So, I’m reading a column from the Keene Sentinel about New Hampshire’s Moose population. The premise is that if nothing changes there will be no Moose in New Hampshire by 2045.
I’m trying to keep an open mind but the narrative strains credibility.
Warmer springs and autumns create better conditions for ticks who have a detrimental effect on Moose. I believe that. And if they say there are fewer moose I believe that. But the tone hints at years of such conditions (as a result of Climate change) when that just isn’t true. And I was still ready to let that go until I read this.
So this summer’s heat wave, lasting weeks with temperatures at 80 degrees at 10 o’clock at night, will only further reduce cow weights and future reproduction.
I live in southern New Hampshire, and we’ve yet to have a single night at 80 degrees this summer. We’ve only had a few in the 70’s. So, where in New Hampshire, are we having these weeks of eighty-degree nights? In the mind of the author, Eric Orff, who I am confident knows more about Moose than I do, but I’m living in New Hampshire. I’m here, all year round. And if anyone is experiencing long stretches of 80 degree nights they are not living anywhere that matters to Moose.
Much like last summer, even when we’ve had consecutive hot days the nights have been very pleasant. I know this because the temperature at night impacts my sleep and the water in my above ground swimming pool.
My sleep was not affected by nighttime temperatures. More often than not, regardless of how hot the days or how many in a row the nights have been in the 60’s and even the 50’s. Very few have been in the 70’s and none in the 80’s.
My pool, which is much warmer when nights are not cooler, has not been any warmer this summer than last. In fact, the best summer for swimming among the past three was the one right before the record-setting winter from hell, during which the tick problem that aids and abets the moose problem wouldn’t have been any problem at all.
This suggests to me that there may be other exaggerations in his column for which slack has been previously given.
But some people still read newspapers who might fall for all of it. The problem for the Keene Sentinel and Mr. Orff is that most of the newspaper reading populace in our aging state will be gone before The Great New Hampshire Moosepocalypse in 2045.
The other problem is that all things being equal, the trend will not remain the same from year to year (as has been the case in just the past three) while significant factors align that could bring us much cooler weather from 2020 to 2050.
Should that come to pass, narrative mule environmentalists who also write for National Environmental groups will provide a very detailed explanation of how we are responsible for cold weather decimating the Moose population.
Or something like that.
