Climate Change and Outdoor Education - Sofia Lepore

Throughout the coming years, climate change is predicted to have significant impacts on many different aspects of our natural environment. Different climate impacts include extreme heat days and warm nights, wildfires, streamflow, snowpack, and extended drought scenarios. Looking in the future, the most significant impact that will affect Chico is the increasing number of extreme heat days (temperature above 105.1 °F). (4)  From a historical average of 3-4 of these days annually, evidence shows that Chico will have as many as 32 extreme heat days each year by 2040.  Researchers say that climate change could be twice as bad as original climate models stated. (2) Now-common weather patterns will become less so, with new “megastorms” and “megadroughts” taking place. Instead of the relative regularity California has had in the past, there will be patterns of years of extreme droughts followed by years of extreme precipitation. Some of the climate characteristics that will worsen are fire hazards, flash flooding, loss of habitat, tree mortality, and hotter and drier weather. (3)
Many of these impacts will soon have a strong effect on all departments at California State University, Chico. One division that will be specifically affected by climate change is Student Affairs, and a program funded through the Associated Students called Adventure Outings (AO). AO provides peer-led trips for students and community members. These trips can range from rafting, back country skiing, rock climbing, backpacking, sea kayaking and more. Over the coming years as climate change continues to worsen, this department will have to rethink some of the trips and how they run them. Climbing trips will often have weather too hot to climb, and skiing trips could have too little snow; river trips can be impacted by the change in stream flows. The experiences people have outside will change, and the program will need to adapt to these changes to continue providing ways for people to access and appreciate the outdoors.
[1] Alliance, Sierra Nevada. n.d. Regional Climate Change . Accessed October 25, 2018. http://sierranevadaalliance.com/programs/regional-climate-change/.

[2] 2018. As World Busts Heat Records, Study Warns Global Warming Could Be Twice as Bad Climate Models Project. July 9. Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/09/world-busts-heat-records-study-warns-global-warming-could-be-twice-bad-climate.

[3] Council, Sierra Business. n.d. Climate Effects in the Sierra Nevada. Accessed October 25, 2018. http://www.sbcsierracamp.org/climate-effects-in-the-sierra/.

[4] 2018. Exploring California's Climate Change Research. Accessed October 16, 2018. https://cal-adapt.org/.