"Glaciers vanishing in Glacier National Park. Sand dunes blowing away at White Sands in New Mexico. Wildfire smoke obscuring the Tetons, flames licking at the sequoias near their namesake park, Joshua trees dying out in their namesake park.
These are just some of the ways that global heating is reshaping America’s public lands.
If you care about endangered species, it’s not great. If you think we should preserve ecosystems that support human health, it’s no better. And if you enjoy hiking in wildlands during the summer — like I do — you might want to prepare yourself.
A new study from Utah State University’s Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, published this month, tries to quantify how our enjoyment of public lands will shift as temperatures rise. The researchers estimate that outdoor recreation in the summer could drop 18% by 2050, with public lands visitation rising by 12% in the winter. The summer drop-off could be greatest in the already hot and muggy South Atlantic-Gulf region, with California and other Western states seeing substantial declines, too."
Sammy Roth reports for the Los Angeles Times September 23, 2021.
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