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hatrack

(59,446 posts)
Thu Jan 30, 2020, 08:34 AM Jan 2020

Not One Ice Fishing Hut On 7,000 Acres Of Lake Bemidji, MN - But Global Warming "Controversial"

Thick ice and subzero temperatures are money in the bank for this small Minnesota city roughly 100 miles from the Canadian border. Its winter economy thrives on a uniquely frigid activity — catching fish from holes drilled through lake ice. But while Lake Bemidji is chock-full of fish this winter, not a single fisherman occupies its 7,000-acre frozen surface. The ice is too thin. The snow is too deep. Mid-January temperatures are hovering around 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Bemidji's favorite winter pastime has ground to a halt.

Experts say climate change is tightening its grip on one of the coldest regions in the Lower 48 states. More than just a change in the weather, northern Minnesota's natural, cultural and even spiritual norms are shifting under climate change. It does not mean extreme cold will disappear from regions where ice fishing, outdoor hockey, snowmobiling and lake ice surfing are woven into the fabric of life. But conditions for cold climate activities will become less certain as temperature swings grow wider; precipitation becomes more erratic; ice becomes less stable; and cold-adapted species, including fish, decline or shift to more suitable habitats to the north.

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But in resort lodges, restaurants and fish houses across the region, climate change is a non-starter. "That's a touchy subject for some people," said Josh Bullivant, co-manager of Trappers Landing Lodge, a resort about 35 miles southeast of Bemidji on Leech Lake, one of the state's largest. What fishermen do talk about, Bullivant said, is an uptick in unusual weather events and rapid transitions between frigid cold and unseasonable warmth during peak ice fishing season. Yesterday, for example, Bemidji was sitting in the midteens Fahrenheit, a normal January day. Sunday's forecast is for 35 F with sunshine. Jackets will be off. "You're just seeing more of the extremes now," Bullivant said. For example, "we're under more snow than northern Michigan right now. That's not what we see in most years."

Deep lake snow is consistent with expected climate change effects in Minnesota. And it is the primary cause of the lousy ice conditions on Bemidji and other area lakes, experts say. That's because snowstorms, which tend to happen in early and late winter, now are occurring during the prime ice fishing months of late December and January. And whereas dry north winds used to howl over the lakes in January — clearing away accumulated snow — today the region is experiencing more moisture-laden weather fronts from the south. The result is deep, heavy snow that insulates lake ice from cold air and adds considerable weight to underdeveloped ice below. The downward pressure of that snow can cause ice fishing holes to geyser, flooding fish houses and covering ice roads with water and slush.

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https://www.eenews.net/stories/1062204501

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