Last week I borrowed a standup paddleboard and with a friend
enjoyed a lazy float down several miles of the Wenatchee River near
Leavenworth. With the temperature in the high 80s and nearly no wind the
setting was perfect: no crowds, abundant wildlife and the peaceful sound of
water on its journey down, perpetually heading toward the ocean. There was,
however, something amiss about this dog day afternoon adventure- the water
itself. Typically mountain streams like the Icicle and the Wenatchee are cold
enough to keep most of us from jumping in and splashing around for minutes or
even hours at a time like one might at the community pool. But on this
afternoon the water was so warm we, like many others, swam unhampered by numbed
body parts and goose bumps. While it may feel great to us, this warm water
spells trouble for fish and wildlife and points to a serious problem: drought.
Surely it’s no surprise to anyone that the entire west coast
is experiencing severe drought, but for many of us we’re not sure what exactly
that means. How should that influence our daily routine? What are ways we
exacerbate or alleviate the effects? How will drought affect me? Fortunately
there are plenty of resources answering these questions and more. For starters
check out our drought page
on our website. For more detailed reports
and information see the following sites:
- National Drought Mitigation Center - http://drought.unl.edu/ranchplan/Overview.aspx
- Washington State Department of Agriculture - http://agr.wa.gov/PestFert/natresources/Drought.aspx
- Washington State Department of Ecology - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/drought
- Washington State University - http://drought.wsu.edu/
