Water stewardship in a changing climate

Hawley - The Pike County Conservation District and the Wayne Conservation District have invited Dave Nicosia of the National Weather Service at Binghamton, N.Y., to discuss the water issues in our changing climate as well as address broader global climate and water issues. Water is a fundamental element of all life on Earth. The availability of clean, abundant and accessible water is a central need of human societies and both terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. It is also one of the key resources most at risk from short-term climate variability and long-term climate change. Water crosses all political boundaries providing benefits and sometimes generating negative impacts such as floods or droughts. Changes in climate will influence both the quantity and quality of water available to communities and ecosystems. Climate changes will also affect the timing and size of stream flow events with consequent on aquatic systems, infrastructure and communities’ use and welfare. The effects of climate change on our water resources need to be understood and actions implemented that minimize the risk and maximize the benefits of change. The free program will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25 at the PPL Environmental Learning Center in Hawley. For more information on this free program you can contact the Pike County Conservation District at 570-226-8220 or the Wayne Conservation District at 570-253-0930.