Eco Report – July 12, 2024

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:21 — 40.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

In today’s feature report, WFHB News Correspondents Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, Kade Young and Madison Stratton take a look at Indiana’s efforts to rollback protections for wetlands. This is Part Four for a four-part series that previously aired on Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate.

EcoWatch reports the Olympics in Paris this summer could be the hottest on record, according to a new report: Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Leading athletes warn the heat could result in athletes collapsing or even dying while participating in events.

Mike Tipton, a human and applied physiology professor at the United Kingdom’s University of Portsmouth, and Dr. Jo Corbett, deputy associate dean for research and innovation in the university’s science and health department, worked with former Olympians and climate scientists to put together the report.

“A warming planet will present an additional challenge to athletes, which can adversely impact on their performance and diminish the sporting spectacle of the Olympic Games. Hotter conditions also increase the potential for heat illness amongst all individuals exposed to high thermal stress, including officials and spectators, as well as athletes,” Corbett said in a press release from University of Portsmouth.

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the past 12 months were the hottest on record. As human-driven climate change has led to an entire year of record-breaking monthly temperatures across the globe, athletes in the Games could face serious health risks.

—-Norm Holy

Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 miles east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. Lake Mead provides water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland.

At maximum capacity, Lake Mead has a surface elevation of 1,229 feet above sea level. The lake has remained below full capacity since 1983 owing to drought and increased water demand.
As reported by Newsweek, Lake Mead’s projections are improving following two consecutive wet winters, with zero risk of falling below 1,000 feet before 2028, new Bureau of Reclamation figures show.

The figures, released on May 29, show the Nevada-Arizona reservoir’s five-year outlook much improved. The projections are updated three times a year and show a range of scenarios that influence potential water use cuts based on varying reservoir levels.

The five-year projections are even more important as the 2007 Colorado River interim guidelines are set to expire in 2026. Alongside this, two groups of Colorado River states continue to debate how to manage the ongoing water scarcity crisis, including the operational strategies for reservoir releases.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release a two-year projection in mid-June that will determine whether Nevada needs to implement further water usage cuts. Last year, Nevada had to reduce its Colorado River allotment by an additional 4,000 acre-feet based on June’s projection.

While the latest projections offer some hope for improved conditions at Lake Mead, the broader context of climate variability and interstate water politics suggests that significant challenges remain. The upcoming two-year projection will be a critical indicator for southern Nevada, potentially influencing water management decisions for the near future.

—Norm Holy

Indiana Forest Alliance needs your help to convince the Indiana Division of Forestry (DoF) and Governor Eric Holcomb to designate the Backcountry Area of Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests as a High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF), safe from logging where old growth conditions can return.

An HCVF designation is the only way to ensure this section of forest will ever return to the old growth condition.

The Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests Backcountry Area is one of the last areas over 2,000 acres in the state forests that can be set aside to return to the old growth condition. This is due to the excessive logging that DoF has undertaken in our state forests over the last two decades.

On top of this, the DoF recently lifted the moratorium on logging in Yellowwood and Morgan Monroe State Forests which was implemented in 2018. Most of Yellowwood and Morgan Monroe State Forests were logged before this moratorium – except for the Backcountry Area . This means the area is in imminent danger of being logged next, and never returning to old growth condition.

Under the HCVF review process, the State Forester has up to 60 days from the date of the Committee recommendation to make a final decision. No decision has been made to date. We need a massive outpouring of support from the broader conservation community to persuade John Seifert and Governor Eric Holcomb to accept the HCVF2 proposal and set aside this 2,380 acre area as the only large refuge of rich, diverse, older forest habitat in our state forest system.
—Norm Holy

Feature Report:

And now, let’s listen to Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, Kade Young and Madison Stratton take a look at Indiana’s efforts to rollback protections for wetlands.

Are you looking for a way to make a difference on environmental issues?

Here at EcoReport we are currently looking for reporters, engineers, and segment producers. Our goal is to report facts on how we’re all affected by global climate disruption and the ongoing assaults on our air, land and water. We also celebrate ecologists, tree huggers, soil builders and an assortment of champions who actively protect and restore our natural world, particularly those who are active in south central Indiana.

All levels of experience and all ages are welcome, and we provide the training you’ll need. WFHB also offers internships. To volunteer for Eco-Report, give us a call at (812) 323-1200, or e-mail us at: [email protected].

And now, some upcoming events:

• There will be a Kayak Outing at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area on Saturday, July 13th, from 9 am to Noon. Goose Pond staff will lead a guided kayak tour of the wetland, pointing out various species of plants and animals. Meet at the Thousand Islands Boat Ramp. Please register to attend and bring your own kayak, lifejacket and paddles.
• Learn the differences between amphibians at the Frog vs. Toad presentation on Sunday, July 14th, from 1 to 3 pm at Springmill State Park. Meet at the back patio of the Lake View Activity Center. You will get to meet one of the animals!
• Paint A Turtle at McCormick’s Creek State Park on Wednesday, July 17th, from 2 to 2:45 pm. NO, you will not actually paint a turtle, but you will join Naturalist Jess at the Nature Center to paint a still life of Indiana’s native Painted Turtle. You will be watching a turtle as you paint.
• Enjoy a Mindfullness Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Friday, July 19th, from 10 to 11:30 am. Join the naturalist in the Village Parking Lot for a mindful hike to the mouth of Donaldson Cave.
• An Earth Connection Film Festival will take place on Saturday, July 20th, from 9 am to 7 pm at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Bloomington. There are four program films scheduled for the day. These short films blend science and the arts to address the climate crises through storytelling.

Credits:
This week’s headlines were written by Norm Holy.
Today’s news feature was produced by Noelle Herbusky-Schneider, Kade Young, Madison Stratton and Zyro Roze.
Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team.
Julianna Dailey compiled our events calendar.
Kade Young is our engineer.