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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... WILD SIDE How great weather can make a person feel awful Comment By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Feb. 24, 2015 at 6:16 PM Updated Feb 24, 2015 at 6:21 PM By Joseph Vaile Posted Feb. 24, 2015 at 6:16 PM Updated Feb 24, 2015 at 6:21 PM » RELATED CONTENT • On landmarks, personal and geologic • The top five conservation success of 2014 • Salmon: A force of nature can be restored » Social News I am plagued with Catholic guilt. This is a phenomenon where current and lapsed Catholics develop an overly sensitive conscience and feel guilt when experiencing pleasure in their lives.  As I ran through the Ashland watershed this past weekend on a glorious spring-like day, the familiar sensation of guilt began to well up. Don’t get me wrong. I love warm, sunny weather. But there is something so unsettling about weeks of 60-degree weather in February here in the Rogue Valley.  As I approached the top of a hill, I could feel sweat beads forming on my forehead and a sweeping view opened up. I could see across the valley to the green meadows below Grizzly Peak. Most years, snow levels on Grizzly Peak visibly rise and fall throughout the winter. But after running past a few February sunbathers, instead of enjoying the weather, I was recalling a 2008 study from the Geos Institute, a local climate think-tank. The study analyzes the expected impacts of climate change in the Rogue Valley.  When I got home, I pulled up “Preparing for Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin” which, though depressing, is very fascinating. For our region, the researchers found that the annual average temperature is expected to increase one to three degrees by 2040 and up to eight degrees by 2080! Wildfire seasons are expected to become longer and more severe. Our annual snowpack will continue to be reduced. The one bright note: Unlike other parts of the country, the amount of precipitation should remain similar. Does any of this sound familiar? Climate change will have real impacts to the local economy too, with more flooding affecting infrastructure such as bridges and culverts, and the need for more emergency services. The changes will stress utilities, water systems and local farms. Bleak, right? Because human carbon emissions are to blame, it’s also guilt-inducing. Besides just feeling guilty, is there anything we can actually do about this? Clearly, we need to stop pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. There are also important actions we can take on a local level working with municipalities and developing infrastructure to ensure that our communities are prepared. What about the natural world? As it gets warmer, species will need to move to climates where they are adapted. In general, these are habitats that are higher in elevation, north of us and near the coast, where it is currently cooler. To enable this adaptation, we need to restore and link habitats so species can move across the landscape. We also need to restore streams and rivers by removing unnecessary dams and other barriers to allow fish access to higher, cooler water. Also, reducing the logging of shady, old-growth forests and habitats for at-risk species can protect what researchers term “climate refugia.” The good news is that conservation groups like KS Wild are already doing this work. Of course, some people still don’t think climate change is happening. As evidence, they cite the record cold weather that the East Coast of the U.S. is experiencing. Likewise, I need to be careful not to conflate the current weather with global phenomena like climate change. As the satirist Stephen Colbert once tweeted, “Global warming isn't real because I was cold today! Also great news: World hunger is over because I just ate.” He is right. Just because we are hot or cold on a particular day in one particular spot on the planet has nothing to do with if — or how — the global climate is changing and what it means for our particular spot on the planet.  Yet, all the data show that the planet is warming, that there are more chaotic weather events, and that we would be foolish to ignore local trends in temperature, snowpack and rainfall.  And look: There is rain in our forecast! I’m still holding out hope that Mother Nature will give us a lot more rain — and maybe even recover some snowpack — before Old Man Winter heads out for the year. But for now, when it is unseasonably warm, I am going to head outside, toss my guilt aside and try to enjoy the weather. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks.         By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Feb. 24, 2015 at 6:16 PM Updated Feb 24, 2015 at 6:21 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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