Global warming threatens to damage 12 of the nation’s most prominent parks, including Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde national parks, according to a new report.
The study, released Tuesday by the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, says global warming will hit harder in the West, citing research that indicates temperatures will rise 3 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.
Among the global-warming changes forecast for the parks are the loss of glaciers at Glacier National Park by 2030, the eradication of Joshua trees at Joshua Tree National Park and reduced rafting opportunities at the Lake Mead and Glen Canyon natural areas.
“A climate disrupted by heat-trapping pollution is the gravest threat our national parks have ever faced,” said Stephen Saunders, an author of the report and a former deputy assistant secretary of the interior overseeing the National Park Service.
In Colorado, big changes are forecast at Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain national parks. Rocky Mountain is ranked among the top three parks vulnerable to ecosystem changes.
The report claims a 5.4 degree rise in temperature could eliminate half of the park’s alpine tundra by enabling trees to grow on the tundra.
It also cites research indicating a bird species – the white-tailed ptarmigan – could be extinct in the park by mid-century.
Similar negative effects are projected for Mesa Verde, in southwest Colorado. There, the report says, fires and floods could ruin a wide array of cultural artifacts.
“The good news is that we have the technology and know-how to reduce global- warming pollution,” said Theo Spencer of the Natural Resource Defense Council. “State and local leaders are catching on that we need to save these parks and move towards a clean energy future.”
While scientists agree the Earth’s temperature is rising, they disagree what the impacts may be, especially on a regional scale.
“None of the models demonstrate much skill on regional variability,” said climatologist Roger Pielke Sr., a senior researcher at the University of Colorado.
Rocky Mountain Climate, which consists of nine Colorado governments, Denver Water, 10 businesses and six nonprofits, recommends the Park Service take steps to reduce the impact of global warming, including revising park management plans.
Park officials say they are addressing global warming’s impact, playing host to several scientific studies gauging the effects on the ecosystem.
“It’s something we’re concerned about and we look at it as a priority,” said Kyle Patterson, a spokeswoman for Rocky Mountain National Park.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
