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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, November 15, 2017 NORMAL ... Continued from A-1 Warmer temperatures will more quickly dry the landscape. As the region becomes hotter and drier, stream levels in summers will decrease and water tem- peratures will increase. With longer and much hotter summer seasons, soil mois- ture decreases, trees become stressed, and vegetation will dry out. A future of bigger, hotter, longer-lasting fires is likely. “Climate change generally will reduce tree growth and make forests more susceptible to insects and fire. This is especially true at drier sites and lower elevations. Forest types could change completely, for example, from conifers to hardwoods, or even to scrublands and grasslands. ... and a variety of species, from trees to wildflowers, from big preda- tors to insects will shift in composition, seasonal timing, and range.” And while some weather changes are Darlingtonia californica already happening, the good news is that the Klamath-Siskiyous (KS) “is better po- sitioned to fend off climate impacts than many regions in the West,” and “is espe- cially well-suited to maintaining biodiver- sity under such pressures, because of the diverse topography, microclimates, and habitats available to species in this area.” However the report also says “old- growth and mature forest (about 80 years old or older) is the most important over- arching climate refuge, and cautions that only 28 percent of this forest type remains in the KS and that “proposed solutions must be taken seriously now, before it is too late.” Some species are more vulnerable to climate change than others. Particu- larly high elevation species that can’t shift upslope - they’ve run out of real estate. Also, hotter, drier conditions at all elevations mean that wet and cold-lov- ing species frequently won’t find spots to survive in and this could lead to lo- cal disappearance of many species and possible extinctions. “Certain rare plants, amphibians, and perhaps most tragically, that most iconic of species, salmon,” are most vulnerable. One local scientist, John Roth, who has served as Chief of Resource Management at Oregon Caves National Monument for many years, is involved in climate science projects to gain precise in- sights about weather conditions - with the goal of helping other agency land manag- ers make the right decisions. Roth is currently writing the Paleo- Climate chapter for the Rogue Siskiyou National Forest’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment. In this work he’s examining both stalactites found in caves and sedi- ment cores from Bolan Lake. “When you do paleo-climate recon- structions that go back hundreds to thou- sands of years, it’s important to utilize combined data from across disciplines to make much more accurate predictions on a local and regional basis,” he said. “And right now, too much climate science relies on generalized predictions.” Roth also worries that “we could lose all of our sub-alpine habitat.” But he said, “If we can save the Mountain Beaver (the Aplodontia) who eats conifer seedlings, that loss may be staved off. Then we may be able to save the sub-alpine habitat. That’s just one local example. “It’s like Aldo Leopold wrote in his famous book, ‘Sand County Almanac,’” Roth said. “It all comes down to the first rule of intelligent tinkering, which is to save all the parts.” Thus protection of climate strong- holds, refuges and vulnerable landscapes are critical. But the report concludes that reducing non-climate impacts is also es- sential: “Key examples of impacts to prevent Page A-3 include habitat fragmentation, erosion from roads, loss of keystone species, introduction of invasive species, livestock over-allocation, floodplain and coastal development, over allocation of water, inappropriate fire management, and post- fire logging.” “It knocks the air right out of my body, to think about how we have done so much damage to our wild places,” said Terry Bremmer, a retired art teacher who enjoys painting the region’s birds and flowers. “I know we’ll never wind back the clock on all the sins of society, but if there’s steps we can take now, well, we owe that to future generations to try and preserve as much as we can.” (File photo, Illinois Valley News) The Biscuit Fire taken from the 8 Dollar Bridge in August of 2002. Monday-Sunday: 6aM-8pM The G SPOT Hump Day Karaoke w/ Jammer & Birdy b wishes w/ Steve- OH Friday, Nov. 17 @ 9 p.m F r i d a y, N o v. 1 7 @ 5:30 Thurdays @ 7 Tyler & the Train Robbers SAT 11/18, 8-11 Dale Hop per Saturday the 18th 6 PM 8-midnight Open Mic w/ B KARAOKE Every Wednesday from Taylor’s Country Store Saturday Pool Tourney @ 8 Sunday night is FREE pool & Football/hotdogs Open MIC Night 6 - 8 p.m. Mon & Thurs night H omemade Meals & Football J Barley Sportsman Tavern Fridays @ 6 p.m. Art’s Red Garter Funk Dub Dance Group New Cooks Friday, Nov. 17 9 PM Free 7 days at week 4 -8 p.m. DJ Lay’D Beatz KARAOKE Wed & Sun nights DJ - Fri & Sat @ McGrew’s!
