Drought

Drought has all sorts of wildlife turning up in the East Bay area—turkeys, wild pigs, mountain lions and even bears—as the animals search for food and water. CBS San Francisco (Calif.), Sept 2, 2021

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly approved 87 of the state’s 105 counties being in warning or watch status. Fourteen counties were placed in a warning status, while 73 entered a watch status. Drought Watch: Atchison, Brown, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Leavenworth, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Ness, Norton, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wyandotte. Drought Warning: Barber, Barton, Cheyenne, Ellsworth, Harper, Lincoln, McPherson, Mitchell, Osborne, Rawlins, Rice, Russell, Sherman, Thomas. KSN-TV (Wichita, Kan.), Sept 2, 2021

With the Carson River running dry, there are fewer suckerfish and minnow. Area ranchers have sold livestock as pastureland goes dry, too. Ranchers were also moving cattle off of federal grazing areas, due to poor conditions, stated an environmental scientist for the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Hay was a pricey $300 per ton, contributing to the livestock sales. Carson River flows were very low like during droughts in 1977 and 2015. Reno Gazette (Nev.), Sept 3, 2021

Drought cost a farmer near Springville thousands of dollars in revenue due to the irrigation demands of moving pipe and pumping water. The farmer’s main crop is alfalfa and the first two cuttings of four were much lighter than normal. Ranchers in central and southern Utah have to sell livestock early at a loss, according to the president of the Utah Farm Bureau. He also noted that most farmers lost irrigation water early. KSTU-FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Sept 1, 2021

Drought affected the wheat crop slightly in the Thumb of Michigan. The Farm Bureau anticipates a below average crop yield for the Thumb area and an earlier harvest due to the stress the crops have been under this season. Huron Daily Tribune (Mich.), Sept 2, 2021

Farmers across the area have taken a blow this year; a combination of the devastating drought and a sky-rocketing population of grasshoppers has caused significant losses for producers. "I believe that a majority of our farmers and ranchers are dealing with some level of damage from the grasshoppers, ranging from light damage to some pretty severe crop and/or grass loss. Of course, the damage was exacerbated by the drought so it's hard to determine exactly just how much damage was grasshoppers and how much was drought," said Tim Fine, MSU Richland County Extension Agent. This year was a superb year for grasshoppers because dry weather increases the survival of nymphs and adults, and warm autumns allow the pests more time to feed and lay eggs. Grasshopper outbreaks are usually followed by several years of hot, dry summers and warm falls; these conditions allow grasshopper populations to increase slowly. Weather is found to be the main factor affecting grasshopper population levels. Area farmers have seen a stark increase in the number of grasshoppers this growing season. Grasshoppers have plagued several areas of cropland and rangeland. Grasshopper damage to wheat cereal crops can be seen on the areas between the crop and the field boundary. Individual plants will show leaf stripping, head clipping, and kernels that have been fed on or destroyed. Grasshoppers also compete heavily with grazing livestock for forage; they feed on the desirable forage, leaving the less desirable plants behind. Their feeding, if coupled with drought conditions, is prone to causing long-term deterioration of the forage plants/rangeland. The pests can reduce the quality of rangeland in the same way as cattle overgrazing. Ranchers can help deter grasshopper damage by properly managing their range through proper stocking rates and using insecticides suitable for their operation. Cropland takes a heavy hit when grasshopper populations are dense and food plants are scarce. The pests migrate and consume almost any plant they come upon. According to http://www.ndsu.edu, row crop producers should be aware of the potential for grasshoppers to move into row crops after small grains have started to dry down. The best thing producers can do is to consider spraying to keep the populations down. Both low and high-labeled rates of all insecticides provide control of grasshoppers and prevent economic yield loss. Fine explained that getting some moisture will help tremendously and will allow crops and grasses to overcome some of the damage for the coming year. He said, "Grasshoppers seem to come and go in waves, some years we have lots of them and some years not many at all. Spring weather can greatly affect grasshopper population so there is no way to predict now what the future will hold." The Roundup (Sidney, Mont.), Sept 1, 2021

Scofield ran out of water after its well failed and its springs went dry, but the well is operating again. Echo ran out of water, so Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is trucking water to the town. Hyde Park is relying on other communities for water. More secondary water providers were ending the season weeks early. KSL-TV NBC 5 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Aug 27, 2021

The Sonoma County Water Agency recommended a minimum storage goal of 20,000 acre-feet for Lake Mendocino by Oct. 1, 2021 to provide adequate carry-over water supply at the start of the 2021-22 fall-winter rainy season, but the reservoir already dropped below the target on Aug. 26. The low water storage clearly indicates that the historic drought in the Russian River watershed was worsening. Petaluma, CA Patch (CA), Aug 28, 2021

Groundwater was dropping to historical depths in Madera County amid ongoing drought, causing subsidence. Lots of wells were running dry, and drillers were scheduled out for months as the county’s water demand far exceeds supplies and recharge. The towns of Parksdale, the Madera Ranchos and Riverstone have had well failures, and more than 200 families are using water tanks because their wells went dry. The Madera County groundwater table never recovered from the previous drought, and over the past decade, more than 80,000 acres of permanent crops, like almonds and pistachios, were planted, creating a continuous demand because those trees cannot be fallowed. The Fresno Bee (Calif.), Aug 29, 2021

Steelhead fishing was closed in the lower Umatilla and areas of the Deschutes and John Day rivers starting Sept. 1, due to extremely low returns of the Columbia Basin upriver summer steelhead. Passage counts of summer steelhead at Bonneville Dam from July 1 through Aug. 26 were the lowest since counts started in 1938. Returns for many populations have been low for years. Ontario Argus Observer (Ore.), Aug 31, 2021

All marinas on Jackson Lake are to be closed on Sept. 6, much earlier than usual, due to little water in the lake. The Signal Mountain and Leek’s Marinas will close for the season in days, while the Colter Bay Marina closed for the season Aug. 14. Boat ramps will become unusable. “Due to very low natural flows and the need to supplement downstream reservoirs, Jackson Lake has been drawn down to levels only seen three times in the last 30 years,” said officials for Grand Teton National Park in a statement. The Bureau of Reclamation began releasing extra water in August for downstream irrigation needs. Post Register (Idaho Falls, Idaho), Aug 31, 2021

Drought in the Central Valley has changed the offerings at local farmers markets. There are fewer farmers selling walnuts, pecans and staples, like potatoes, arugula and broccolini. Chefs shift recipes and adapt to the changes, but patrons still notice. Spectrum News 1 (El Segundo, Calif.), Aug 30, 2021

Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus are widespread in Butte County as all 76 test pools had at least one mosquito test positive. Butte County has the most human cases with 8 detected so far. The county’s worst year for West Nile virus occurred in 2015 when 55 people tested positive. KHSL CBS 12 (Chico, Calif.), Aug 31, 2021

Drought in northern Minnesota has been harsh and has taken a painful toll on fish, wildlife and forests. Fish in Northland streams are in a series of pools with little to no flow in recent weeks. It is likely many fish have perished. Fall-spawning fish will not be able to reach their spawning beds this year unless some significant rain falls soon. Winter kill will also be a problem. A late May hard freeze, heat and drought made the blueberry and nut crop almost nonexistent. Bears are struggling to find food and were unhealthy, which may mean bears will have fewer cubs come spring. The leaves of some aspen, birch and balm of Gilead trees have turned brown and shriveled more than six weeks early. The stress of drought makes trees vulnerable to insects and disease years later. Park Rapids Enterprise (Minn.), Aug 29, 2021

Hundreds of horses will be gathered and removed from the Palomino Buttes Herd Management Area in eastern Oregon, due to extreme drought and overpopulation as the animals lack adequate food and water. Ideally, 32 to 64 horses would live in the area, so 220 to 430 horses will be removed from the rangeland. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Bend, Ore.), Aug 31, 2021

The 2021 fire season in California is another historic one, seeing a first among wildfire behavior, and seeing it twice within weeks. Both the Dixie Fire and then the Caldor Fire burned from one side of the Sierra to the other within weeks of each other. Fire officials blame drought and climate change for the unusual fire behavior. Los Angeles Times (Calif.), Aug 31, 2021

Drought conditions are so dire in the Pacific Northwest that it is thought that much of the winter wheat cropland might not be planted this fall. Winter wheat planting is expected to be lower in drought-affected states like Kansas, South Dakota, Montana and parts of Nebraska. In the drought-affected parts of Kansas, just 15% of winter wheat may be planted in the droughty areas (2% severe and 13% moderate). In Nebraska, 44% of wheat cropland was in drought (18% severe and 26% moderate); in South Dakota, 99% was affected (23% extreme, 59% severe and 17% moderate); and all Montana winter wheat cropland was in drought (3% exceptional, 33% extreme, 57% severe and 6% moderate). World Grain (Kansas City, Mo.), Aug 31, 2021

The low level of Clear Lake has led to ramp closures and was also causing problems for the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol. The division removed its boats from Braito’s Marina in Buckingham in early July as the water in the slips was too low. The boats were moved to the Kelseyville area and could be moved to private docks if water levels continued to fall. A number of boat ramps were closed, due to low water levels. The county also requested the public’s help in identifying hazards in the lake. Lake County News (Lakeport, Calif.), Aug 27, 2021

Drought and heat may have nearly halved corn and soybean yields in North Dakota, but the truth will not be known until harvest. The grain buyer for a local biorefinery is looking at the corn and recalling that excess moisture reduced corn supplies in 2020. Now drought in 2021 is again limiting yield, which may mean that corn from outside the area will need to be shipped in to make ethanol. The Jamestown Sun (N.D.), Aug 31, 2021

The Pioneer Irrigation District, getting water from the Boise River system and supplying water to more than 34,000 irrigated acres, shut off its water in early September, more than a month earlier than normal. With depleted reservoirs at the end of this growing season, average or above average snowfall will be needed this winter to avoid shortages in 2022. Idaho Farm Bureau Federation (Pocatello, Idaho), Aug 26, 2021