Barry Murray of the North Kensington Watershed sent me this articulate article on how everyday Islanders can help track the climate changes that are occurring in our backyards and neighbourhoods. This information is valuable to have now but will be especially valuable in the years to come. With his permission, I share with you this call to action.<\/p>\n
Our climate is changing, of that there is no reasonable doubt.\u00a0 A few who really like to argue will continue to debate why it is happening, but, it is happening.\u00a0 During the winter of 1920, there were 20 days below -20 degrees C.\u00a0 In 2011 there were none.\u00a0 These are extremes, but they represent the undeniable trend that our climate, especially during winter months, is warming.<\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Adam Fenech is presently the director of the Climate Lab at the\u00a0University of Prince Edward Island.\u00a0 His research includes collecting and analyzing data from our local environment here on PEI.\u00a0 Dr. Fenech (who shares a 2007 Nobel Prize with those who worked with him on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) states that some of the best indicators of how our climate is changing are observable in our own neighborhoods.\u00a0 Plants are flowering or budding earlier.\u00a0 Wild geese are showing up earlier in the spring and staying later in the fall.\u00a0 Spring peepers, and other frogs, can be heard at earlier dates.\u00a0 The first date when farmers can get on the land, plant potatoes, harvest, see blight or insect pests:\u00a0 these dates are all gradually changing, and the trend is earlier.\u00a0 The opening day of lobster season in years past was often delayed due to ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.\u00a0 It was quite common that there would be a delay of opening roughly 50% of the time in years past.\u00a0 In the past 20 years, there have been few if any delays due to ice cover.<\/em><\/p>\n There are two general ways that we can contribute to collecting information on our local changing climate.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n First, as Islanders, we are a people who keep great records.\u00a0 There are diaries that we, or people we know, have kept that have incredibly valuable climate related information.\u00a0 There are diaries, some dating back for several decades, that have recorded the first day on the land, the last frost in the spring, the first frost in the fall, the first day that smelts were caught, setting day for lobster season, the first day mackerel were caught, first day that apple or cherry blossoms were seen, or spring peepers, migrating birds, Colorado beetle, dandelions and other plants blooming, potato blight, natural ice skating rinks, notable storms or other weather events\u2026 there are many possibilities of information that has been recorded that can have huge value to those who study our changing climate closely.<\/em><\/p>\n The second way we can contribute is to observe from this time forward those things in our lives that indicate change in our climate.\u00a0 There are many ways of doing this.\u00a0 A good one is by using the website www.naturewatch.ca<\/a> .\u00a0 There are very good instructions and recording methods for observing ice, plants, frogs, and even worms.\u00a0 It may sound a little off the wall, but if these observations are made carefully, over a long period, in several locations, they will provide high\u00a0 \u00a0quality information that will be more meaningful than simple temperate data.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Why is this important?\u00a0 Why should we bother digging through old diaries or recording new information?\u00a0 It may come down to how well we may hope to adjust and cope with changing climate in years to come.\u00a0 How will crops adapt to a warming climate?\u00a0 How will new pests affect our farms and gardens?\u00a0 How will the fisheries change, and how will the fishing sectors adapt?\u00a0 Will longer seasons, possibly with more stormy weather, be a benefit to tourism?\u00a0 What kind of homes should we build, or improvements should we make?<\/em><\/p>\n If you have information, or would like to contribute, please help with this valuable research by contacting Kensington North Watersheds at kensigntonnorthwatershed@gmail.com<\/a>, or 432-4988.\u00a0 You can also contact Dr. Fenech directly at \u00a0afenech@upei.ca<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Barry Murray of the North Kensington Watershed sent me this articulate article on how everyday Islanders can help track the climate changes that are occurring in our backyards and neighbourhoods. This information is valuable to have now but will be … Continue reading