Dr. Bethany Coulthard spoke at the Cowichan Watershed Board Speaker Series on June 27. I heard her talk about what she and other paleoclimatologists discovered about drought from 350 years of tree rings.
In that 350 year period there have been 16 droughts worse than what we are now experiencing. From the studies, it appears that our Cowichan Valley is very likely to suffer worse drought within the coming decades. Her studies show that if we, as individuals, continue with the status quo, we are seriously unprepared. What I found to be her good news?
With the size of our watershed, household water use can influence water flows in the Cowichan. Each of us with our daily actions within our homes and lives are responsible for the future. We are also responsible for ensuring our elected representatives act on our behalf in implementing conservative mitigation strategies in regards to water use and climate change.
Miyo Stevens
North Cowichan
