Outdoors with Don Q: Drought poses serious problems this summer if snowpack doesn't build

While the short-term forecast shows a change this week from the overall stubborn pattern of warm and dry conditions over the region, the drought for this part of the far west is severe and unless we get a lot of snow in the coming few weeks, we're going to face much more serious issues this coming summer.

The lack of wintertime precipitation (snow) is currently having a major impact on the economy of our general area, and that impact is like throwing a large rock into a pond: The ripples just go on and on. Some of the ripples caused by our lack of snow are:

Downhill skiers, cross country skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers and snowshoers are staying away, which in turn affects:
Airline reservations,
Hotel, motel, cabin and resort reservations,
Rental car agencies and taxi companies,
Gas stations,
Coffee kiosks, fast foods, cafes, restaurants and dinner houses,
Clothing stores,
Souvenir shops,
Ski, snowboard and snowmobile rental shops,
Ski resorts,
Gaming and casinos,
Lounge and floor shows,
Just to name some of the many economic impacts.
In addition, our creeks, rivers, ponds, reservoir and lakes are at alarming lows (the Sierra snowpack is 19 percent of normal for this time of the year).
You need only to look at the almost total lack of snow on Slide Mountain and the rapidly receding water level of Washoe Lake, as you travel between Carson City and Reno to see how serious our drought has become.
Here are some other examples:
Jiggs Reservoir, Nev. - Has dried up,
Onion Valley Reservoir, Nev. - Has dried up,
Willow Creek Reservoir, Nev. - Down to around 5% of capacity,
Prosser Reservoir, Calif. - 18 % of capacity,
Boca Reservoir, Calif. - 24 % of capacity,
Wilson Reservoir, Nev. - 25 % of capacity,
Walker Lake, Nev. - Launching is not possible right now.
Lake Tahoe could be dropping below its natural rim this summer.

In addition, the State of California is facing the worst drought it has seen since records began being kept about 100 years ago.
And, if you don't think this is serious, wait until summer, and here's why: The lack of water in our creeks, rivers, pond, lakes and reservoirs will adversely impact everyone including farmers, ranchers, urbanites, hunters, fishermen, campers, hikers, etc.

Here are some prime examples of the drought impact:
Late last summer, the limit on catching trout at Wildhorse Reservoir in Elko County was lifted due to very low water levels.

Last fall, you could not launch boats at South Lake and Lake Sabrina, both west of Bishop, Calif., due to extremely low water levels.

The boat ramp at Lightning Tree Campground at Davis Lake, Calif. is a long ways from the water.
Walker Lake, Nev. is already a "Dead" lake due to its ever increasing salinity as its water levels drop and drop, even lower. Not that long ago, it was a prime fishery for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Now, the trout are gone forever and you can't launch a boat.

The East, West and Main Carson Rivers, plus the Little Walker and West Walker Rivers are mere trickles.
The Quilici cabin is located at an elevation of 6,000 feet near Davis Lake, Calif., and the county does not plow our gravel road. Normally, we would have been snowshoeing to and from the cabin since early December. This year, we have driven on that dusty road every time we have gone there.

The mule deer of that area have not yet migrated to their winter range. plus the black bears are not yet hibernating.

In Carson City, we will have our normal summertime watering restrictions, but you can bet the ranch that if our drought continues, those restrictions will become more severe this year.
Extremely dry conditions will dramatically increase the already high fire dangers in our forests and rangelands, which are already tinder dry.

Those fire dangers will result in additional restrictions and closures on traveling and camping in the backcountry.
As more and more of our sagebrush lands burn up, the status of the Sage Grouse moves ever closer and closer to "Endangered," with all kinds of restrictions on activities in the Sage Grouse habitat. Not good at all!
The lack of moisture will also increase the ability of the bark beetle to attack and kill our forests of pine trees, many of which are already infected.

I hope by now that I have your attention, and if I do, please join me in praying for snow, deep snow and lots of deep snow.

We need lots of snow in the next month to six weeks to provide any glimmer of hope for water for spring, summer and fall.

Once we get into the months of March, April and May, any snow that falls will quickly melt and not be an available deep winter snowpack that melts slowly and provides water for all kinds of users later in the year.
We are hurting and from all forecasts, it is only going to get worse.

Our serious problems now are going to be more serious this summer.

Finally:
Pray for snow.
Pray for lots of snow.
Pray for lots of deep snow.
And pray it falls soon.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you about a winter snowfall some years ago at the Quilici cabin.
If he grins and says, "It was the weekend that Don and Jim Quilici snowshoed to the cabin and then shoveled 42 inches of snow off the deck and on the following weekend, they shoveled another 42 inches of snow off the deck," he could have been a winter visitor to their cabin that year.
Those were "The Good Old Days," and we just didn't know it.