Climate assessment discussion coming to Havre

Staff and wire report

People in north-central Montana have a chance next week to hear about a climate science study that looked at climate trends and their impact on three key components in the function of the state — water, agriculture and forests.

“For years, stakeholders across the state have wondered how much Montana’s climate has changed and how much will it change in the future,” said Kelsey Jencso, director of the Montana Climate Office at the University of Montana. “The science to address this question has previously been performed at regional or national levels, and this assessment provides a first look at these trends and their impacts at a local level.”

The Montana Institute on Ecosystems is hosting a meeting Friday, Nov. 10, at Northern Agricultural Research Center of Montana State University, housed at Fort Assinniboine southwest of Havre on U.S. Highway 87, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It will feature presentations from authors of the recently released 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, a two-year effort by university faculty and students, state and federal agency researchers, nonprofit organizations, resource managers, and citizens from across the state. The assessment, the first in a planned series, focuses on climate trends and their consequences for three of Montana’s vital sectors: agriculture, water and forests.

Groups across Montana involved with agriculture, forestry, water and natural resource management, and tourism and recreation helped identify climate impacts on water, forests and agriculture as topics of high importance. The authors met with stakeholders, such as the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, the Montana Stockgrowers Association, the Montana Grain Growers Association, and the Farmer’s Union, as well as state and federal agencies that provided input about what challenges climate change poses and what information they need to make decisions to deal with those challenges. Local producers will share some of their experience and insights on the value of climate science data including on the decisions that impact their production operations including crop rotations, information on soil moisture and tools available to help.

“The 2017 Montana Climate Assessment can act as a tool to help the citizens of Montana understand past patterns in different regions of Montana and what the climate projections are for each so that projections can be used to inform long range planning as a prudent business practice in the sectors addressed,” said Bruce Maxwell, lead author of the Agriculture chapter and co-director of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems at Montana State University.

The event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served during the event.

Additional similar events will be held Nov. 8 at the Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City from 6 to 8 p.m. and Nov. 9 at the Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum in Fort Peck from 6 to 8 p.m.

To learn more about the Montana Institute on Ecosystems, visit http://montanaioe.org. The full 2017 Montana Climate Assessment can also be found online at http://montanaclimate.org.