Everyone knows that the polar ice caps are melting or that Florida may soon cease to exist. These are both great examples of global warming and yet they just do not hit home for most people. Believe it or not even here in pristine Wisconsin the effects of global warming have reared their ugly head. The climate changes in Wisconsin are small but are changes all the same. While the temperature in Wisconsin has remained unchanged, precipitation levels in some areas of the state have increased 5-10% (www.epa.gov/globalwarming). Though the climate and precipitation changes that have occurred are minimal what is predicted to happen is not.

One of Wisconsin’s most beautiful features is her forest. These woodland areas provide hiking, camping, habitat for animals, and lumber. We have often heard that we need to manage our beloved forests because they are one of Wisconsin’s greatest resources. What if we were not able to protect the forests? Not because we did not stop lumber companies from clear cutting, or because of urban sprawl, but because the effects of global warming dried out our soils and destroyed our forests growing conditions. Global warming has the potential to either change the make up or our current forest communities, cause them to decline by 55-75%, or both (www.epa.gov/globalwarming). The beautiful lush forests that we have all grown to love could be reduced to nothing more than grasslands and savanna (www.epa.gov/globalwarming). As horrible as these predictions are the forest would not be the only ecosystem affected.

Wisconsin is home to a vast variety of fish and other aquatic wildlife. These include, but are not limited to, “brown trout, walleye, musky, largemouth bass, crayfish, snails, mussels, and freshwater sponges.” (www.epa.gov/globalwarming). These species rely on the vast collection of lakes, rivers, and streams that make up Wisconsin’s aquatic ecosystem. If the temperature did increase as much as it is feared it will much of these streams and lakes would decrease in flow or even dry up. This would severely decrease the amount of suitable habitat for many of these species. As any avid fisherman knows, trout for example, are very particular about water temperature and suspended solids. This means that the stream would not even have to dry up for the habitat to be unsuitable for the trout, it would simply have to increase a few degrees in temperature. I use this example because trout fishing brings in a lot of money to Wisconsin. If the habitat is destroyed for this fish we not only lose a treasured aquatic species but also the money that sport fisherman would bring into our state. Now that we know the potential effects of global warming the question is what is being done to derail this runaway train before it is to late.

<< ----->>