This last summer, the biggest lake near where I live, Flathead Lake, was I think 3 feet below normal. Residents and businesses that live on or rely on the lake for income (boat rentals, etc.) have complained very loudly, blaming the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe’s management of the downstream dam, saying they released too much water. But while our snowpack had its usual inches, my understanding was that the snow was very “dry” partly due to bouts of severe cold -- each snowflake held less water than usual -- and we had an early snowmelt in spring. Critics of the CSKT also said that water upstream should have been released from Hungry Horse Dam (controlled by Interior? can’t remember), but I was camping on that reservoir in early June and have never seen it so low, either.
It doesn’t bode well for social futures. A group of people who’ve been aligned with many far-right beliefs formed an organization that essentially demands that government protect people from any variations in snowpack and its effects on water level -- literally protect them from reality. And the loudest critics are the better-off, largely conservative people with houses on the lake. (The number of people who’ve complained that they couldn’t get their JetSkis in the water is astounding.) As with many places, future responses will probably be decided to benefit them.
This is so frustrating--and yet I'm still thinking about the ways that being near water impacts a community's sense of place, meaning in place, etc. My folks lived on Bainbridge Island for a few years and I loved being near the water like that. Puget sound is a gorgeous place--so wish we could do right by the land and by those with less, rather than worshipping a bottom line, and the wealthiest's claim to private property. Ugh. I did really think this line is a perfect summation: "In other words we need to start measuring what we care about rather than settling for caring about what we can measure."
I wish we had public access to shorelines like Hawaii or right of way in nature like in Scandinavia. Interesting to consider the inequality with shoreline protection, I can see how it might be a huge divide in this area given the tech millionaires.
This predicament reminds me of when the steel industry collapsed and many of the small towns along the rivers here in the Pittsburgh area were abandoned for the most part and left the poor to scrape out a living because they couldn’t afford to move. The steel mills were demolished and turned into brownfields. Some of the land was reclaimed to build shopping centers or green buildings used as economic incubators for tech startups. I’m wondering if your area would do better to be turned into some kind of wildlife sanctuary and a public asset.
Joris Lechene has some interesting observations about access to the beach in Guadeloupe (where he grew up). I see him in insta, he’s very interesting about the built environment, capitalism, racism etc. I did not realise it was so widespread in the US (except of course it would be). Good luck fighting the good fight and recovering fully from COVID. I’m a month out from my most recent bout and don’t recommend it.
Very interesting questions.
This last summer, the biggest lake near where I live, Flathead Lake, was I think 3 feet below normal. Residents and businesses that live on or rely on the lake for income (boat rentals, etc.) have complained very loudly, blaming the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe’s management of the downstream dam, saying they released too much water. But while our snowpack had its usual inches, my understanding was that the snow was very “dry” partly due to bouts of severe cold -- each snowflake held less water than usual -- and we had an early snowmelt in spring. Critics of the CSKT also said that water upstream should have been released from Hungry Horse Dam (controlled by Interior? can’t remember), but I was camping on that reservoir in early June and have never seen it so low, either.
It doesn’t bode well for social futures. A group of people who’ve been aligned with many far-right beliefs formed an organization that essentially demands that government protect people from any variations in snowpack and its effects on water level -- literally protect them from reality. And the loudest critics are the better-off, largely conservative people with houses on the lake. (The number of people who’ve complained that they couldn’t get their JetSkis in the water is astounding.) As with many places, future responses will probably be decided to benefit them.
This is so frustrating--and yet I'm still thinking about the ways that being near water impacts a community's sense of place, meaning in place, etc. My folks lived on Bainbridge Island for a few years and I loved being near the water like that. Puget sound is a gorgeous place--so wish we could do right by the land and by those with less, rather than worshipping a bottom line, and the wealthiest's claim to private property. Ugh. I did really think this line is a perfect summation: "In other words we need to start measuring what we care about rather than settling for caring about what we can measure."
I wish we had public access to shorelines like Hawaii or right of way in nature like in Scandinavia. Interesting to consider the inequality with shoreline protection, I can see how it might be a huge divide in this area given the tech millionaires.
This predicament reminds me of when the steel industry collapsed and many of the small towns along the rivers here in the Pittsburgh area were abandoned for the most part and left the poor to scrape out a living because they couldn’t afford to move. The steel mills were demolished and turned into brownfields. Some of the land was reclaimed to build shopping centers or green buildings used as economic incubators for tech startups. I’m wondering if your area would do better to be turned into some kind of wildlife sanctuary and a public asset.
Joris Lechene has some interesting observations about access to the beach in Guadeloupe (where he grew up). I see him in insta, he’s very interesting about the built environment, capitalism, racism etc. I did not realise it was so widespread in the US (except of course it would be). Good luck fighting the good fight and recovering fully from COVID. I’m a month out from my most recent bout and don’t recommend it.
Thanks, John.
Wishing you well🌱