Latest news with #wildfireRisk
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Herd mentality: Goats deployed by some Colorado cities for better environmental results
Goats graze along the Colorado Riverfront Trail in Grand Junction in 2025. (Sharon Sullivan for Colorado Newsline) Pedestrians and bicyclists along the Colorado Riverfront Trail in Grand Junction may have noticed something out of the ordinary this spring. In some fenced-off sections near Blue Heron Lake, 700 goats are grazing on an array of invasive species such as tamarisk, Russian olive, kochia, and Russian knapweed. Grand Junction is using goats to combat noxious weeds to make more room for native plants like cottonwood trees and willows. At the same time, they are lowering the risk of wildfire in this hot, dry, high-desert landscape by reducing the vegetative fuel load. 'It can be hard to stop a fire where there's lots of vegetation,' said Rob Davis, Grand Junction forester and open space supervisor. 'If it gets going on a windy day, and there's lots of downed debris …with 9 inches of precipitation a year, and high summer temperatures, the fire risk is high. Using goats for grazing is an environmentally-friendly strategy to help us reduce fire risks and knock down some of our invasive weeds.' Plus, people out recreating enjoy seeing the goats, Davis added. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'There's that added benefit that people just like it,' he said. A goatherder watches over the goats and nudges them down the trail after they've sufficiently grazed a patch of dead or unwanted vegetation. Goats will typically leave the mature cottonwoods and willows alone. However, the city sometimes places a fence around young trees to keep the goats from munching on the saplings. On the Front Range in Boulder County, the town of Superior has brought in a herd of 300 goats to graze on its open spaces for both weed control and fire mitigation. The catastrophic Marshall Fire in 2021 destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the region. Superior first began using goats in 2019, as a sustainable method for vegetation management. After the Marshall Fire the town 'doubled down' on using goats for fire mitigation, said Leslie Clark, director of Superior's parks, recreation and open space. Superior evaluates its open space properties annually to prioritize where to graze the goats each summer and winter, Clark said. Properties are monitored to gauge results before and after grazing. 'Initial results look positive,' Clark said. 'People like the results. The goats reduce the vegetative fuel that contributes to wildfire risk. The goats leave the area looking natural. The city later reseeds the areas with native species to improve biodiversity and reduce the number of noxious weeds.' People like the results. The goats reduce the vegetative fuel that contributes to wildfire risk. The goats leave the area looking natural. – Leslie Clark, director of Superior's parks, recreation and open space Using goats for weed control and fire mitigation is not new. Lani Malmberg, owner of Colorado-based Goat Green, said she was the first company to offer this type of fire mitigation work 25 years ago. She and her goats have been featured in The New York Times, the L.A. Times, and other national publications. She now runs her Goat Green grazing business with her son Donny Benz and his fiancée. Malmberg, 68, said she conceived the idea of using goats decades ago while studying botany, biology and environmental restoration at then-Mesa State College in Grand Junction. She said she watched how knapweed took over a cornfield while working a summer job in Colorado. It occurred to her then, 'Someone ought to run a business to eat the problem,' Malmberg recalled. 'Now there are a lot of goat businesses' — and she has trained people at some of them. Lockheed Martin uses 1,200 of Malmberg's goats for fire mitigation at its facility in Littleton. Goat Green has done grazing projects for many Colorado cities in the past, including Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Castle Pines, Broomfield, Golden, Glenwood Springs and Carbondale. 'Over the past 30 years I have worked in all the Western states, doing fire mitigation in California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Montana and Nebraska,' Malmberg said. When asked where her company is based, she replied, 'Under my hat — wherever I'm on contract.' 'Fire mitigation is a big deal. Open space (managers) are clamoring to get goats. People are jumping into it. It's an alternative to machinery and chemicals.' Superior pays for the goat service via grants from FEMA and Boulder County, with matching grants provided by the town of Superior. The program is funded from 2025 through 2027. Louisville has used goats to control noxious weeds for several years, said Nathaniel Goeckner, the city's natural resource supervisor. Louisville contracts with Goats on the Go, in Boulder County, to graze 200 goats on open space around Louisville. Depending on the vegetation, the city also uses cattle for fire mitigation work, Goeckner said. Its grazing program is paid for with grants from Boulder County and a city sales tax. Longmont also uses goats — though not for fire mitigation, said Jim Krick, ecosystem manager for Longmont's Parks and Natural Resources. The city has brought in goats since 2023 for weed control — targeting kochia in particular, where it competes with native plants. The goats are brought in just before the weeds form and spread their seeds, Krick said. Longmont typically grazes goats on an acre per year based on its budget. Grand Junction contracts with Ecological Grazing Service, owned by Jennifer Studt, who, along with her husband, raises goats and sheep on a ranch in nearby Loma. She hires a goatherder who stays with the goats the entire time, moving his small camper, and the goats, down the trail when an area is sufficiently grazed. Studt says goats do particularly well here because they have a more resilient stomach. They can eat poisonous plants like Russian knapweed, which is highly toxic to most animals — but not goats, she said. And, whereas Russian olive seeds pass through other animals' dung, which then gets repopulated elsewhere, in a goat's gut the seed won't survive, Studt said. Therefore, goats don't spread noxious weeds. Studt's goats began grazing along the riverfront May 23 and will finish eating their way along the trail by the end of this month. They'll return in late October, when other annual weeds begin to germinate. 'There are bucket loads of dead noxious weeds here,' Studt said. 'And while goats will eat live plants too, they really like the crunchy, dead material — a lot of other animals not so much. Goats like a lot of roughage in their diet. We're taking something noxious, poisonous to other animals and turn it into fertilizer which helps overall soil health — which helps the native plants come back.' Using goats to reduce fuel loads, and invasive plant species is a more environmentally friendly method than using chemicals, Davis said. The Grand Junction program is funded through the city's operating budget. Although using goats doesn't necessarily eliminate the use of herbicides, it reduces the amount of chemicals used in grazing areas, said Grand Junction spokesperson Kelsey Coleman in an email to Colorado Newsline. The town of Superior contracts with Goat Bros, which Clark said offers educational days when the public can meet the goats close up, and learn how goats improve the environment. 'It's an opportunity to get closer to the goats,' Clark said. 'We don't want people interacting with them, otherwise — they're working.' Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Drought conditions hold steady across most of Colorado, with some areas worsening
This week's drought update shows little overall change across Colorado, but some areas—particularly in the northwest—are seeing worsening conditions. CBS In Moffat and Routt counties, drought severity has ticked up slightly, moving into the severe category. Meanwhile, extreme drought continues to grip much of western Colorado, including counties like Gunnison, Mesa, Delta, Garfield, Pitkin, and Montrose. Persistent dryness in western Colorado is raising concerns for wildfire risk, and water supply heading into the peak summer months. CBS But there is some good news. Much of the southeastern Colorado as well portions of the Denver metro area, remains drought-free. This area has benefited from recent spring storms and a relatively wet start to the summer. The 90 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temperatures for the entire state for July, August and September. CBS
CBC
11-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Quebecers are in for a hotter-than-average summer, Environment Canada forecasts
Quebecers appear to be in for a sweltering summer, with hotter-than-normal temperatures on the horizon. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) unveiled its seasonal forecast on Tuesday, which shows that most of the country is in for warmer-than-average summer temperatures. The seasonal forecast doesn't tell you when exactly you might experience days of extreme heat or heat waves, and that's why ECCC meteorologist Jennifer Smith says it's important to stay informed and be prepared. "When a heat wave hits and lasts several days, it's important to have a plan," said Smith. That can include signing up for alerts to be up to date on weather systems in your area and in case of extreme heat, staying cool and hydrated and taking care of those who are vulnerable. Despite the very high probability of a hotter summer, ECCC maps indicate the wildfire weather risk will be on par with seasonal averages for the province. The risk is greater in Western Canada, where as of May 30, wildfires have burned an area three times bigger than the 10-year average. Fires burning elsewhere can still impact Quebec with air quality at risk of worsening when plumes of smoke travel away from the source. To track air quality in your area, you can consult the ECCC's Air Quality Health Index or wildfire smoke map. Warmer summer and extreme heat, new normal ECCC meteorologists stressed that climate change plays a role in seasonal forecasts, with Canada's average summer temperatures having warmed by 1.8 degrees since national record-keeping began in 1948. Quebec, like the rest of Canada due to its position in the northern hemisphere, is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is warming at a rate that is two times faster than other regions in the world, according to Ouranos, Quebec's climatology and climate change innovation hub. What that means is that the province is set to see more days of extreme heat and more heat waves in the near future. "If we just think of the number of 30 C days, for example, those are expected to increase pretty drastically over the next few decades," said Ouranos climatologist Chris McCray. Modelling maps simulating moderate greenhouse gas emissions show Montreal could see an average of 23.5 days with temperatures above 30 C from 2031 to 2060, up from an average of 12 days for the period from 1991 to 2020. "Because we've put … so much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere over the last few 100 years, the warming is already in progress," said McCray. And because emissions have not started to decrease on a global scale, McCray said, global and local temperatures are going to continue to increase. "Unfortunately, those changes at this point are inevitable in the short term," he said. Impacts of climate change on health The warming climate is likely to have a significant impact on public health, McCray said. "We know heat is a big contributor to cardiovascular issues, people who already have health, physical and mental health issues, those problems can be aggravated and worsened by extreme heat," he said. Heat-related deaths in Quebec currently average 470 annually, according to research cited by Ouranos. Projections under a moderate emissions scenario indicate this could double or triple by 2040. The economic costs linked to heat are already substantial, at an estimated $3.6 billion per year. Ouranos warns these costs could also increase by three to five times under the same scenario. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so Quebec is also likely to see an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, which can lead to localized flooding. McCray said unfortunately, much of the urban infrastructure that exists now was built for a climate that no longer exists. While in the long term, the solution to reduce the impacts of climate change is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in the short term, "we need to adapt," McCray said. Things like planting more trees to reduce urban heat islands, adding more sponge parks and decreasing areas with asphalt and concrete surfaces are all measures that can help.
National Post
10-06-2025
- Climate
- National Post
AEM Report: Western U.S. Drought Nearly Triples in One Year, Threatening Critical Resources and Infrastructure
Article content 2025 Summer Weather Outlook Highlights Urgent Need for Action Amid Escalating Water Scarcity, Agricultural Challenges, and Infrastructure Risks Article content GERMANTOWN, Md. — The Western United States faces a rapidly worsening drought crisis, with affected areas nearly tripling compared to last year, according to AEM's 2025 Summer Weather Outlook, which was released today. This significant drought expansion raises serious concerns about water availability, agricultural productivity, wildfire threats, and infrastructure stability across the region. Article content The report shows Lake Mead and Lake Powell, crucial reservoirs providing water for millions, have reached alarmingly low levels, holding just one-third of their usual capacity. This shortage poses significant challenges to agriculture, urban water supplies, and industries reliant on consistent water availability. In Nebraska, drought conditions have notably impacted agriculture, severely affecting more than half of the state's corn acreage. Article content The severe drought conditions are further intensifying wildfire risks, particularly around the July 4th holiday, historically associated with increased wildfire activity. The Outlook indicates that areas such as California, the Great Basin, and the northern Rockies are projected to face above-normal fire potential throughout the summer months, further straining firefighting resources and endangering communities. Canada is also facing extreme fire danger across western provinces, with burned acreage already triple the seasonal average. Article content 'This summer will bring a dangerous combination of heat, dryness, and fuel buildup that elevates wildfire risks across North America,' said James Aman, Senior Meteorologist at AEM. 'We're already seeing an above-average number of wildfires in the U.S., with similar trends north of the border.' Article content Additionally, hotter-than-normal temperatures are expected across the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and the Upper Midwest, exacerbating drought conditions and placing significant stress on regional electric grids. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) specifically faces heightened vulnerability due to anticipated peak summer air-conditioning demands, highlighting the critical need for adaptive energy management and infrastructure resilience. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact: Article content Article content Neal Stein Article content Article content Article content
