Climate Point: More water fights ahead for the West?

Christmas is less than two weeks away and snowy weather is already making its presence felt across portions of the nation. But will the snow last till Dec. 25, making for a white Christmas? While it’s still too early for to forecast, meteorologists say the ongoing wintry pattern is a good sign for a snowy holiday for some folks. As of Dec. 13, snow covered 21% of the lower 48 states, NOAA said.

I’m Elizabeth Weise, a national writer on Paste BN’s climate, weather and environment team and this is Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and environmental news from around our nationwide network.  

More water fights ahead for the West?

Water woes are again hitting the West, and with them comes more in the ongoing fight over a critical but shrinking resource. The states that share the Colorado River are at an impasse over how to divvy up painful water-use reductions. Talks at an annual river conference last week ended up being about the pitfalls that could await if they take each other to court instead of reaching a deal.

The three Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada say they’ve cut deeply already and are willing to cut more, but they will need help from the Upper Basin states in especially dry years. The Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming insist they’ve always used far less than the Southwest states and would be unable to grow if they cut into what they use now.

No end appears to be in sight.

The government had hoped the states might reach an agreement by now. Instead, the Biden administration will hand off a process that still could lead to a deal, or that could degenerate into years-long litigation while the Lake Mead and Lake Powell reservoirs — currently holding 36 percent of capacity after decades of warming and drought — remain perilously close to all but draining.

Wetlands are saving homeowners billions

Water’s also an issue in Wisconsin, where wetlands save the state – and the upper Midwest – almost $23 billion per year that would otherwise be spent combating flooding, a new report.

Unfortunately, the loss of wetlands has accelerated and critical protections have eased.

The report, out this month from the Union of Concerned Scientists, notes that one acre of wetland provides $745 in flood control benefits.

Wetlands are described by some as "nature's kidneys" because they filter sediment and pollutants that would otherwise get into rivers, lakes and streams. They slow flooding during large rain events by storing excess water and can also help in droughts by gradually releasing that stored water back into the water table.

California's wolves are booming

The last wild wolf in California was shot in 1924. It wasn’t until 2011 that another padded across the Oregon border. Today, gray wolves are making a major comeback in the Golden State.

This year, officials estimate the state is home to nine packs containing 70 wolves, up from 44 last year. At least 30 pups were born this year meaning more packs are likely to form in the coming years. 

As wolves return to their ancestral hunting grounds experts say it’s a win for natural ecosystems – but ranchers aren’t happy about the expansion of a species their great-grandfathers hunted to near extinction. 

The wolves come back is due to the Endangered Species Act, which made it illegal to kill them in the Lower 48.That allowed them to begin a slow but steady migration from Idaho to Oregon and then southward.

"We didn't reintroduce wolves into California," said Axel Hunnicutt, the Gray Wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "They came on their own."

It's the annual Naming of the Whales in New England

Someone called Peter Rabbit might be expected to crave carrots and cabbage. The newest bearer of the name instead shows a voracious appetite for zooplankton.

He's a North Atlantic right whale, one of 20 of the critically endangered animals receiving a name this year as part of an annual tradition among New England scientists who collaborate on assigning names to right whales, based on the markings on the whales’ skin.

The list was unveiled Dec. 10. Peter Rabbit is joined by WALL-E, Hopscotch, Frisbee, Tally, Cremini, and Dumpling, among others.

WALL-E has a callosity that looks like the robot in the Pixar movie of the same name, as well as a small white scar behind his blowholes that look like WALL-E's friend, EVE.

The 2024 group of named whales also includes “Polaris” (catalog #3350), a 21-year-old male named for a large white scar on the left side of his head that is bright like the North Star.

Lost manatee gets an "Uber ride" to Florida

Nearly three weeks after she was found lethargic and malnourished in a drainage ditch off the Tar River near Greenville, North Carolina, a rescued manatee may become the first of her species in North Carolina to be successfully rescued and returned to the wild since the state began keeping records in the 1970s.

Capturing her was no easy feat. Manatees are large, powerful and can weigh 1,000 pounds. Rescues require a very large team using multiple nets. 

The nearly 9-foot, 855-pound female manatee was discovered in mid-November. By that time, manatees − also known as sea cows − should be well into their migration back south toward Florida and its warm winter waters.

While she wasn't injured, biologists worried she would soon start suffering from cold stress as the water and air temperatures began falling as Thanksgiving approached.

Manatees begin to get cold-stress syndrome, where their bodily functions can begin to shut down, when water temperatures drop below 68 degrees. The river she was swimming in averaging about 60 degrees when she was found. She’d swum into a drainage canal near a wastewater treatment plant, likely seeking warmth from the facility's discharged water.

"We were dealing with an animal that was in a very cold area with a cold front coming in," said Brant Gabriel, curator of rescue operations at SeaWorld Orlando, where the manatee is recuperating. "So it was decided that we would give this animal an Uber lift to the south and get her through this cold front."

Majestic monarch butterflies may get a boost

Finally, as we look towards (long-away) summer, the majestic orange and black monarch butterfly may get federal protection in the coming year.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed listing the iconic insects as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. 

Each year, millions of beautiful orange and black monarch butterflies make an extreme, multi-generational 3,000 mile migration across the United States, flocking to wintering grounds in California and Mexico. Beloved by children, the iconic species is instantly recognizable and found almost entirely in North America. 

But they’re under threat due to habitat degradation, herbicide use and loss of their beloved milkweed plants.One thing Americans who love monarchs can do is plant milkweed. It's the only plant that monarchs will lay their eggs on and is an important part of their diet. The pretty plant sports pink, purple or orange flowers, and despite its name, is not a weed but a wildflower.

Read on for more, including the annual winter manatee migration, how iguana poop shut down a beloved pool and the latest winter forecasts. Some stories below may require a subscription. Sign up and get access to eNewspapers in the Paste BN Network. If someone forwarded you this email and you'd like to receive Climate Point in your inbox for free once a week, sign up here.