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Climate Smart Missoula's Blog

Community Health and Climate Summit: Creating a Happy, Healthy, and Resilient Missoula

10/31/2016

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On Friday, over 100 people, from health professionals to city planners to affordable housing advocates and more, turned out for Climate Smart Missoula's third Community Climate Summit, this time to discuss all things climate and health. This diverse cross-section of the Missoula community heard from a panel of excellent speakers about current efforts to address public health challenges at the neighborhood level, the latest cutting edge research on local climate change projections (spoiler: it's going to get hot), and how we can work together to address the mental and physical health impacts wrought by a changing climate, especially for the most vulnerable groups like low-income folks and children. (It's no coincidence that's a key part of our Summer Smart program!) Speaking of Summer Smart - we also unveiled a new video about wildfire smoke - now live on our website. More videos to come soon!

​For the second half of the morning, we turned the tables: attendees had a chance to share their ideas for how to improve community health for all Missoulians in light of climate challenges. In breakout groups, there were insightful and productive conversations about wildfire smoke and extreme heat, healthy homes and emergency shelters, mental health, wellness and livability, and long-range planning strategies. So much good stuff! 
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We were thrilled by the great turnout and dynamic conversations around the room. Like our previous summits, we were impressed with our community's creativity, collaborative spirit, and dedication. We know that, together, we can take bold action to create the Missoula we want to see. 

Here are a few more good things to check out: 
  • Great coverage of the Summit in the Missoula Current: Missoula Summit Explores Impacts of Climate Change on Health, Poverty
  • The Montana Climate Office will release their first Montana Climate Assessment in 2017 - keep your eyes peeled!
  • The Missoula Invest Health project is addressing health challenges in three neighborhoods: Northside/Westside, River Road and Franklin to the Fort. Stay tuned - we got a preview of their super cool interactive map where you can layer health data like obesity rates with neighborhood features like bike routes.
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Sunday Streets Festivities

7/18/2016

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We were thrilled to be part of Sunday Streets Missoula yesterday! What could be a better way to celebrate community connections and promote healthy, active transportation? With Higgins Avenue closed to cars from 5th Street all the way to the XXXXs, Missoulians young and old came out to walk, bike, skate, scooter, and dance along the downtown corridor. Climate Smart Missoula was there to share tips on how to be Summer Smart, and provide a fun, refreshing cool-down with our DIY sprinkler! (Plenty of ideas out there for how to build your own - try Googling “DIY PVC kids sprinkler/mister”.) Check out some of our favorite photos below.

We loved seeing kids and adults alike having fun with water. It’s an easy (and cheap) way to stay cool when the heat rolls in! As much as we know the importance of water conservation, using some water can be a good thing – not just for us, but for our trees, too. When it gets hot and dry out, it’s ok to neglect your lawn (brown is the new green!) but don’t forget to water your trees! They shade our homes and streets and help make our whole city cooler and healthier.

Interested in continuing the conversation about water? Maybe you’ve tried to cool down by jumping in the river, and wondered about all the green algae. Join us for our next monthly meetup, Thursday, August 4th from 5-7pm at Imagine Nation Brewing Company. Folks from the Clark Fork Coalition will be on hand to chat about water quality and conservation in our changing climate. We provide snacks, INBC has delicious beer on tap - all are welcome!
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Our Urban Forest: Beauty with Benefits

6/9/2016

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I had a special relationship with the giant sycamore tree in my front yard growing up. I would climb into the upper branches, reveling in how different everything on the ground looked from my perch high in the air. Or I’d spend hours in the nearly perfect seat formed where the main trunk split into two, reading a book or studying the spotted bark and pointed leaves. Do you have a similar story? As we get older, we don't often stop to think about the trees that populate our neighborhoods, parks and open spaces. We all know trees are important. They beautify our city, they keep us cool, they give us clean air to breathe. How can we keep our trees happy and healthy? 

On June 2nd, Climate Smart Missoula’s monthly meetup was all about trees. We were joined by Karen Sippy from the citizen advocacy group Trees for Missoula, Chris Carlson from the City of Missoula Parks and Recreation Dept, Juliet Slutzger from the National Wildlife Federation, and curious community members.  

Here’s what we learned:
  • Our urban forest provides over $5 million in ecosystem services per year – our trees help mitigate and adapt to climate change by cleaning our air, storing carbon, reducing stormwater runoff, and reducing the urban heat island effect. As our summers get hotter, the shade trees provide is especially valuable!
  • Continuing to enjoy these benefits requires a community effort! The staff of the Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry division work hard to care for our trees, but there are over 30,000 urban trees in Missoula! We can all do our part.
  • We are in a period of transition in our urban forest. Many of our trees are getting older, and while there’s a lot we can do to continue to care for them, it’s time to start thinking about the next generation of trees. The good news is that we are much wiser today about what species do well in our climate and how to maintain our trees so they continue to be healthy and resilient for many years.
  • Some neighborhoods are greener than others: according to the city’s recent tree canopy assessment, the Westside has only 6% tree cover, whereas the Lower Rattlesnake has 24%. Check out how your neighborhood stacks up on the map to the right.
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Wondering what you can do to help keep our urban forest in tip top shape?
  • ​Water your trees! The species of trees in our urban forests (mainly maples and ash) generally need between 20 and 24 inches of precipitation during their growing season – snow doesn’t count, because these trees don’t take up moisture while they’re dormant in the winter. In the Missoula valley, we get about 14 inches total precipitation per year; lately it has been even less than that. The bottom line: we need to water our trees! Check out some tips for watering trees here. Worried about conserving water? Let your lawn go unwatered (or better yet, replace it with water-wise native plants) and keep the sprinkler on your trees instead.
  • Plant new trees! If you’re a homeowner, think about planting trees and shrubs on your property where they will shade your house and air conditioner (shading your home can cut energy bills by a third or more!).  Think south and west sides of your home or business. Trees for Missoula can help you figure out what trees to choose and where and how to plant them, and the Urban Forestry division has a great guide to street trees and their care. Your school, organization, or neighborhood can apply for free trees through the National Wildlife Federation’s Trees For Wildlife program which supports wildlife habitat. Humans aren’t the only ones who benefit from trees and shrubs– they help many different species to thrive, from birds to butterflies!  
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​As we experience hotter, drier summers, caring for our trees and growing more shade will be increasingly important. Check out our Summer Smart program and our Urban and Wildland Forests bucket to learn more!
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    Authors

    Abby Huseth
    ​Amy Cilimburg
    Caroline Lauer
    Mason Dow
    ​Kelli Littleton
    Hailey Jorgensen
    ​Terri Nichols
    ​Max Longo
    ​Mattie Lehman
    Anna Weinberg

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