Washington east of the Cascade Mountains is dry – parts of it have only 7 inches of rain a year, making all but desert.   Yet that is some of Washington’s richest farm land, growing most of the nation’s hops, and an awful lot of cherries, apples and pears, not to mention dairy and increasingly respected wine.   Water for those crops comes from the Cascades, where snowfall in the winter feeds rivers and farms in the summer.  Salmon too rely on that melting snow to provide river flow and cold water needed for spawning.

Climate models suggest that the snowpack is going to largely disappear.  Not that there will be much less precipitation, just that it will more and more fall as rain, running off rapidly, rather than as snow, melting into summer.   This research about Mt Adam’s glaciers directly feeds into that story.

Pacific Northwest agriculture is not the only area impacted by the melting glaciers from climate change. Water supplies dependent upon the Andean and Himalayan glaciers are also threatened. In the Himilayas the Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that water for agriculture in Asia is expected to decline by 20% by 2030. This causes local and global leaders to worry about the future of food production.

Even Yakima agriculture is starting to worry.  This is the political “red” country – deeply Republican.  It is represented by Rep. “Doc” Hastings, Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, a Republican a dismal record on the environment (League of Conservation Voters scores of 0% for the 106^th through 109^th Congress, rising to a whopping 3% in the 110^th and 4% in the 111^th Congress)  . Yet in his district, people in agriculture are starting to ask questions like “what are we going to do about this climate change stuff and our water supplies?”  Guys in coveralls know that their livelihood depends on snow.

So what are we going to do?  Conserve water – use it more efficiently and maybe switch away from water intensive industry like dairy?   Yep – everybody agrees that has got to be on high on the agenda.  But there is also a need to restore salmon to the Yakima River.  When federal dams were built and the river engineered, the 800,000 to a million salmon dwindled to a few thousand.  The Yakama Nation, a salmon tribe, had its treaty rights to fish made meaningless, once there were no fish.  Restoring salmon is a tough sell in that Congressional district.

NWF and our allies are working towards a comprehensive approach – using the need for change that climate disruption is causing.  After more than 2 years of discussion, every major interest in the Yakima basin has agreed on a plan that will help fish, farms and families.   It involves a mix of ambitious salmon restoration, protection about 200,000 acres of private and public lands to support a healthy watershed,  better use of existing water supplies and infrastructure and expanding water storage.

Look for more on the Yakima in the coming months – its an exciting and innovative project.

You can learn more about our work at the National Wildlife Federation Pacific Regional Center by going to our website and following us on facebook and twitter – @nwfpacific!

Hiking up a steep slope with skis. Photo by: Bryn Fluharty

This past weekend I bundled up and headed out for a cross country ski adventure right outside of Mt Rainier National Park. The park and surrounding areas offer an abundance of opportunities for getting outside. A couple of friends and I had rented the High Hut cabin through the Mount Tahoma Trails Association and we were out for a weekend of skiing and snowshoeing through the National Forest land.

Snow Covered Trees photo by: Bryn Fluharty

The weather around Rainier can change moment by moment and soon the cabin was shrouded in a thick cloud which brought visibility outside down to only a couple of feet. The cloud cover stayed above us but by the next day the visibility was much improved offering the ability to do some back country skiing, dipping and weaving through forest and brush, lunching at the edge of a frozen lake and enjoying the spectacular beauty of the forest.

Mt St Helens at Sunset. Photo By: Bryn Fluharty

Looking out at Mt Rainier as the Sun Rises. Photo By: Bryn Fluharty

Turning to leave and head back home was a difficult move. The air was warm for this time of year and the sky the type of brilliant blue that you can almost forget can happen during the winter in Seattle. The trip down the steep slopes was a lazy one full of birds chirping and the sound of melting snow dripping from evergreen branches.

Rainier followed me back home as an ever looming presence in the rear view mirror reminding me that even as I headed back to the city it will always be a short distance away.

The beauty of Rainier and the other mountains in the Cascades is threatened by Climate Change. Due to continuing warming of the planet the majestic glaciers are melting at accelerated speeds. Mt Adams is a prime example of what is happening and why we need to do all we can to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change. If we don’t the beauty of the mountains will be changed forever.

Have your own outdoor adventure this winter! Be Out There and enjoy the great Out of Doors. Where is your favorite place to get out in your area?