Not Only Current, but Also Long Term Event…. Cali Drought “You can’t say, "Oh, we can stand this for two or three years, and then we’ll have some abundant rainfall again." Nobody knows whether that prediction is worth anything.”  Patty Limerick, author of a 2012 book on the history of water in Denver

LEADS WASHINGTON POST “In August, Associated Press staff photographer Gregory Bull took over AP’s Instagram feed to show photos from a tiny, drought-stricken community called Okieville in California’s Central Valley.” THE ATLANTIC “If you ask an environmental historian, the mandatory cuts in water use that Governor Jerry Brown is now imposing on Californians—the first in the state's history—were just a matter of time. Many of the earliest visitors to California never believed the Western climate could handle the grand plans for growth and development promoted by local boosters. On Tuesday, standing on a brown field devoid of its usual five feet of snow, Brown ordered a reduction of 25 percent in the state's water use.” NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—and climate change seems to be a major factor. The number of trees larger than two feet in diameter has declined by 50 percent on more than 46,000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was immune, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. 

ANGLES TAKEN WASHINGTON POST THE ATLANTIC NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Okieville is surrounded by the nation’s most productive farms. Beneath the people of Okieville, the shared wells went dry. The residents unite around this challenging time. THE ATLANTIC The topic of climate change is overdone – the severe drought is caused by population growth, watering plants you or even animals can’t eat, etc. Humans can go either way in a crisis: behave/live differently vs. defensive/refusal in changing habits. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Small trees are competing against big trees for resources. Limited water is due to rising temperatures (water dissipates into air) and earlier melting of snowpacks (scarce water during dry season).

COVERAGE National Geographic provided the most coverage; ranging through photography (gallery), videos, TV channels, magazines, news, and more. NAT GEO THE ATLANTIC WASHINGTON POST

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