Turn Off the Lights, Save Water

Living in Wyoming we are always aware of the scarcity of water. The majority of Wyoming receives less than 15″ of precipitation annually.  Water, even more so, potable water, is becoming a global problem. We hear a lot about reducing water usage by using low flow shower heads and commodes, turning the tap off when possible, watering the yard in the cool hours of the day, and planting low water use plants for landscaping. These are all good ideas and I try to do them all, and teach my kids to do the same.

We also talk about reducing energy usage by getting fuel efficient cars, turning off the lights, and getting energy efficient appliances, but I don’t think I realized that by doing these things I am also reducing water usage.

There’s a great over view of how energy production uses vast amounts of water in a video entitled Water: Lifeblood of Energy, viewable online. Basically all of our electrical generation uses steam, and water plays a major role in refining oil. Here’s a few facts gleaned from the show:

• American energy production uses as much water as American agriculture
• Steam is used to generate 90% of our energy
• It takes 3-6 gallons of water to make a gallon of gasoline
• It takes a gallon of water to make one kilowatt hour of electricity (about how much an average sized air conditioner uses in one hour)
• It takes 4 gallons of water to produce ethanol and that’s not including the water to produce corn on irrigated farmlands
• Americans use more water running lights and appliances than running the tap
• Even solar thermal power requires steam generators. It’s one of the largest consumers of water per kilowatt in the energy industry

On a side note, it’s often wondered why Wyoming exports so much oil and refines so little within the state. Lack of large sources of water for refiners has been a critical factor. (Larson, T.A. 1984. Wyoming A History. pgs 163-166)

 

Wyoming Sage Grouse Conservation and Land Use

In 2010,  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife decided the greater sage grouse would be kept in consideration for placing on the endangered species list. They say the listing is “warranted,” but there are too many other endangered species needing attention at this time.

“Based on a  12-month status review pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish  & Wildlife Service determined that the listing of the species was warranted  but precluded by higher priorities.”¹

“As a  result, the greater sage-grouse will be placed on the list of species that are  candidates for Endangered Species Act Protection. The Service will review the  status of the species annually, as it does with all candidate species, and will  propose the species for protection when funding and workload priorities for other listing actions allow” ²

Recently, a report was released outlining conservation strategies for the greater sage grouse.  There is a special consideration for the greater sage grouse of Wyoming in a draft umbrella conservation agreement called the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA).

According to the announcement in the Federal Register, “The intent of the umbrella CCAA is to use voluntary, proactive conservation measures to reduce or remove threats to the greater sage-grouse, thereby potentially reducing the need to list the species. (Even though the initial press release is not stated this way-wyominglife) The draft umbrella CCAA covers an area of approximately 17 million acres of privately owned lands within the range of the greater sage-grouse in Wyoming.”³

In this voluntary agreement, private land owners are given options on how to improve sage grouse habitat with the goal of increasing numbers within the historical range of Wyoming sage grouse. The difficulty in achieving this is that sage grouse are deemed a  ”landscape-scale” species, meaning they utilize different habitats seasonally as well as developmentally. (Juvenile sage grouse diets differ from adult male diets, etc.) Sage grouse move across various habitat types within the sage brush prairie. Wyoming contains some of the largest tracts of sage brush steppe, so we have a good chance of impacting this species’ numbers positively.

So, What is the Problem?

Some of the specific threats to the Greater Sage Grouse listed in the CCAA are:

• habitat fragmentation
• monocultures of non-natives
• non-native invasive plant species
• wildland fire can remove long-lived species such as sagebrush
• sagebrush management
• livestock, humans, and vehicle activity can physically disturb birds
• application of insecticides can remove insects important to sage-grouse
• concentrated or overabundant wildlife populations can harm plant communities
• concentration of livestock may impact vegetation and soil structure

Obviously some of these threats are more easily managed than others. Some, like wildfires, are pretty much out of our control, although we may choose to ‘fight’ fires, or not. If you are unfamiliar with the controversy surrounding Wyoming’s Greater Sage Grouse conservation, I have relisted the mentioned threats and placed in parentheses common land use practices that could cause said threats. The conflict becomes apparent.

• habitat fragmentation (oil and gas drilling, roads, housing developments)
• monocultures of non-natives (farming)
• non-native invasive plant species (a side effect of roads, farming, housing, animal movement, drilling …. )
• wildland fire can remove long-lived species such as sagebrush
• sagebrush management (ie removal with pesticides/mechanical/controlled burns in order to increase grasses for grazing or to reduce fire potential. A common practice for the last 5 or 6 decades)
• livestock, humans, and vehicle activity can physically disturb birds (No comment necessary. People live here.)
• application of insecticides can remove insects important to sage-grouse (Farming, although insecticides are not used at the levels common to the crops in the eastern part of the US. Towns spraying for mosquitos.)
• concentrated or overabundant wildlife populations can harm plant communities (Big game management. Big game migration corridors.)
• concentration of livestock may impact vegetation and soil structure (Ranching, one of the major industries in Wyoming)

1  http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2013/03252013_COT.html

2  http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/birds/sagegrouse/

3 http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/birds/sagegrouse/78FR9066.pdfhttp://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/birds/sagegrouse/78FR9066.pdf

Wyoming on the Edge of Ogallala Aquifer

The headlines read Aquifer study could lead to water use restrictions in Laramie County  It’s hard to believe we could be draining such a large water resource as the Ogallala Aquifer.

From Iowa State: The Ogallala Aquifer underlies approximately 225,000 square miles in the Great Plains region, particularly in the High Plains of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. The depth of the aquifer from the surface of the land, its rate [sic] of natural thickness, vary from region to region. The aquifer has long been a major source of water for agricultural, municipal, and industrial development.

Use of the aquifer began at the turn of the century, and since World War II reliance on it has steadily increased. The withdrawal of this groundwater has now greatly surpassed the aquifer’s rate of natural recharge. Some places overlying the aquifer have already exhausted their underground supply as a source of irrigation. Other parts have more favorable saturated thicknesses and recharge rates, and so are less vulnerable.

Natural recharge to the Ogallala happens mostly by rain and snow fall percolating through the soil back into the aquifer. Playa lakes are recognized as another primary source of recharge.

Laramie County, home to Wyoming’s capital, Cheyenne, sits on the western edge of the aquifer. It’s quite possible well water restrictions could be in the future for this area of Wyoming. The town itself gets water from nearby reservoirs, so water restrictions affecting the Ogallala will mostly impact area farmers. The local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is coordinating a unique, and fairly drastic, effort to slow the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer: helping farmers give up water wells over a period of years and phase out dependence on irrigated crops.

To anyone who farms with irrigation this is a drastic step. The results of giving up  the ability to pump water from deep wells could mean a range of adjustments including improving irrigation efficiency in an attempt to use less total water or fewer wells, planting fewer acres, switching to dryland crops,  changing the production process of the farm to a different commodity, or the most cutting; quitting the business all together.

Dryland farming on the high plains is full of risk. Some years a crop can be realized, but other years, when the rain does not come at the right time, crops shrivel up in the ground, or even refuse to sprout at all. In order to assist farmers in making these adjustments, financial help and technical advice are given through the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), administered by the NRCS. Participation in the AWEP is completely voluntary. With the help of AWEP, some farmers have already begun to make changes in order to conserve water.

 

Image from: High Plains Water District     http://www.hpwd.com/aquifers/ogallala-aquifer

Medicine Lodge: Etchings of the Past

Sandstone bluff containing petroglyphs and pictographs at Medicine Lodge

The obvious feature along Medicine Lodge Creek is the 750 foot long sandstone bluff containing a fascinating display of petroglyphs and pictographs. Petroglyphs are images carved into the stone with a sharp object. Pictographs are painted onto the surface. I imagine the bluff has caught the attention of both Native Americans and European settlers for centuries, but it wasn’t until the 1960′s that an organized archeological study of the area was undertaken.

In 1969 then Wyoming State Archeologist, George Frison, began a methodical dig and inventory of the site. It was discovered that the site has been occupied continuously for over 10,000 years. The layers of relics and artifacts discovered have given us modern visitors to Medicine Lodge a look into how Paleoindians, and more recently the Native American Crow tribe, have lived, including what they ate, the tools they used, and some insight into how they moved across this landscape through the seasons.

The site is now a Wyoming State Archeological Site. It is located  alongside Medicine Lodge Creek; a beautiful mountain stream brimming with brown trout. Located at the western foot of the Bighorn Mountains, this is prime winter range for elk and deer. Its five vegetation zones and perennial water source provide habitat for a diverse population of wildlife. Along with the larger ungulates, birds, rabbits, marmots, beaver, weasels, badgers, porcupines, muskrats, fox, coyote, bob cats and mountain lions are common residents, making Medicine Lodge one of the best wildlife viewing areas in Wyoming.  (Click on images to see larger version).

Pictographs in red paint. You can clearly see a horned animal (bison?) on the far right. Click on image to view larger.

Petroglyph carved into the sandstone bluff.

Petroglyph with some later blackish paint? Or maybe it has just weathered to make the upper area darker. You can see the person is holding an arrow.

Mountain Snowpack Critical for Stream Flows

Well, we’ve had a few wet snows in the last two weeks here in Wyoming. Due to the warm weather in the first half of April (at least here in Central Wyoming), the soil at lower elevations is able to absorb much of the moisture from these snows, which is a welcome occurrence.

Mountain snowpack feeds streams well into the summer months, and recharges springs and seeps.

I recently heard someone comment that if they heard one more person take the optimistic attitude to the inconvenience of a foot of snow on the streets, sidewalks, and driveways using the cheery “Well, we need the moisture,” they were going to scream. But the truth is, we DO need the moisture. Convenient or not, spring snows are integral to the water cycle in the Central Rockies. Without them, we are likely to have a very short “spring green” of the lower rangelands.

These last few snow storms have resulted in the Lower Platte River basin now measuring just under 90 percent of the long term snowpack average. The Upper Platte is now reported to be at 92 percent. The northwestern Yellowstone, Snake and Madison-Gallatin are now approaching 100 percent of “normal.” (Data as of 4/18/2013 from WRDS website)

Even though my livelihood doesn’t currently depend on abundant snowpack in the spring, I still watch the data with anticipation because I know the ramifications affect so many lives. Even though my intellect tells me drought cycles have been occurring in the Western Plains for thousands of years, I still find it distressing when the prairie is “burned up” by the end of May.

There have been times in our life when our livelihood DID depend on snowpack, and thus the availability of irrigation water, and it’s more than a little stressful to watch the stream flows drop drastically in June,  knowing you need to irrigate crops until September in order to have a decent harvest.

Dry years mean anything dependent on vegetation suffers, whether it’s domestic livestock or wildlife. So as I trudge through the three foot drifts to get to the 4H pigs, or shovel yet another path, or clean another muddy floor, I will smile and say “We need the moisture,” and I’ll mean it.

Revegetation Efforts Should Focus on Native Plant Species

Propagating native plants in volumes large enough to produce commercial quantities of native seed is not always an easy, or inexpensive task, but using native plant species in revegetation efforts on federal and state lands should be the norm, not the exception.  This National Forest in Michigan is taking the needed long range approach to reseeding what may seem like small, insignificant disturbances, such as roadway culverts.  It only makes sense to me to support the native vegetation types in our national forests, even on the small projects. Doing nothing usually results in the presence of non-native plants that can be surprisingly difficult to control once they get established. Reseeding with plants not found in the area is to not appreciate the aesthetic or habitat value of the resource.

My Cross Country Skiing Primer (By and For Beginners)

I did a little cross country, or Nordic, skiing in college, but when I left the flatlands for the Rocky Mountain region I was stunned by the terrain: How could anyone ski up those hills? My cross country skis languished in various garages, closets, and attics until I got tired of lugging them around and sold them. Now, years later, my whole family has rediscovered the joys of kicking and gliding around the snow covered hills and mountains of Wyoming.

That first season we jumped into it, skiing three or four times a week, renting skis, poles, and boots from the local ski shop. As Wyoming weather would have it, this year was almost a bust as far as snow goes. Even so, I was on the hunt for ski equipment for the whole family. I am no expert by any means, but I thought my “from a novice to a novice” notes might actually be helpful. There is so much information and so many renditions of equipment out there, it can be overwhelming. Sometimes it takes a beginner to look at the basics with a fresh perspective.  The end of the season is a great time to find bargains, so here is my little primer on what to look for in cross country ski equipment for the beginner.

Cacophony Unheard

After crossing Togwotee Pass, the first glimpse of the Teton Range is full of impact. The view of these  ‘young’ mountains then goes out of site, only to hit you at closer range.

The Tetons are massive, and their size is emphasized by their abrupt rise from the plains containing the sinuous, meandering Snake River.

The Tetons are rock, sure enough, but they bring about impressions of motion, fluidity, exertion, and energy; the aftermath of their rise as huge slabs of the Earth’s crust are pushed and shoved by forces much greater than anything man can contrive.

It’s hard to brush aside descriptives like chaotic, pitching, reaching, tumultuous…. and indeed the Tetons are still rising.

The Tetons are like white capped waves of granite.

The first glimpse of the Tetons as you leave Togwotee Pass behind

When you see the Tetons at closer range you sense the movement in their making.

Tetons in the Summer

On snowy days you may not believe the 13k peaks are there.

Crystalline Wyoming Winterscape

Now I know where they got the idea for those flocked Christmas trees.

It was one of those rare mornings after a fog, where every stem, twig and needle was coated with ice crystals. I only took a couple of quick photos because we were anxious to get out into it. It was about 8 degrees F on Casper Mountain, but the sun was shining and the wind was still, so we were comfortable as we skied up the hill.

Bighorn River Then and Now: “The land is all good…”

I’ve been reading Granville Stuart’s account* of the early days in Montana (1870′s and 80′s). At one point in the book he is traveling around Montana looking for range for 5,000 head of cattle. This is just before the big herds from Texas started to arrive in that part of Montana, and there was plenty of range for the taking.

One of his favored ranges included the land around the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers. In his diary dated May 8, 1880 he states: