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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 Climate change hits national parks harder than rest of US By COURTNEY FLATT Oregon Public Broadcasting Climate change is heating up national parks much faster than the rest of the U.S. That’s according to a first-of-its- kind study that looked all 417 national parks, including those in the Pacific Northwest. The study found that national parks are especially hard hit by climate change, in part, because of their locations at high elevations, in arid des- erts or Arctic zones, said Pat- rick Gonzalez, study co-author and climate change scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. “National parks aren’t a random sample — they are remarkable places and many happen to be in extreme envi- ronments,” Gonzalez said in a news release. “Many are in places that are inherently more exposed to human-caused cli- mate change.” The researchers found that, historically, temperatures in national parks increased at double the rate of the rest of the country. They also found participation decreased more rapidly in many national parks than other parts of the U.S. “We found that human- caused climate change has caused impacts in places where we found significant historical temperature increases,” Gon- zalez said. “Glaciers melting in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Bark beetles killing trees in Yellowstone National Park. Vegetation shifting ups- lope in Yosemite National Park in California.” Looking forward, if emis- sions stay the way they are now, that could mean average temperatures in the most vul- nerable national parks could increase by 16 degrees Fahren- heit by 2100, according to the study. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. In the Northwest, the two parks that have historically seen the biggest average tem- perature increases are Wash- ington’s North Cascades National Park and the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Gonzalez said. Both have seen average temperature increases of about 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit per century. And that can dramatically change the temperatures at high elevations. “It’s the equivalent of (low- ering) a mountain two times the height of the Washington Monument, from cooler areas at high elevations to warmer areas down lower,” Gonzalez said. The North Cascades are already seeing dramatic effects of a warming climate, said Jon Riedel, a geologist at the park. For the last 25 years, he’s mon- itored glaciers at the North Cascades, Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks. “I’ve witnessed quite a bit of change in that time — mea- sured quite a bit of change,” Riedel said. Over the past 100 years, Riedel said, the area in the North Cascades covered by glaciers has shrunk by more than 50 percent. He’s looked at what that means for the surrounding ecosystem. He found that the recession of glaciers has impacted the summer melt into the Skagit watershed. Over 30 years, the lost ice added up to around 800 billion gal- lons of water, or three cubic kilometers. “That was pretty staggering to see how much ice has been lost,” Riedel said. That impacts summer streamflow in the Skagit River. (All of the glaciers in the Skagit watershed contribute about 10 percent of the sum- mer streamflow right now, Rie- del said.) He said the North Cascades have also seen flood regimes change, especially in colder parts of the park — near the Stehekin Valley. Floods used to happen in the spring when National Park Service The River Styx could become the nation’s first under- ground Wild and Scenic river with a proposed expansion of the Oregon Caves National Monument. snow melted. Now, the area is more often flooding in the fall, as precipitation changes. All that can lead to other broad ecosystem changes, Rie- del said: trees invading mead- ows, changes in water tem- perature and quality, loss of habitat for species like gla- cier worms, which are prey for birds like rosy finches. “So a pretty big ripple effect through the landscape with the loss of glaciers,” Riedel said. Nationally, the study Gon- zalez worked on predicts parks in Alaska will be the most vulnerable to temperature increases. Parks in the U.S. Virgin Islands may see the most decreases in rainfall. No other study had previ- ously looked at the severity of climate change across all the country’s national parks. In the future, these predic- tions could spell trouble for many national parks. More wildfire in Yellowstone, the death of Joshua trees, the pos- sible disappearance of pikas in Lassen Volcanic National Park in California, Gonzalez said. The researchers have provided information to the national parks, Gonzalez said, to help with management decisions. But the future isn’t all dire, he said. “Our actions — reducing carbon pollution from cars, power plants, and other human sources — can save parks from the most heat,” Gonzalez said. Reducing emissions could reduce temperature increase by half to two-thirds by the end of the century, he said. Consult Oregon bans tree-killing herbicide a amid sweeping state investigation PROFESSIONAL Forest Service to log dying trees By EMILY CURETON Oregon Public Broadcasting The herbicide is called ami- nocyclopyrachlor. You might not be able to say it, but it was once a common weed killer used by the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation and other public entities. Then, last week, Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to temporarily ban it from rights of way. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is investigat- ing potentially widespread tree damage because of the chemical. “What we’re trying to get Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin Dead and dying ponderosa pines line Highway 20 near Sisters. a handle on is, is this occur- ring in other areas? We are starting to hear about a situa- tion in Eastern Washington,” said Rose Kachadoorian, pesti- cide program manager with the agriculture department. In Central Oregon, she said trees were poisoned in at least four locations. The Department of Agriculture has prohibited the use of products with ami- nocyclopyrachlor until April, and lasting regulation could be established. Meanwhile, Kachadoorian said the agency will exam- ine paperwork behind years of spraying in the state. “And that will give us an opportunity to have an investi- gator go back to some of those areas and take a look — maybe they used it three years ago, are we seeing decline at this point?” Kachadoorian said. Plans for this in-depth inves- tigation come more than three years since a massive tree die off in Deschutes National For- est was first linked to the trans- portation department spraying. Nearly 1,500 ponderosa pines near Sisters are standing dead or dying. Some are hundreds of years old. The Forest Service plans to log those trees, rather than risk a dead tree falling on Highway 20. Q: Muscle spasms can be a thing of the past. horses in the leg,facial tics A: Charlie and back spasms are all deficiency ASTORIA CHIROPRACTIC Barry Sears, D.C. 503-325-3311 2935 Marine Drive Astoria, Oregon is a medicare Q: What supplement policy, is Debate: Brown, Buehler to face off again Thursday Continued from Page 1A Brown said she wants to make sure schools have fund- ing for counselors, specifically ones who mirror the back- grounds and experiences of the students they serve. She wants to enforce state policy meant to keep students safe from bully- ing and continue meeting with school superintendents regu- larly to make sure the policy is implemented. Buehler said the governor can stand on a soapbox and let the public know bullying isn’t right. He said he would imple- ment a hotline to report bully- ing directly to the Governor’s Office so the state’s leader would know firsthand how big of an issue it is. Starnes answered as well, noting his time in schools and then told Lawrence, “I would hire you.” After the hour-long tele- vised debate, Lawrence said she took exception to Bue- hler’s responses to her. She said it seemed like Buehler was unprepared for the question, and it made her wonder how seriously he took her concern. “Buehler did not even use the term LGBT,” she said. The scene — lasting sev- eral minutes — was a change in tone from an otherwise rel- atively cordial political debate. Brown, Buehler and Starnes sat on stools side by side under stage lights at the north Port- land high school. The students picked from across the state for the debate stepped to the lectern one at a time. The candidates each had a minute to answer — a time cut in half near the end to squeeze in more questions. The debate was organized by Chil- dren First For Oregon, KOIN 6, and the Pamplin Media Group. The youthful questioners peppered the candidates with carefully scripted and force- fully presented questions. Many touched campaign hot topics: homelessness, health care, education, gun control. Genesis Gomez, 12, of Portland, asked how the can- didates would protect farm workers like those in her fam- ily from being exposed to harmful chemicals. Brown answered in part by declaring again her opposition to repeal- ing the state’s sanctuary law, Measure 105. Her statement drew the only crowd applause of the night to an answer. Dazon Sigo, 17, asked why schools like his in Pendleton don’t do a better job of teach- ing about native history and culture. Throughout, the candidates largely answered the questions without bickering, though Bue- hler several times blamed state problems on Brown’s leader- ship. Brown largely ignored the jibes, but did fire back at one point that action means more than words. A few times, the two were afforded rebuttals to address direct attacks. While addressing gun con- trol, Buehler said he would support a ban on bump stocks, raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21, and requiring a three-day waiting period to buy a handgun. Brown asked for a rebuttal to point out Buehler’s oppo- sition to the “red flag” legis- Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Steve Putman Q: I can’t afford regular dental care. Are there some resources available to me? JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD Investigative Journalist David Barsamian Host of the public radio talkshow “Alternative Radio” 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com Oct pm 5 th Free event to the public Barsamian lectures nationally on world affairs, imperialism, capitalism, propaganda, and the media. More info at coastradio.org The event is a fundraiser for Coast Community Radio, donations at the door will be gratefully accepted A: We have third-party financial groups that we work with, including Care Credit, Springstone, or your personal bank may offer low-interest loans. Dentistry itself is not necessarily expensive, but neglect and abuse are. Call to consult with us on your options. Q: What is a 7 Astoria Peforming Arts Center Medicare Supplement A: A policy is often referred to as Medicare Gap Insurance. This is a separate insurance policy provided Medicare Products by private insurance companies. It can pay some or all of Original 503-440-1076 Medicare Deductibles and Co- Insurance. It is different from a Medicare Part C (Advantage) Plan Licensed in Oregon and does not include coverage for and Washington most prescriptions. To find out more putmanagency@gmail.com about your different options call. 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ASTORIA TRANSIT CENTER WANTED lation, which allows authori- ties to take guns from people who could be harmful to them- selves or others. The law also bars them from buying a gun. Buehler said the legisla- tion was flawed because it didn’t mandate health care for would-be purchasers or allow them to defend their Second Amendment right in court. While answering Sigo’s question about Native Amer- ican education, Buehler said Brown was to blame for any gaps because she can’t stand up to special interest groups. Brown shot back, tout- ing an increase in funding and a modest hike in graduation rates, while admitting there was more work to be done. The students had the oppor- tunity to address the field of candidates, or narrow it symptoms — muscles are irritated and working too hard — they don’t have the nutrients they need. Muscles need calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D taken together. Seventy-six percent of Americans are deficient in those nutrients. People may be OK until an injury when the increased activity in the hurt area causes the deficiency symptoms. It is easy and quick to correct. Time of day and dosage are important and need to be adjusted until the spasms stop. If you need help figuring this out, call Dr. Sears. self-service maintenance activity I can do? blow out dust from A: Annually your computer using short bursts of air. Remove the side of your desktop. Stabilize the fan fins & using a can of compressed air or garage compressor, point the nozzle at the radiator fins under the fan on the circuit board. Also, blow out dust from the power supply, located where the power cord connects to the computer. For laptops, point the nozzle to any vents on the sides and bottom of the computer.
