Eco Report – January 26, 2024

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You’re listening to Eco Report for January 26th, 2024.

Later in the program, we will listen to Part 4 by Environmental Correspondent Zyro Roze as he speaks with a homesteader and sustainability educator from Spencer, Indiana about her life journey in academia and as a nature lover from a young age.

And now for your environmental reports:

Inside Climate Change reports that in an unprecedented step to preserve and maintain the most carbon-rich elements of U.S. forests in an era of climate change, President Joe Biden’s administration recently proposed to end commercially driven logging of old-growth trees in National Forests.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, issued a Notice of Intent to amend the land management plans of all 128 National Forests to prioritize old-growth conservation and recognize the oldest trees’ unique role in carbon storage. It would be the first nationwide amendment to forest plans in the 118-year history of the Forest Service, where local rangers typically have the final word on how to balance forests’ role in watershed, wildlife and recreation with the agency’s mandate to maintain a “sustained yield” of timber.

National and local environmental advocates have been urging the Biden administration to adopt a new policy emphasizing preservation in National Forests, treating them as a strategic reserve of carbon. Although they praised the old-growth proposal as an “historic” step, they want to see protection extended to “mature” forests, those dominated by trees roughly 80 to 150 years old, which are a far larger portion of the National Forests. As old-growth trees are lost, which can happen rapidly due to megafires and other assaults, they argue that the Forest Service should be ensuring there are fully developed trees on the landscape to take their place.

The National Climate Assessment released by the administration this fall included data underscoring the urgency of the issue: The amount of carbon sequestered by U.S. forest land decreased by 22 percent from 1990 to 2019 due to a combination of drought, wildfire and disturbances by insects and disease. In webcast presentations this fall on its work to update agency policy, the Forest Service showed that the amount of mature and old-growth forest in National Forests exposed to temperatures in excess of 90 degrees for more than two months a year has doubled compared to the last three decades of the last century. If global carbon emissions continue on a high trajectory, exposure to such extreme temperatures is on track to double again by mid-century and double again by the end of the 21st century. This will raise the destructiveness of fires.

Of Indiana’s original 20 million acres of forest, fewer than 2,000 acres of old-growth forests remain intact. Most of the sites that remain are now protected as nature preserves, and many have been selected as National Natural Landmarks. The government has shown little interest in preserving even this small amount of old growth forests.

—Norm Holy

The states that rely on the Colorado River, which is shrinking because of climate change and overuse, are rushing to agree on a long-term deal to share the dwindling resource by the end of the year. They worry that a change in administrations after the election could set back talks. The story appeared in the New York Times.

Negotiators are seeking an agreement that would prepare for extraordinary cuts in the amount of river water that can be tapped. The Colorado provides drinking water to 40 million people in seven states, 30 tribes and Mexico, as well as irrigation for some of America’s most productive farmland. But the amount of water flowing in the Colorado has declined over time as rising temperatures reduce the snowpack that feeds the river.

The rules that govern the distribution of Colorado River water expire at the end of 2026. Negotiators are trying to reach a deal quickly, in case the White House changes hands. It’s not the prospect of a Republican administration that is particularly concerning, negotiators said, but rather a change in personnel and the time required to build new relationships between state and federal officials.

The Colorado River hit a crisis a year and a half ago, when dangerously low water levels threatened the water supply for California, Arizona and Nevada, prompting the Biden administration to seek an agreement among states on deep cuts. That crisis receded after last year’s unusually wet winter, which temporarily reduced pressure on the river; in May, California, Arizona and Nevada agreed to more modest reductions than what the government had initially sought.

But those negotiations were a precursor to a much harder challenge. Whatever agreement replaces the current rules will require far deeper reductions than in the past.

—Norm Holy

John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate, plans to step down by spring, ending a three-year run in a major diplomatic role that was created especially for him and which will face an uncertain future with his departure.

Mr. Kerry, age 80, has served as the president’s top diplomat on climate change since early 2021, working to cajole governments around the world to aggressively cut their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. He led the U.S. negotiating team through three United Nations climate summits, reasserting American leadership after the country withdrew from the Paris climate agreement during the Trump administration. Mr. Kerry championed cooperation on global warming between the United States and China, the world’s two largest polluters, during times of tension.

The bottom line concerning his leadership is that little was accomplished. His persuasion was too gentle. He failed to communicate the urgency required to make progress. He does not seem to recognize how quickly we are reaching a point where a couple billion people will be facing calamity.

—Norm Holy

Feature Report:

And now, Part Four of a conversation between Zyro Roze and Aliyah Keuthan, a sustainability educator and homesteader from Owen County, about her formative years, education and passion for environmental and social justice.

And now for some upcoming events:

• Learn some Indiana history during the Village History Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, January 27th, from 1 to 1:30 pm. Meet at the Village Ordinary Concession Stand and take a leisurely stroll with Tony to hear about the village’s past.
• The Whooper Wednesdays will continue at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area until February 21st. Come to the Visitors Center on Wednesday, January 31st, at 8 am to walk the property and see if you can spot some of the resident birds, including the endangered Whooping Crane. Make sure to dress for the weather.
• “Eagles Over Monroe” is an annual event that celebrates Monroe Lake’s unique history with the Bald Eagle. The event begins on Thursday, February 1st and runs through Sunday, February 4th with special activities planned for each day. Go to bit.ly/eom2024 to get the full schedule.
• There will be an Owl Prowl at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area on Friday, February 2nd, from 5 to 6:30 pm. Meet at the Visitors Center to learn all about owls, then you will head outside to get a look at some of the resident short-eared owls. Dress for the weather.
• Brown County State Park continues their Winter Hike Series with The Lake That Never Was hike on Saturday, February 3rd, from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Hike to the Taylor Hollow Lake to see the 3rd lake in Brown County that was started and never completed. This is a 2.5 mile, rugged hike. Wear water proof shoes and dress for the weather.

Credits:

This week’s headlines were written by Norm Holy

Today’s news feature was produced Zyro Roze and edited by Kade Young.

Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team.

Julianna Dailey compiled our events calendar.

Kade Young and Noelle Herhusky-Schneider produced today’s show.

Branden Blewett is our engineer.