Climate Change at a Local Scale: The Methow River Basin

Case Study of Climate Change Adaptation at a Local Scale:    The Methow Watershed

Presented by: R. Lee Hatcher, P.E. Methow Watershed Council Coordinator

The subject of this case study is a watershed nestled on the east side of the Cascade Mountain Range in north-central Washington State bordering British Columbia, Canada. The Methow Watershed is adjacent to the Cascades crest and flows east into the Columbia River. Presented will be the development status of a climate change decision support system, CCDSS. The project was initiated by USGS and NOAA, and includes many expert partners participating in development of the elements of the model. The CCDSS is to be used by local  decision-makers and citizens in their quest to develop strategies for adapting to climate change.

The river system is habitat for several ESA-listed species of salmonids including Spring and Fall Chinook, and Steelhead. The Methow Valley has been an agricultural community for over one hundred years. In recent decades it also became one of the largest cross country ski destinations in North America, and in the summer attracts many visitors for fishing, hiking, and biking. The CCDSS includes all of these facets and is designed to include social as well as economic elements with the environmental component. The interface for the CCDSS model is designed to be easily understood and used by citizens. The first phase of this project is complete; the CCDSS is ready for use in the community.

The initial results will be presented as well as the process used to engage citizens in the development of the CCDSS. Two public meetings were held in addition to technical team meetings, all of which fed into the design of the CCDSS model. The presentation will include a brief description of downscaling climate change models to the sub-basin scale.