importnt implictions for Nbrsk s wildlif, wild plcs, wtlnds nd rivrs.

4 US FWS US FWS Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif Priri Pothol Wtlnd US FWS Mllrd Whittil DUCKS Th vst mjority of ducks winging thir wy through Nbrsk vry Spring nd Fll r htchd in th Priri Pothol Rgion tht includs Montn, North nd South Dkot, nd portions of Iow, Minnsot nd cntrl Cnd. This rgion hs lrdy lost mny wtlnds, nd continus to los ntiv priri nd Consrvtion Rsrv Progrm grsslnds t n lrming rt. 15 Th rgion s shllow wtlnds r oftn ssonl, filling from snowmlt nd rin in th spring nd drying up by lt summr. Thir lrg surfc r nd shllow dpth mks thm vulnrbl to vportion from wrmr summrs. Spcis vry, but ducks typiclly nd 90 to 100 dys of wtr to ly thir ggs, htch thir young, nd ris thm until thy cn fly nd surviv on thir own. 16 Scintists bliv tht vn fw dgrs of wrming, lik tht xpctd by mid-cntury, will significntly rduc th crs of wtlnds tht will provid ducks with th dys of wtr ndd to succssfully rproduc. Dr. W. Crtr Johnson stimts tht modst climt chng could rduc vilbl duck nsting hbitt by 50% by Tht could cut th numbr of ducks producd in th Priri Pothol Rgion North Amric s duck fctory by hlf. 17 Highr lvls of wrming would b vn mor dvstting for th Priri Pothol Rgion. A study by Bnjmin Rshford t th Univrsity of Wyoming concludd: In climt scnrio with +4 C incrs in tmprtur, our modl prdicts tht lmost th ntir rgion my lck th wtlnd productivity ncssry to support wtlnddpndnt spcis. 18 Wtlnds in Nbrsk r vulnrbl too. Rsrch t th Univrsity of Nbrsk projcts tht highr tmprturs mn tht wtlnds in th Rinwtr Bsin tht tody hold wtr 60-80% of th tim my hold wtr only 10-20% of th tim by Tht will impct migrting ducks nd gs nd rsidnt wildlif. WHITE-TAILED DEER Whit-tild dr rom throughout Nbrsk, spcilly in woodd rs nr rivrs nd crks. Thy r now plntiful, spcilly in strn Nbrsk, nd huntrs hrvstd 48,000 whittil nd 10,600 mul dr in Yt dr r not immun from climt chng. 3

5 Mrk Lisc, US FWS US FWS Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif Prl Dc Rinbow Trout Globl wrming is xpctd to incrs vportion, nd rsult in fwr but hvir rinfll vnts. Tht could rduc th rgulr bs-flows in strms. Nbrsk is lso xpctd to s mor frqunt nd mor svr droughts, spcilly if climt chng gos on unchckd. 21 Th drought in Nbrsk in 2012 highlightd how vulnrbl our whittil popultion is to hmorrhgic diss. Extnsiv drought drid up crks, wtlnds nd vn big strtchs of th Pltt Rivr. Dr congrgtd t th fw rmining wtring hols, nd th stgnnt wtr thr ws n idl brding ground for th midgs tht trnsmit hmorrhgic disss (Epizootic Hmorrhgic Diss nd blu tongu) to dr. Whit-tild dr wr spcilly hrd hit. In 2012, Hmorrhgic diss killd off som 25-30% of Nbrsk s whittil popultion in singl yr, climing som 100,000 nimls. 22 In futur whr climt chng mks dry splls nd droughts mor nd mor common, Nbrsk s whittil hrd will likly b subjct to mor outbrks of EHD nd similr disss. Ryn Hgrty, US FWS Whittil 4 TROUT Lwis nd Clrk rcordd sing trout in th Uppr Missouri Rivr nr Grt Flls, Montn, on thir journy wst in In 1880, Univrsity of Nbrsk nturl scinc profssor rportd ctching cutthrot trout in smll Missouri Rivr tributris in Dixon County. Sinc thn, svrl spcis of trout hv bn introducd nd surviv in som of th cold-wtr strms in northrn nd wstrn Nbrsk, including Nin-mil Crk, th Uppr Niobrr, th Snk Rivr nd Vrdigr Crk. 24 Th introducd brook, brown nd rinbow trout now found in Nbrsk xprinc strss whn th wtr tmprtur rchs bout 68 F, spcilly for xtndd priods. Wrmr wtr holds lss oxygn, nd th wrmr th wtr th mor strss on th fish. Trout my b bl to surviv slightly highr wtr tmprturs for short priods, but thy my stop growing nd rproducing du to strss. 25 Fd by cool groundwtr springs, th wtr tmprtur in our cold-wtr strms riss in th summr dpnding on ir tmprtur, shd nd othr fctors. Currntly th vrg ir tmprtur in th summr months is 71 in Scottsbluff nd 72 in Vlntin, but thos vrg Summr tmprturs r xpctd to incrs by 5-6 F by mid-cntury. 26 Tht chng could tip th blnc in mny of Nbrsk s cold-wtr strms. Rsrch by th Environmntl Protction Agncy

6 Dv Mnk US FWS Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif projcts tht globl wrming could mk Nbrsk wtrs too wrm for trout to surviv hr by th scond hlf of this Cntury if climt chng gos on unchckd. 27 Ntiv cold-wtr fish in our strms r lso vulnrbl to wrming strms. Ntiv fish lik finscl dc, Northrn prl dc, nd blcknos shinr r ssocitd with Nbrsk s cool-wtr strms, 28 nd thy could b t risk s wrming ir tmprturs ris cool-wtr strm tmprturs. PRAIRIE GROUSE Grtr priri chickns wr onc found throughout much of th Grt Plins, nd shrptild grous wr found throughout th northrn Grt Plins. Tody both spcis r much lss numrous. Bcus th ntiv grsslnds of th Sndhills rmin lrgly intct, Nbrsk is on of th fw plcs whr thr r rltivly strong, hunt-bl popultions of both grtr priri chickns nd shrp-tild grous. 29 Th Sndhills is frgil cosystm. Th snd duns undrlying th rgion wr lst mobilizd xtnsivly during n xtndd drought tht ndd bout 700 yrs go. 30 Th wrming tmprturs nd mor frqunt nd xtndd droughts tht scintists fors in Nbrsk s futur could spll troubl for th Sndhill grsslnds tht r vitl to Nbrsk s priri chickns nd shrptild grous. OTHER WILDLIFE Othr Nbrsk fish nd wildlif r t risk to climt chng s wll: Bighorn shp nd lk lik thos in th Pin Ridg nd Wildct Hills will b chllngd by rlir snowmlt, wrming tmprturs nd rducd rinfll. 31 Sndhill crns rly on Pltt Rivr flows whn 80% of North Amric s popultion dscnd on th Cntrl Pltt vry Mrch. Chngs in th mount nd timing of Rocky Mountin snowmlt could spll troubl for this nnul spctcl. 32 Pronghorn dpnd on shortgrss priri forg, nd mor frqunt nd mor prolongd drought could furthr rduc forg vilbl to pronghorn nd thir offspring Grtr Priri Chickn

7 Dv Mnk, US FWS Ruth Brnowski, NREL D. Hovork Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif Dnnis Schrodr, NREL Jff Vnug, NRCS SOLUTIONS Th scinc of climt chng nd th likly impcts on wildlif r complling, but th solutions r both vilbl nd ffordbl. Th longr w wit to ct, th soonr nd mor svr will b th impcts from chnging climt. W nd to ct quickly to rduc ir pollution tht is driving climt chng, nd w nd to hrnss our frms, rnchs nd forsts to tk crbon out of th ir. W cn do ll tht, but only if w mk it priority. ٠ Wind, solr, nd nrgy fficincy r ll rdily vilbl nd ffordbl. Thy cn rplc powr plnts fuld by dirty fossil fuls, nd dlivr conomic bnfits to Nbrskns. ٠ Improvd frming nd rnching systms lik covr crops nd mngd rottionl grzing cn pull crbon out of th ir nd stor it in th soil, boosting soil hlth nd rsilinc whil offstting crbon pollution. ٠ Plnning is criticl if w r to void th worst impcts nd dpt to climt chng. Evry stt gncy, our nturl rsourc districts, communitis nd othr locl gncis should considr climt chng in thir plnning fforts. ٠ Th Lgisltur should fund th scinc ndd to bttr undrstnd nd mitigt th impcts of climt chng on our nturl rsourcs. 6 ٠Our fdrl nd stt govrnmnts should fund fforts ndd to hlp us dpt our wildlif nd wild plcs to th chngs lrdy occurring. Consrving our rmining wtlnds nd ntiv priris, protcting rmining rivr flows, nd consrving migrtory pthwys r ll high prioritis. ٠ Nbrsk s businss, govrnmnt nd community ldrs should support, rthr thn oppos, stt nd fdrl fforts to rduc crbon pollution. Nbrskns should ld Amric s trnsition to cln nrgy conomy. END NOTES 1 U.S. Globl Chng Rsrch Progrm, 2014 Ntionl Climt Assssmnt summrizs th impct of climt chng in th Unitd Stts now nd in th futur. 2 Hrbrt, Jnis, Lwis nd Clrk for Kids, p Cnsus of Wildlif in Nbrsk. Blu Wingd Tl 4 U.S. Fish & Wildlif Srvic nd U.S. Cnsus Buru, 2011 Ntionl Survy of Fishing, Hunting nd Wildlif- Associtd Rcrtion, Rvisd Fbrury, U.S. Fish & Wildlif Srvic nd U.S. Cnsus Buru, 2011 Ntionl Survy of Fishing, Hunting, nd Wildlif- Associtd Rcrtion: Nbrsk, Dcmbr, Outdoor Industry Assocition, Th Outdoor Rcrtion Economy, OutdoorIndustry.org, Bouldr, Colordo.

8 Gm & Fish Forcst: Climt Chng nd Nbrsk Wildlif MORE END NOTES 7 A Lgisltor s Guid to Nbrsk Stt Agncis, Nbrsk Lgisltiv Fiscl Offic, Dcmbr, Ntionl Aronutics nd Spc Administrtion, Climt Chng: How Do W Know? climt.ns.gov/ vidnc/ 9 Ntionl Audubon Socity, Birds nd Climt Chng: Ecologicl Disruption in Motion, Fbrury, 2009; nd Ellwood, Elizbth, Autumn Migrtion of North Amricn Lndbirds, in Phrnologicl Synchrony nd Bird Migrtion, CRC Prss, Th Ntur Consrvncy, Univrsity of Wshington, nd Univrsity of Southrn Mississippi, Climt Wizrd, bsd on Intrntionl Pnl on Climt Chng Fourth Assssmnt. 11 Nbrsk Wildlif Fdrtion nlysis bsd on Ntionl Ocnic nd Atmosphric Administrtion Ntionl Wthr Srvic dt for vrg ir tmprturs for Jun-August nd Dcmbr-Fbrury. 12 Ibid, Th Ntur Consrvncy t l, Climt Wizrd. 13 Univrsity of Nbrsk Lincoln, Undrstnding nd Assssing Climt Chng: Implictions for Nbrsk, Sptmbr, 2014, pg Ibid, Univrsity of Nbrsk Lincoln, pg xii. 15 Johnston, Crol, Wtlnd Losss Du to Row Crop Expnsion in th Dkot Pothol Rgion, Socity of Wtlnd Scintists, Dcmbr, 2012; nd Schusslr, Brd, Th Enormous Thrt to Amric s Lst Grsslnds, Wshington Post, Jun 16, Johnsgrd, Pul, Birds of th Grt Plins: Fmily Antid (Swns, Gs nd Ducks), 2009, Univrsity of Nbrsk Lincoln Digitl Commons. 17 Johnson, Dr. W. Crtr, Vulnrbility of Northrn Priri Wtlnds to Climt Chng, Wildlif Biology Fculty Publictions, S lso Study Sys Globl Wrming Will Hurt Ducks, USA Tody, Novmbr 28, Rshford, B.S., t l, Impcts of Climt Chng on Lnd-us nd Wtlnd Productivity in th Priri Pothol Rgion of North Amric, Rgionl Environmntl Chng, Fbrury, Udn, Dnil, t l, Prdictions of Futur Ephmrl Springtim Wtrbird Stopovr Hbitt Avilbility Undr Globl Chng, Ecosphr, Novmbr, Nbrsk Gm & Prks Commission, 2016 Big Gm Guid Univrsity of Nbrsk Lincoln, Undrstnding nd Assssing Climt Chng: Implictions for Nbrsk, pg. xii. 22 Dr Hrvst Dclind by 30 Prcnt in 2012, Norfolk Dily Nws, Mrch 4, Johnsgrd, Pul, Lwis nd Clrk on th Grt Plins: A Nturl History, Univrsity of Nbrsk Prss, Th Fish Book, Nbrsk Gm & Prks Commission, Jnury, Shmuklr, Chd, Trout nd Wtr Tmprtur: how Hot is Too Hot?, Htch Mgzin, July 5, Ibid, Th Ntur Consrvncy t l, Climt Wizrd. 27 Climt Chng nd Cold Wtr Fish: Is Trout Fishing n Endngrd Sport? US Environmntl Protction Agncy, My, 1999, Wshington, DC. S lso Effcts of Globl Wrming on Trout nd Slmon in US Strms, Dfndrs of Wildlif, NRDC, My, Nbrsk Gm nd Prks Commission, Cool Wtr Strm Mngmnt Pln, Johnsgrd, Pul, Grsslnd Grous nd Thir Consrvtion, Schmissr McKn, Rbcc t l, Tmporl nd Sptil Vribility in Dun Rctivtion Across th Nbrsk Snd Hills, 2014, Th Holocn. 31 Inkly, Doug t l, Nowhr to Run: Big Gm Wildlif in Wrming World, Ntionl Wildlif Fdrtion, Ibid, Univrsity of Nbrsk Lincoln, Undrstnding nd Assssing Climt Chng, t xii. 33 Inkly, Doug nd Rowlnd, Jnny, Gm Chngrs: Climt Impcts to Amric s Hunting, Fishing nd Wildlif Hritg, Ntionl Wildlif Fdrtion, Th uthor, Dun Hovork, is Excutiv Dirctor of th Nbrsk Wildlif Fdrtion. Copyright 2017, Nbrsk Wildlif Fdrtion PO Box 81437, Lincoln, NE (402)