Will Climate Change Leave Big Sky High and Dry of Powder?
Globally renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker headlines release of Big Sky SNO Climate change Action Plan and panel discussion moderated by MoJo's Joseph T. O'Connor
What will winter be if business as usual continues?
by Mountain Journal
Big Sky, Montana was born half a century ago as a winter destination resort for snowsports enthusiasts but by the middle of this century will there still be sufficient snowpack to sustain not only the abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities known today, but also the winter economy?
That is among many questions that will be posed—and hopefully addressed—when a coalition of citizens and groups arrayed behind Big Sky SNO (Sustainability Network Organization) unveils the enclave’s first-ever community Climate Action Plan. The report’s release on the evening of February 16 at Big Sky’s The Independent theater will feature a keynote address from globally renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker of Bozeman, a panel discussion with distinguished experts and a few short films from the nonprofit Protect Our Winters
Moderating the panel discussion is Big Sky resident and journalist Joseph T. O’Connor who is the managing editor of Mountain Journal. Joining him on stage will be Anker, Taylor Middleton, president and COO of Big Sky Resort; Dr. Cathy Whitlock an expert on the ecology of climate change and a member of the National Academies of Sciences; and Lill Erickson, executive director of the Western Sustainability Exchange, which works closely with ranchers and farmers in Northern Rockies states.
Anker, long a team leader with The North Face outdoor recreation gear company, is a legendary feature in the climbing world. He has summited Everest multiple times, was among the climbers who found the body of renowned mountaineer George Mallory, was featured in the Academy-Award winning documentary Meru with Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk, and more recently in semi-retirement has pursued his academic interest in addressing climate change.
Around the world, communities, organizations, businesses and citizens are coming together around a broad climate action plan that also has as an objective to devise strategies right for every local place. According to a press release from SNO’s Director of Community Sustainability Lizzie Peyton and one of its board members Marne Hayes, the overarching global goal is achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The global CAP “acts as a trail map to achieve climate goals through a broad spectrum of collective and collaborative community actions. Creating actionable items encourages robust buy-in, reducing our emissions and protecting our natural environment,” they wrote. “The Big Sky Community CAP offers a projected perspective on the reality of future emissions if activities are to remain on the same track as ‘Business-As-Usual’; an abysmal trajectory for the future of Big Sky and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
“The CAP is a very powerful document with a wealth of information,” Boz Boswell, Vice President of Design in Yellowstone Club Development, and a Climate Action Plan participant stated in the press release. “It invites the broader community to make a positive change for ourselves, and the environment.”
Still, many questions remain. The evening, which starts at 6 p.m. at The Independent (50 Ousel Falls Road in Big Sky) promises to be thought provoking and entertaining. Those interested in attending can reserve a free spot by clicking here: CAP Launch Tickets.
The trend of warming temperatures isn't speculation. It's visible in the record of winnowing snowpack, melting glaciers, low river flows and wildfires. Here, in the photos above from Greg Pederson, a climatologist with the USGS, the retreat and steady disappearance of Boulder Glacier in Glacier National Park is clearly visible.
