On November 11, 2011, the Friends of Mt. Adams hosted their first, annual science-based conference on "Mt. Adams in a Warming Climate," in Trout Lake, Washington. They partnered with the Friends of the White Salmon River, the Gifford Pinchot Task Force, The U.S. Forest Service (Gifford Pinchot National Forest), and the Yakama Nation.
As far as I know, this was the first global climate change conference to be held in our area and to be open to the public. Whatever one believes or does not believe about global climate change, it is here and it is happening now and we will all be affected. We can hide our heads in the sand and pretend all is well or we can start preparing ourselves to meet head on the changes that are occurring all around us.
The topics at the conference were: "Mount Adams (Pahto): A Geographic Overview," presented by Darryl Lloyd; "Human Ecology, Culture, and History of Mt. Adams," Cheryl Mack (archaeologist, retired, USFS) and Rick McClure (archaeologist, USFS, Gifford Pincho National Forest); "Twentieth Century Glacier Change on Mount Adams," Dr. Andrew Fountain (Portland State University); "The View from the Treeline: Climate Change Impacts on Alpine and Sub-Alpine Ecosystems," Dr. Jeremy Littell (University of Washinton Climate Impacts Group); and "Management Options for Minimizing Wildfire Risk and Maximizing Carbon Storage in Western Forests Under Future Climate Changes," Dr. Robert Scheller (Portland State University).
More to follow: What did we learn at the conference?
