Migratory grasshoppers left this once-three-foot-tall wheatfield in Malta, Montana, barren in 2021. Drought in the Treasure State is expected to worsen along with other western states, and the DNRC recently released an updated version of Montana's Drought Management Plan, a project three years in the making. Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA Media
by Julia Barton
It doesn’t take an
expert to notice the difference in snowpack between this year and last in Greater
Yellowstone—the contrast is night and day. In January 2023, Montana’s Madison,
Gallatin and Upper Yellowstone basins each reported a snow water equivalent at
least 10 percent above average, while in December, the same areas held just
52-60 percent of their typical SWE, per data
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
What these numbers point to is drought, a condition made up of a number of indicators, that has been a part of Montana’s landscape for centuries.
That’s according to the state's recently released updated Drought Management
Plan.
Penned by the Montana
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the plan took three years to
put together and considers the voices of various stakeholders, including
hundreds of Montanans and a collection of state and tribal agencies. The
planning process began in 2020 following an appropriation from the 2019 Montana
Legislature and a Drought Contingency Planning Grant from the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation.
While drought is considered common in Montana, severity levels can vary greatly from year to year, and the indicators that factor into drought classification are many. At left: Montana's drought classification on Dec. 5, 2023. At right: Montana's drought classification on Dec. 7, 2021. Maps courtesy U.S. Drought Monitor
A few notable changes have
been made since the previous plan was enacted in 1995, since it predated the
U.S. Drought Monitor, a tool developed in 1999 that offers a standardized
drought assessment weekly across the country. Additionally, overall monitoring
equipment has improved and precipitation has decreased.
“In Montana, drought
is a recurring event that can last for multiple years, sometimes, even decades,”
the new plan reads. “Future drought is projected to be more severe and longer
lasting due to warmer temperatures caused by long-term shifts in temperatures
and weather patterns.”
The plan outlines 36
recommendations impacting water storage, water policy, funding, monitoring,
community governance, and agency coordination. The recommendations emphasize
both responses to and preparedness for drought.
Drought impacts extend
beyond agriculture and recreation, and have widespread effects on landscapes
and livelihood. Stay tuned to Mountain
Journal for more in-depth reporting about how this season’s low
precipitation is impacting Greater Yellowstone and its wildlife.
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About Julia Barton
Julia Barton is a freelance journalist and communications specialist based out of Bozeman. A Montana native, she earned a journalism degree from the University of Southern California and reports on the environment, outdoor recreation and the arts.
