npr--2020-02-18--How Warming Winters Are Affecting Everything

How Warming Winters Are Affecting Everything Winters are warming faster than other seasons across much of the United States .
While that may sound like a welcome change for those bundled in scarves and hats , it 's causing a cascade of unpredictable impacts in communities across the country .
Temperatures continue to steadily rise around the globe , but that trend is n't spread evenly across the map or even the yearly calendar .
`` The cold seasons are warming faster than the warm seasons , '' says Deke Arndt , chief of climate monitoring at the National Oceanic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Environmental Information .
`` The colder times of day are warming faster than warmer times of day .
And the colder places are warming faster than the warmer places . ''
In the U.S. , that means winters in both Maine and Alaska are around 5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter on average since the early 1900s .
One reason : The snowpack , which is a good reflector of sunlight , is melting earlier in the season .
With fewer days of snow cover , sunlight is absorbed into the ground and warms the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graphic above ?
Click here .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
Still , winter warming can be seen almost everywhere .
January 2020 was the Earth 's hottest recorded January on average , compared with 141 years of temperature records .
The four warmest Januaries have all occurred since 2016 .
`` Those changes are big , '' Arndt says .
`` We 're not just watching numbers .
We 're watching changes in real people 's real lives . ''
Here are some of those changes happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest economy and largest agricultural industry is heavily reliant on snow that falls high in the Sierra Nevada , which acts like a giant reservoir .
The snowpack lasts through the winter and melts in late spring and early summer , sending a steady supply of water to farms and cities when they need it most .
But with warming temperatures , California 's snowpack is shrinking , both because of increased snowmelt and because more precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow .
Across the West , snowpack has already shrunk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` That can have profound ramifications , west of the Rockies especially , when the timing of snowmelt is really important to how we operate reservoirs and share water with each other , '' says Arndt , of NOAA .
With runoff flowing earlier in the year , California 's reservoirs may not be able to capture enough to supply the state during the long dry summer .
For one thing , reservoirs ca n't be kept completely full during winter because they might be overwhelmed by floodwaters .
And when warmer winter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California 's snowpack , it dramatically increases the risk of devastating floods .
Warmer winters are also affecting the fruits and vegetables that California sends around the country .
The state produces the majority of the country 's supply of almonds , wine grapes , walnuts , pistachios and peaches .
But many of those crops require a certain amount of cold weather , what 's known as `` chill hours . ''
Without that , pollination can be delayed or incomplete , reducing the crop that farmers get at harvest time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's becoming more of a challenge to get those chill hours , '' says Jonathan Battig , a farm manager for pistachios and walnuts in Arbuckle , California .
According to one study , cold temperatures that many orchard crops need could decrease by as much as 60 % in California 's Central Valley by 2100 .
Apples , cherries and pears , which require the longest period of cold weather , could be hit the hardest .
That has many in the agricultural industry looking for ways to adapt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or finding chemicals that can help trees bloom on a predictable schedule , even when the winter weather is anything but .
For decades , the Southeast actually got cooler while the rest of the country warmed .
But now it 's warming too , and that includes winters , with the length of the freeze-free season increasing in some places by as much as a week and a half .
That 's a problem for farmers , who need cold temperatures for their plants to set fruit .
The winter of 2016-2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for instance , and about 80 % of the crop failed .
Blueberries — a bigger crop in the Peach State than peaches are — also struggle .
`` When you talk to blueberry producers and peach producers , they 're definitely looking at new hybrids that are more welcoming to low chill hours and different kinds of weather patterns , '' says Pam Knox , an agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia .
An unusually warm January in Atlanta has also been a headache for beekeepers .
If it 's not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their hives and queens might start laying eggs .
As they expend energy , the bees eat more of the honey they stored for the winter .
If their calendar gets too out of whack from the blooms they need for nectar , they risk starvation .
And then there are the mosquitoes that can carry vector-borne diseases .
Different species have different needs , but in general , cold winter temperatures kill them or slow down their reproduction cycles .
`` Warmer winters will result in , usually , earlier emergence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bite us earlier in the springtime .
It means that larger populations will survive throughout the winter , '' says Duke University professor Bill Pan , who studies environmental change and disease .
It 's already warm enough in the South for the mosquito species that can carry dengue , chikungunya and Zika .
In some parts of Florida , the mosquitoes can be active year-round .
According to the latest National Climate Assessment , dengue cases could go up across the Southeast in the summer , and West Nile will likely increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snowmobiling and ice fishing are an important part of the winter economy .
Greg Sweetser , of the Ski Maine Association , says ski areas are preparing for climate change by expanding into summer businesses , such as mountain biking .
`` It 's an insurance policy to some degree , '' he says .
`` The climate is changing , it 's unclear how incremental the change will be , so ski areas are being proactive . ''
Ice fishing is already seeing days shaved off its season in southern Maine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over is shortening , says Mark Latti of the state 's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife .
And one of Maine 's largest lakes , Sebago , used to freeze over every other year , he says .
`` Now it 's once every three years or so . ''
Warmer winters have also helped fuel the expansion of a pest that affects outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year : ticks .
Deer ticks transmit several diseases , including Lyme , which has grown from a few hundred cases in Maine more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year of more than 2,100 .
Cases of another tick-borne disease , anaplasmosis , have also surged in the state to more than 680 , up from just single cases in the early 2000s .
Deer ticks first appeared in southern Maine in the mid-1980s , but researchers at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute 's Lyme and Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory say their range now extends to the northern reaches of the state .
`` It 's still colder than the southern tier , '' staff scientist Susan Elias says .
`` But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so that 's going to be helpful to ticks . ''
Vector ecologist Chuck Lubelczyk says warmer winters also help create a more hospitable climate for other species and the diseases they carry .
The lone star tick has already been found in Maine , dropped by migratory birds from the south .
Historically , it has n't been able to survive the winter , but that 's changing .
`` This tick is slowly moving its way up the Eastern Seaboard , '' Lubelczyk says , and is now established in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrive and gets established in Maine , '' he says , it will be `` a game-changer , because it is highly aggressive . ''
Despite the occasional polar vortex that can send temperatures plunging well below zero , generally warmer Midwest winters have implications from agriculture to recreation .
`` We talk about this all the time , '' says Dennis Todey , director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 's Midwest Climate Hub , in Ames , Iowa .
Freezing stops the microbes in soil from breaking down organic matter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality of Iowa 's dark , rich cropland .
Soils father south , where it 's warmer , lose organic matter because bacteria , fungi and other critters keep munching through it all winter long .
Todey says another problem is when the temperature warms after a hard frost and then rain falls onto frozen ground .
That 's bad because it can cause soil to wash away .
A freeze can also help protect future crops .
`` There are certain pests and diseases that can not survive cold temperatures .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cruse , a soil scientist at Iowa State University .
But `` as the temperature warms , there 's more of those that survive . ''
Warm winters are even worse for certain fruit and nut trees , which require chill hours during the winter .
If they do n't get enough of those , they wo n't produce the following season .
Michigan 's cherry trees have struggled with erratic winter weather .
And the repeated freeze-thaw cycles of the 2018-2019 winter , among other weather anomalies , destroyed Iowa 's chestnut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Minnesota State Climatology Office says warming can also be a challenge for ice fishing , a sport that draws thousands of anglers .
He says some Minnesota lakes froze up early last fall , but then a mid-November warming compromised the ice .
Heavy snow on top of that led to slushy conditions that are n't conducive to safe fishing .
Then January brought some nights with overnight lows as much as 10 degrees above normal .
Some Minnesotans are cutting the season short .
But Boulay says where there is solid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even 30s can be welcome .
`` It 's not very comfortable sitting on a bucket when it 's below zero . ''
The most visible impact of warming winters in the Mountain West is on the forests .
Millions of trees have died from pine , spruce and pinyon ips bark beetles over the past three decades .
Normally , bark beetles die off in freezing temperatures .
`` When you have periods of temperature that do not reach the lethal level for the insects , that 's when you start seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Jose Negron , a research entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service .
Warmer temperatures and record-low precipitation can also make trees more susceptible to infestation .
The most damaged areas are in and around Rocky Mountain National Park and parts of the San Juan Mountains , the West Elk Mountains and the Sawatch Range .
`` Forty to 50 percent of the mature spruce in the state has been killed during the epidemic , '' says Seth Davis , an assistant professor of forestry at Colorado State University .
Davis ' recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slightly bigger spruce beetles that emerged earlier and flew around longer .
While beetle outbreaks of this size have happened in the past , warmer temperatures might have an impact on their frequency .
The impacts are complex , says Davis , but not necessarily all negative .
Fewer trees mean more light reaches the forest floor , where flowers now grow .
His research finds this is benefiting bee populations .
Another noticeable impact of warmer winters is on the region 's important ski industry .
`` Thanksgiving was a relatively dependable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true anymore , '' says Jim White , director of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and a professor at the University of Colorado .
As fall lasts longer and spring comes earlier , `` the natural snow is not as abundant , '' he says , and resorts lose valuable days to make their own .
What 's more , he says , `` the longer-term trend is for less and less snow . ''
Ski areas at lower elevations , as in California , feel these changes the most .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be seeing , really , a loss of skiing altogether in 50 years or more , '' White says .
Colorado is lucky to have some of the highest elevations for skiing in the United States .
Despite an overall warm winter , this year 's snowpack is great for skiing .
But White says even higher-elevation resorts are vulnerable to big changes as climate models project increasingly warmer temperatures .
Bats in December .
Bluebonnets in January .
Butterflies in February .
The first two months of winter in Austin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 122 years of records , according to Victor Murphy , climate service program manager with the National Weather Service , and that 's upsetting some rhythms of the natural world .
December and January were 4.7 degrees warmer than the 30-year average , he says , and only one night — Dec. 19 — dipped down to freezing .
`` That 's quite a bit of warmth spread over quite a few days , '' says Murphy .
`` It 's pretty significant . ''
In recent years , warmer winters have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appear months before people expect to see them .
The climate shift also allows migrating monarch butterflies to survive in Texas later than usual .
`` In cold winters , they 'll have two or three sightings along the Gulf , '' says Chip Taylor , director of Monarch Watch .
In a warm year , `` you 'll get butterflies that are sighted from Florida all the way to over to the middle of Texas and even into the San Antonio , Austin area . ''
The great migration of monarchs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinks that continued warming during their breeding season and migration and over the winter may one day help end it altogether , leaving small `` islands '' of nonmigrating butterflies around the Gulf Coast .
Then there are the Mexican free-tailed bats that gather each year outside San Antonio , one of the world 's largest bat colonies .
They 're also a nightly summer tourist attraction in downtown Austin .
`` They should n't be here , '' says Austin wildlife officer Sarah Whitson .
Most bats usually migrate to Mexico or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says more have stuck around longer the last several winters .
`` It 's great if there 's food sources here throughout the winter , '' she says .
But she worries what could become of the bats if a sudden cold snap kills off the bugs they eat .
Bats play a key role in agriculture , helping to control pests and to fertilize and pollinate some crops .
Changing migration patterns could also hurt crops that depend on them , creating what scientists call a `` mismatch . ''
Researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of climate change , says Norma Fowler , a biology professor at the University of Texas at Austin .
`` You can get plants that bloom before the pollinators are available , '' she says .
`` You can get birds that come north before the insects are out for them to eat . ''
On Alaska 's western coast , thick winter sea ice has long protected remote villages from storms .
But that ice cover has been freezing later and shrinking to record lows , allowing strong waves to eat away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After years of struggle , the village of Newtok late last year started moving residents to safer ground farther inland .
Inupiat on Alaska 's North Slope use sea ice as a platform from which to hunt bowhead whales and walruses .
Diminished ice in the Arctic is making those harvests more difficult .
Poor ice formation is also making it riskier for Alaskans who rely on ice roads , built on some of the state 's rural rivers during winter , to move freight and other goods .
In recent years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deaths of a number of people whose snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles fell through thin ice .
The state 's oil industry needs hundreds of miles of ice roads over land for its operations , which are specially designed for freezing conditions .
Companies are investing in technology to help them cope with steadily shrinking winters .
Alaska had an unusually cold January this year , but the state is warming twice as fast as the global average .
In Anchorage , a city defined by its winters , this means residents are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The winter started off warm , disappointing cross-country skiers who can normally use dozens of miles of trails in the city 's parks .
At a major high school race in December , skiers competed on a mile-long stretch of man-made snow that wound through grass and ice .
`` Normal now is kind of like this , '' said fourth-place finisher Max Beiergrohslein .
`` On again , off again , there is snow and then there is n't . ''
Alaska scientists are researching midwinter temperature swings , trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been in what are known as `` rain on snow '' events , which create ice .
Amid a particularly slick start to this winter , one Anchorage elementary school principal suggested that students wear helmets to recess , to protect them from falls on an icy playground .
Meanwhile , winter activities that require less snow , like fat-tire bicycling and ice skating on wilderness lakes , are gaining popularity .
Tell us your story and share your photos showing a changing winter where you are .
We may reach out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an upcoming story .
This report is a collaboration among NPR , Alaska 's Energy Desk , Colorado Public Radio , KUT Austin , Iowa Public Radio , Maine Public Radio and WABE Atlanta .

How Warming Winters Are Affecting Everything
Enlarge this image Illustrations by Cornelia Li for NPR Illustrations by Cornelia Li for NPR
Winters are warming faster than other seasons across much of the United States. While that may sound like a welcome change for those bundled in scarves and hats, it's causing a cascade of unpredictable impacts in communities across the country.
Share Your Stories With Us Four of the warmest Januaries have occurred since 2016. So far, this winter has been one of the warmest on record for much of the United States. What changes are you seeing in your backyard this year? Are warmer winters affecting your job, business or recreational activities? If you're a company owner or local official, are you doing anything different to adapt to increasingly warm or erratic winter weather?
Tell us your experiences, and feel free to send a photo that shows a changing winter where you are. We'll use some of your comments and photos for a story on our website.
Temperatures continue to steadily rise around the globe, but that trend isn't spread evenly across the map or even the yearly calendar.
"The cold seasons are warming faster than the warm seasons," says Deke Arndt, chief of climate monitoring at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information. "The colder times of day are warming faster than warmer times of day. And the colder places are warming faster than the warmer places."
In the U.S., that means winters in both Maine and Alaska are around 5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter on average since the early 1900s. One reason: The snowpack, which is a good reflector of sunlight, is melting earlier in the season. With fewer days of snow cover, sunlight is absorbed into the ground and warms the surrounding area.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Still, winter warming can be seen almost everywhere. January 2020 was the Earth's hottest recorded January on average, compared with 141 years of temperature records. The four warmest Januaries have all occurred since 2016.
"Those changes are big," Arndt says. "We're not just watching numbers. We're watching changes in real people's real lives."
Here are some of those changes happening around the country.
CALIFORNIA
The nation's largest economy and largest agricultural industry is heavily reliant on snow that falls high in the Sierra Nevada, which acts like a giant reservoir. The snowpack lasts through the winter and melts in late spring and early summer, sending a steady supply of water to farms and cities when they need it most.
But with warming temperatures, California's snowpack is shrinking, both because of increased snowmelt and because more precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow. Across the West, snowpack has already shrunk by 15% to 30%.
"That can have profound ramifications, west of the Rockies especially, when the timing of snowmelt is really important to how we operate reservoirs and share water with each other," says Arndt, of NOAA.
With runoff flowing earlier in the year, California's reservoirs may not be able to capture enough to supply the state during the long dry summer. For one thing, reservoirs can't be kept completely full during winter because they might be overwhelmed by floodwaters. And when warmer winter storms cause rain to fall on top of California's snowpack, it dramatically increases the risk of devastating floods.
Warmer winters are also affecting the fruits and vegetables that California sends around the country. The state produces the majority of the country's supply of almonds, wine grapes, walnuts, pistachios and peaches. But many of those crops require a certain amount of cold weather, what's known as "chill hours." Without that, pollination can be delayed or incomplete, reducing the crop that farmers get at harvest time.
"Now with the weather changing, it's becoming more of a challenge to get those chill hours," says Jonathan Battig, a farm manager for pistachios and walnuts in Arbuckle, California.
According to one study, cold temperatures that many orchard crops need could decrease by as much as 60% in California's Central Valley by 2100. Apples, cherries and pears, which require the longest period of cold weather, could be hit the hardest. That has many in the agricultural industry looking for ways to adapt, whether it's breeding more heat-tolerant trees or finding chemicals that can help trees bloom on a predictable schedule, even when the winter weather is anything but.
SOUTHEAST
For decades, the Southeast actually got cooler while the rest of the country warmed. But now it's warming too, and that includes winters, with the length of the freeze-free season increasing in some places by as much as a week and a half.
That's a problem for farmers, who need cold temperatures for their plants to set fruit. The winter of 2016-2017 was too warm for Georgia peaches, for instance, and about 80% of the crop failed.
Blueberries — a bigger crop in the Peach State than peaches are — also struggle.
"When you talk to blueberry producers and peach producers, they're definitely looking at new hybrids that are more welcoming to low chill hours and different kinds of weather patterns," says Pam Knox, an agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia.
An unusually warm January in Atlanta has also been a headache for beekeepers. If it's not cold enough, honeybees fly out of their hives and queens might start laying eggs. As they expend energy, the bees eat more of the honey they stored for the winter. If their calendar gets too out of whack from the blooms they need for nectar, they risk starvation.
And then there are the mosquitoes that can carry vector-borne diseases. Different species have different needs, but in general, cold winter temperatures kill them or slow down their reproduction cycles.
"Warmer winters will result in, usually, earlier emergence of adult mosquitoes, for example, that bite us earlier in the springtime. It means that larger populations will survive throughout the winter," says Duke University professor Bill Pan, who studies environmental change and disease.
It's already warm enough in the South for the mosquito species that can carry dengue, chikungunya and Zika. In some parts of Florida, the mosquitoes can be active year-round. According to the latest National Climate Assessment, dengue cases could go up across the Southeast in the summer, and West Nile will likely increase too.
NORTHEAST
In Maine, skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing are an important part of the winter economy. Greg Sweetser, of the Ski Maine Association, says ski areas are preparing for climate change by expanding into summer businesses, such as mountain biking.
"It's an insurance policy to some degree," he says. "The climate is changing, it's unclear how incremental the change will be, so ski areas are being proactive."
Ice fishing is already seeing days shaved off its season in southern Maine, because the window for when lakes freeze over is shortening, says Mark Latti of the state's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. And one of Maine's largest lakes, Sebago, used to freeze over every other year, he says. "Now it's once every three years or so."
Warmer winters have also helped fuel the expansion of a pest that affects outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year: ticks.
Deer ticks transmit several diseases, including Lyme, which has grown from a few hundred cases in Maine more than a decade ago to a high last year of more than 2,100. Cases of another tick-borne disease, anaplasmosis, have also surged in the state to more than 680, up from just single cases in the early 2000s.
Deer ticks first appeared in southern Maine in the mid-1980s, but researchers at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute's Lyme and Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory say their range now extends to the northern reaches of the state.
"It's still colder than the southern tier," staff scientist Susan Elias says. "But it has been warming relatively faster. And so that's going to be helpful to ticks."
Vector ecologist Chuck Lubelczyk says warmer winters also help create a more hospitable climate for other species and the diseases they carry. The lone star tick has already been found in Maine, dropped by migratory birds from the south. Historically, it hasn't been able to survive the winter, but that's changing.
"This tick is slowly moving its way up the Eastern Seaboard," Lubelczyk says, and is now established in southeastern Massachusetts. "If it does arrive and gets established in Maine," he says, it will be "a game-changer, because it is highly aggressive."
MIDWEST
Despite the occasional polar vortex that can send temperatures plunging well below zero, generally warmer Midwest winters have implications from agriculture to recreation.
"We talk about this all the time," says Dennis Todey, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Midwest Climate Hub, in Ames, Iowa.
Freezing stops the microbes in soil from breaking down organic matter. Todey says that this contributes to the quality of Iowa's dark, rich cropland. Soils father south, where it's warmer, lose organic matter because bacteria, fungi and other critters keep munching through it all winter long.
Todey says another problem is when the temperature warms after a hard frost and then rain falls onto frozen ground. That's bad because it can cause soil to wash away.
A freeze can also help protect future crops.
"There are certain pests and diseases that cannot survive cold temperatures. They simply die off," says Rick Cruse, a soil scientist at Iowa State University. But "as the temperature warms, there's more of those that survive."
Warm winters are even worse for certain fruit and nut trees, which require chill hours during the winter. If they don't get enough of those, they won't produce the following season.
Michigan's cherry trees have struggled with erratic winter weather. And the repeated freeze-thaw cycles of the 2018-2019 winter, among other weather anomalies, destroyed Iowa's chestnut crop last year.
Peter Boulay of the Minnesota State Climatology Office says warming can also be a challenge for ice fishing, a sport that draws thousands of anglers.
He says some Minnesota lakes froze up early last fall, but then a mid-November warming compromised the ice. Heavy snow on top of that led to slushy conditions that aren't conducive to safe fishing. Then January brought some nights with overnight lows as much as 10 degrees above normal.
Some Minnesotans are cutting the season short.
But Boulay says where there is solid ice, temperatures in the 20s or even 30s can be welcome. "It's not very comfortable sitting on a bucket when it's below zero."
MOUNTAIN WEST
The most visible impact of warming winters in the Mountain West is on the forests. Millions of trees have died from pine, spruce and pinyon ips bark beetles over the past three decades.
Normally, bark beetles die off in freezing temperatures. "When you have periods of temperature that do not reach the lethal level for the insects, that's when you start seeing increased survival of the population," says Jose Negron, a research entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service.
Warmer temperatures and record-low precipitation can also make trees more susceptible to infestation. The most damaged areas are in and around Rocky Mountain National Park and parts of the San Juan Mountains, the West Elk Mountains and the Sawatch Range.
"Forty to 50 percent of the mature spruce in the state has been killed during the epidemic," says Seth Davis, an assistant professor of forestry at Colorado State University. Davis' recent study found that warmer winter temperatures meant slightly bigger spruce beetles that emerged earlier and flew around longer.
While beetle outbreaks of this size have happened in the past, warmer temperatures might have an impact on their frequency. The impacts are complex, says Davis, but not necessarily all negative. Fewer trees mean more light reaches the forest floor, where flowers now grow. His research finds this is benefiting bee populations.
Another noticeable impact of warmer winters is on the region's important ski industry.
"Thanksgiving was a relatively dependable ski time, and that's not true anymore," says Jim White, a professor at the University of Colorado. As fall lasts longer and spring comes earlier, "the natural snow is not as abundant," he says, and resorts lose valuable days to make their own. What's more, he says, "the longer-term trend is for less and less snow."
Ski areas at lower elevations, as in California, feel these changes the most. "They're the ones that are going to be seeing, really, a loss of skiing altogether in 50 years or more," White says.
Colorado is lucky to have some of the highest elevations for skiing in the United States. Despite an overall warm winter, this year's snowpack is great for skiing. But White says even higher-elevation resorts are vulnerable to big changes as climate models project increasingly warmer temperatures.
TEXAS
Bats in December. Bluebonnets in January. Butterflies in February.
The first two months of winter in Austin, Texas, were the second warmest in 122 years of records, according to Victor Murphy, climate service program manager with the National Weather Service, and that's upsetting some rhythms of the natural world.
December and January were 4.7 degrees warmer than the 30-year average, he says, and only one night — Dec. 19 — dipped down to freezing. "That's quite a bit of warmth spread over quite a few days," says Murphy. "It's pretty significant."
In recent years, warmer winters have caused Texas' famed bluebonnet wildflowers to appear months before people expect to see them.
The climate shift also allows migrating monarch butterflies to survive in Texas later than usual.
"In cold winters, they'll have two or three sightings along the Gulf," says Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch. In a warm year, "you'll get butterflies that are sighted from Florida all the way to over to the middle of Texas and even into the San Antonio, Austin area."
The great migration of monarchs to Mexico already faces many pressures. Taylor thinks that continued warming during their breeding season and migration and over the winter may one day help end it altogether, leaving small "islands" of nonmigrating butterflies around the Gulf Coast.
Then there are the Mexican free-tailed bats that gather each year outside San Antonio, one of the world's largest bat colonies. They're also a nightly summer tourist attraction in downtown Austin.
"They shouldn't be here," says Austin wildlife officer Sarah Whitson. Most bats usually migrate to Mexico or become inactive in the fall, but she says more have stuck around longer the last several winters.
"It's great if there's food sources here throughout the winter," she says. But she worries what could become of the bats if a sudden cold snap kills off the bugs they eat.
Bats play a key role in agriculture, helping to control pests and to fertilize and pollinate some crops. Changing migration patterns could also hurt crops that depend on them, creating what scientists call a "mismatch."
Researchers are seeing more mismatches as a result of climate change, says Norma Fowler, a biology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "You can get plants that bloom before the pollinators are available," she says. "You can get birds that come north before the insects are out for them to eat."
ALASKA
On Alaska's western coast, thick winter sea ice has long protected remote villages from storms. But that ice cover has been freezing later and shrinking to record lows, allowing strong waves to eat away at land made fragile by thawing permafrost. After years of struggle, the village of Newtok late last year started moving residents to safer ground farther inland.
Inupiat on Alaska's North Slope use sea ice as a platform from which to hunt bowhead whales and walruses. Diminished ice in the Arctic is making those harvests more difficult.
Poor ice formation is also making it riskier for Alaskans who rely on ice roads, built on some of the state's rural rivers during winter, to move freight and other goods. In recent years, residents have blamed warm temperatures for the deaths of a number of people whose snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles fell through thin ice.
The state's oil industry needs hundreds of miles of ice roads over land for its operations, which are specially designed for freezing conditions. Companies are investing in technology to help them cope with steadily shrinking winters.
Alaska had an unusually cold January this year, but the state is warming twice as fast as the global average. In Anchorage, a city defined by its winters, this means residents are recalibrating their relationship with the coldest season.
The winter started off warm, disappointing cross-country skiers who can normally use dozens of miles of trails in the city's parks. At a major high school race in December, skiers competed on a mile-long stretch of man-made snow that wound through grass and ice.
"Normal now is kind of like this," said fourth-place finisher Max Beiergrohslein. "On again, off again, there is snow and then there isn't."
Alaska scientists are researching midwinter temperature swings, trying to track how much of a change there has been in what are known as "rain on snow" events, which create ice. Amid a particularly slick start to this winter, one Anchorage elementary school principal suggested that students wear helmets to recess, to protect them from falls on an icy playground.
Meanwhile, winter activities that require less snow, like fat-tire bicycling and ice skating on wilderness lakes, are gaining popularity.
Tell us your story and share your photos showing a changing winter where you are. We may reach out to you to use your response for an upcoming story.
This report is a collaboration among NPR, Alaska's Energy Desk, Colorado Public Radio, KUT Austin, Iowa Public Radio, Maine Public Radio and WABE Atlanta.


npr--2020-02-18--'Dark Towers' Chases Scandal-Ridden Deutsche Bank's Mysterious Ties To Donald Trump

Some of the world 's largest and most powerful banks spent the past decade mired in scandal , but none descended as far into ignominy as Germany 's Deutsche Bank .
Its rap sheet includes a staggering array of ethical and legal lapses , including money laundering , tax fraud and sanctions violations — not to mention mysterious ties to President Trump that federal investigators are even now looking into .
How this plodding , conservative bank from a country famous for diligence and thrift turned into the most infamous casino on Wall Street is the subject of David Enrich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Towers : Deutsche Bank , Donald Trump , and an Epic Trail of Destruction .
It is by now a familiar story .
`` This proud national icon was seduced by the siren song of Wall Street riches , '' Enrich writes .
Thanks partly to deregulation , big firms such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch were coming up with tantalizing new ways to make money , and by 1994 Deutsche Bank wanted a piece of the action .
It started by recruiting Edson Mitchell , an American executive from Merrill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Germanness was the main impediment to unleashing its full animal spirits . ''
Mitchell set about building a global markets operation , not at the bank 's Frankfurt headquarters but in London , where he could function more independently .
He hired a staff of `` bloodthirsty piranhas '' from Wall Street who knew how to push boundaries , as Enrich 's tale tells .
Among them was Bill Broeksmit , a risk management genius who subsequently killed himself as regulators were moving in on the bank and whose death is the mystery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitchell died early in a plane crash , but the machinery he built kept chugging along .
Enrich tells the story of its rise and fall in the careful style of a good newspaper reporter ( he is an editor at The New York Times ) but allows the complicated material to unfold like a good novel .
Over time , he writes , Deutsche Bank became less German and more global , so much so that the bank had to post a sign in its London lobby explaining how to say `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American traders were pronouncing it `` douche bank . ''
With the piranhas in charge , Deutsche Bank eventually became the biggest bank in the world , with 90,000 employees and some $ 2 trillion in assets — almost the size of the German economy , Enrich notes .
Despite that , it was a clumsily managed place .
The bank 's antiquated computer system made it difficult for senior management to monitor London 's activities , even if they 'd wanted to — and it 's not clear they did .
Management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees broke the rules , even when they did business with dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and their friends .
`` Even by the amoral standards of Wall Street , Deutsche exhibited a jarring lack of interest in its clients ' reputations , '' Enrich writes .
Just how disconnected the bank became can be seen in its ongoing relationship with a then New York real estate developer named Donald Trump , whose multiple bankruptcies had made him a pariah in the banking world .
One part of Deutsche Bank turned down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the private banking division , which catered to the rich and famous , arranged the loan anyway — and then , when Trump stopped making payments , arranged another one .
Trump 's murky relationship with Deutsche Bank is still under congressional investigation , so Enrich 's story is necessarily incomplete .
Still , the book has enough detail to make its case that Deutsche Bank was more than just one more rogue bank ; it is a cautionary tale of what happens when a bank pursues profits at any cost , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scruples .

'Dark Towers' Chases Scandal-Ridden Deutsche Bank's Mysterious Ties To Donald Trump
Dark Towers Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich Hardcover, 402 pages | purchase close overlay Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How?
Some of the world's largest and most powerful banks spent the past decade mired in scandal, but none descended as far into ignominy as Germany's Deutsche Bank. Its rap sheet includes a staggering array of ethical and legal lapses, including money laundering, tax fraud and sanctions violations — not to mention mysterious ties to President Trump that federal investigators are even now looking into.
How this plodding, conservative bank from a country famous for diligence and thrift turned into the most infamous casino on Wall Street is the subject of David Enrich's excellent, deeply reported book Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction.
It is by now a familiar story. "This proud national icon was seduced by the siren song of Wall Street riches," Enrich writes. Thanks partly to deregulation, big firms such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch were coming up with tantalizing new ways to make money, and by 1994 Deutsche Bank wanted a piece of the action.
It started by recruiting Edson Mitchell, an American executive from Merrill, who believed Deutsche Bank's "stubborn Germanness was the main impediment to unleashing its full animal spirits." Mitchell set about building a global markets operation, not at the bank's Frankfurt headquarters but in London, where he could function more independently. He hired a staff of "bloodthirsty piranhas" from Wall Street who knew how to push boundaries, as Enrich's tale tells.
Among them was Bill Broeksmit, a risk management genius who subsequently killed himself as regulators were moving in on the bank and whose death is the mystery Enrich uses to frame the story.
Mitchell died early in a plane crash, but the machinery he built kept chugging along. Enrich tells the story of its rise and fall in the careful style of a good newspaper reporter (he is an editor at The New York Times) but allows the complicated material to unfold like a good novel.
Over time, he writes, Deutsche Bank became less German and more global, so much so that the bank had to post a sign in its London lobby explaining how to say "Deutsche." Too many of the American traders were pronouncing it "douche bank."
With the piranhas in charge, Deutsche Bank eventually became the biggest bank in the world, with 90,000 employees and some $2 trillion in assets — almost the size of the German economy, Enrich notes. Despite that, it was a clumsily managed place. The bank's antiquated computer system made it difficult for senior management to monitor London's activities, even if they'd wanted to — and it's not clear they did. Management tended to look the other way when employees broke the rules, even when they did business with dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and their friends. "Even by the amoral standards of Wall Street, Deutsche exhibited a jarring lack of interest in its clients' reputations," Enrich writes.
Just how disconnected the bank became can be seen in its ongoing relationship with a then New York real estate developer named Donald Trump, whose multiple bankruptcies had made him a pariah in the banking world. One part of Deutsche Bank turned down Trump's request for a loan. But the private banking division, which catered to the rich and famous, arranged the loan anyway — and then, when Trump stopped making payments, arranged another one.
Trump's murky relationship with Deutsche Bank is still under congressional investigation, so Enrich's story is necessarily incomplete. Still, the book has enough detail to make its case that Deutsche Bank was more than just one more rogue bank; it is a cautionary tale of what happens when a bank pursues profits at any cost, without being weighed down by pesky moral scruples.


npr--2020-02-18--Coronavirus Update: 346 Americans Emerge From Quarantine At California Military Bases

Some 346 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan , China , amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak emerged from their quarantine at two military bases in California on Tuesday , U.S. officials say .
The group includes 180 Americans who have been living under a mandatory quarantine order at Travis Air Force Base , roughly 40 miles southwest of Sacramento , and 166 U.S. citizens who have been living at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego .
`` One person from the MCAS Miramar group who is confirmed to have COVID-19 remains under care at a local hospital , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention said in a statement sent to NPR .
All of the other U.S. evacuees `` have been medically cleared and CDC officials have lifted their quarantine orders , '' said Jason McDonald , a CDC press officer .
The evacuees left China on planes chartered by the State Department in early February , as the city of Wuhan , center of the novel coronavirus outbreak , was placed under a near-total lockdown .
Their 14-day mandatory quarantine is now over .
`` It is important to know that these people being released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surrounding community , or to the communities they will be returning to , '' McDonald said .
He added that all the remaining Americans who took U.S.-chartered flights out of Wuhan are expected to complete their own quarantine periods later this week .
`` Newly quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers are being kept separate from those individuals who are already at Travis and nearing the end of their quarantine , '' McDonald said , referring to the ship that 's been sitting at a cruise ship terminal under a quarantine in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans from quarantine comes one week after a flightload of 195 Americans was freed from quarantine orders at the March Air Reserve Base in Southern California .
Quarantined cruise ship to get meals from José Andrés ' charity World Central Kitchen , initially created by chef José Andrés to help people stricken by natural disasters in the Caribbean , says it has set up a field kitchen in a parking lot near the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Shinko Pier in Yokohama , Japan , where the vessel is nearing the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charity is providing food for those on board in a bid to ease the strain on the ship 's crew , which has been working to feed passengers , keep the ship clean and perform other duties as the cruise ship sits in isolation at the terminal .
The Diamond Princess ' captain announced World Central Kitchen 's new role in a shipwide address Tuesday , according to passenger Matthew Smith .
`` This is to relieve pressure on the crew , '' Smith said via Twitter , adding that he believes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people working on the ship to observe quarantine rules .
`` It 's definitely a different situation for us , '' World Central Kitchen 's Sam Bloch said in a video update about the operation , acknowledging the uncertainty over how long the quarantine might last for some passengers and crew .
The food is prepared and cooked in a full kitchen before it 's taken to an impromptu kitchen at the terminal , the group says .
From there , it gets reheated as needed and delivered to the ship .
Bloch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations , says the meals are ready to serve when their containers are loaded onto the ship by forklift .
`` The crew does n't have to cook and do all the work , '' Bloch says .
`` They get to get some rest . ''
Andrés said via Twitter that the World Central Kitchen team `` will be there working side by side with everyone on the ground as long as we are needed . ''
Before arriving in Japan , Bloch was working in Australia , where World Central Kitchen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feed firefighters and evacuees .
The organization is active in a number of other places , from Puerto Rico and the Bahamas to Venezuela and along the U.S.-Mexico border .
The director of a hospital in Wuhan , China , the center of a deadly coronavirus outbreak , has died from the disease COVID-19 , state media reported Tuesday , highlighting the risk that the respiratory virus poses to health professionals .
Liu Zhiming , whose age is variously being reported as 50 or 51 , was head of the Wuchang Hospital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,700 medical workers confirmed to be infected with the highly contagious virus , according to China Daily .
The state news outlet adds that the number of workers dates from last Tuesday — meaning even more doctors , nurses and other medical staff might now be infected .
Outbreak 's pace is seen slowing in China Mainland China currently has seen more than 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases , according to the World Health Organization .
And while the country has suffered the majority of deaths associated with the outbreak , health experts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pace at which the virus is spreading might be slowing down .
The Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined at a terminal in Yokohama , Japan , still represents the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases outside China .
On Tuesday , Japan 's health ministry said tests confirmed 88 more cases — including 65 people who were identified as asymptomatic pathogen carriers .
The diagnoses bring the total number of cases from the ship to 542 out of 2,404 people who have been tested , Japanese officials say .
The Diamond Princess had some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the port south of Tokyo earlier this month .
But hundreds of people have since disembarked , either to receive care at local hospitals or , in the case of more than 300 American passengers , to fly back to the U.S. on chartered evacuation flights .
`` We walked into the airplane hangar , and there were military people clapping and cheering for us , '' former Diamond Princess passenger Gay Courter told NPR 's Morning Edition , describing the scene as she and her husband , Philip , arrived at Lackland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that 's when I broke down in tears .
It was this overwhelming relief . ''
Sixty-one U.S. citizens remain on the Diamond Princess , which is slated to begin emerging from its blanket quarantine on Wednesday .
While many passengers will be allowed to leave the ship if they test negative for the new coronavirus , others will have to undergo a longer quarantine if they 've been in close contact with anyone who has the COVID-19 disease .
Infected U.S. evacuees taken to Omaha , Neb .
After the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 14 of them were revealed to have tested positive for the new coronavirus .
U.S. officials say they got the results after the patients had been taken off the ship — and that all 14 were placed in a special section at the rear of one of the chartered jets because of the possible health risk to other evacuees .
The evacuees were flown to Lackland in Texas and Travis Air Force Base in California — the two designated quarantine spots for Diamond Princess passengers taken to the U.S .
But 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Neb.
, to receive care at the University of Nebraska Medical Center .
It 's not clear why the other infected evacuee was n't among them .
`` Those who have tested positive for this novel coronavirus , are only showing mild symptoms of the disease , '' Nebraska Medicine said in a statement .
The facility includes a 20-bed national quarantine unit , where 12 of the evacuees are now being monitored .
But another evacuee was deemed to need specialized care and was placed in a biocontainment unit .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national Training , Simulation and Quarantine Center , which it says has `` the nation 's only federal quarantine unit and simulated biocontainment units for advanced experiential training . ''
The center has been involved in combating other dangerous outbreaks in recent years , including the Ebola virus outbreak that started in 2014 .

Coronavirus Update: 346 Americans Emerge From Quarantine At California Military Bases
Enlarge this image toggle caption Philip and Gay Courter/via Reuters Philip and Gay Courter/via Reuters
Updated at 2:24 p.m. ET
Some 346 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak emerged from their quarantine at two military bases in California on Tuesday, U.S. officials say.
The group includes 180 Americans who have been living under a mandatory quarantine order at Travis Air Force Base, roughly 40 miles southwest of Sacramento, and 166 U.S. citizens who have been living at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego.
"One person from the MCAS Miramar group who is confirmed to have COVID-19 remains under care at a local hospital," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement sent to NPR.
All of the other U.S. evacuees "have been medically cleared and CDC officials have lifted their quarantine orders," said Jason McDonald, a CDC press officer.
The evacuees left China on planes chartered by the State Department in early February, as the city of Wuhan, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, was placed under a near-total lockdown. Their 14-day mandatory quarantine is now over.
"It is important to know that these people being released from quarantine pose no health risk to the surrounding community, or to the communities they will be returning to," McDonald said.
He added that all the remaining Americans who took U.S.-chartered flights out of Wuhan are expected to complete their own quarantine periods later this week.
"Newly quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers are being kept separate from those individuals who are already at Travis and nearing the end of their quarantine," McDonald said, referring to the ship that's been sitting at a cruise ship terminal under a quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.
Tuesday's release of Americans from quarantine comes one week after a flightload of 195 Americans was freed from quarantine orders at the March Air Reserve Base in Southern California.
Quarantined cruise ship to get meals from José Andrés' charity
World Central Kitchen, initially created by chef José Andrés to help people stricken by natural disasters in the Caribbean, says it has set up a field kitchen in a parking lot near the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Shinko Pier in Yokohama, Japan, where the vessel is nearing the end of a 14-day coronavirus quarantine.
The charity is providing food for those on board in a bid to ease the strain on the ship's crew, which has been working to feed passengers, keep the ship clean and perform other duties as the cruise ship sits in isolation at the terminal.
The Diamond Princess' captain announced World Central Kitchen's new role in a shipwide address Tuesday, according to passenger Matthew Smith.
"This is to relieve pressure on the crew," Smith said via Twitter, adding that he believes the extra help could make it easier for people working on the ship to observe quarantine rules.
"It's definitely a different situation for us," World Central Kitchen's Sam Bloch said in a video update about the operation, acknowledging the uncertainty over how long the quarantine might last for some passengers and crew.
The food is prepared and cooked in a full kitchen before it's taken to an impromptu kitchen at the terminal, the group says. From there, it gets reheated as needed and delivered to the ship. Bloch, who directs the group's field operations, says the meals are ready to serve when their containers are loaded onto the ship by forklift.
"The crew doesn't have to cook and do all the work," Bloch says. "They get to get some rest."
Andrés said via Twitter that the World Central Kitchen team "will be there working side by side with everyone on the ground as long as we are needed."
Before arriving in Japan, Bloch was working in Australia, where World Central Kitchen operates a "relief kitchen" to feed firefighters and evacuees. The organization is active in a number of other places, from Puerto Rico and the Bahamas to Venezuela and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hospital director in Wuhan dies of COVID-19
The director of a hospital in Wuhan, China, the center of a deadly coronavirus outbreak, has died from the disease COVID-19, state media reported Tuesday, highlighting the risk that the respiratory virus poses to health professionals.
Liu Zhiming, whose age is variously being reported as 50 or 51, was head of the Wuchang Hospital. He was also one of more than 1,700 medical workers confirmed to be infected with the highly contagious virus, according to China Daily. The state news outlet adds that the number of workers dates from last Tuesday — meaning even more doctors, nurses and other medical staff might now be infected.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
Outbreak's pace is seen slowing in China
Mainland China currently has seen more than 70,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization. And while the country has suffered the majority of deaths associated with the outbreak, health experts in China say there are signs that the pace at which the virus is spreading might be slowing down.
As NPR's Emily Feng reports from Beijing:
"Today's numbers from China's national health commission show that the rate at which new cases reported outside Hubei province, where the epidemic has been concentrated, has dropped for two weeks. China's top state epidemiologist said earlier this week that he expected the outbreak to peak sometime in April. "However, distrust in official state statistics is still high. Hubei in part has the largest share of virus cases in China because it is the only province that discloses so called clinical cases — symptomatic patients who haven't tested positive for the virus. Other provinces are mandated to collect such data but have not disclosed these types of cases publicly."
88 more cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship
The Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined at a terminal in Yokohama, Japan, still represents the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases outside China. On Tuesday, Japan's health ministry said tests confirmed 88 more cases — including 65 people who were identified as asymptomatic pathogen carriers. The diagnoses bring the total number of cases from the ship to 542 out of 2,404 people who have been tested, Japanese officials say.
The Diamond Princess had some 3,700 people aboard when it docked in the port south of Tokyo earlier this month. But hundreds of people have since disembarked, either to receive care at local hospitals or, in the case of more than 300 American passengers, to fly back to the U.S. on chartered evacuation flights.
"We walked into the airplane hangar, and there were military people clapping and cheering for us," former Diamond Princess passenger Gay Courter told NPR's Morning Edition, describing the scene as she and her husband, Philip, arrived at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. "And that's when I broke down in tears. It was this overwhelming relief."
Sixty-one U.S. citizens remain on the Diamond Princess, which is slated to begin emerging from its blanket quarantine on Wednesday. While many passengers will be allowed to leave the ship if they test negative for the new coronavirus, others will have to undergo a longer quarantine if they've been in close contact with anyone who has the COVID-19 disease.
Infected U.S. evacuees taken to Omaha, Neb.
After the U.S. passengers were taken off the Diamond Princess, 14 of them were revealed to have tested positive for the new coronavirus. U.S. officials say they got the results after the patients had been taken off the ship — and that all 14 were placed in a special section at the rear of one of the chartered jets because of the possible health risk to other evacuees.
The evacuees were flown to Lackland in Texas and Travis Air Force Base in California — the two designated quarantine spots for Diamond Princess passengers taken to the U.S. But 13 infected evacuees were then flown to Omaha, Neb., to receive care at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It's not clear why the other infected evacuee wasn't among them.
"Those who have tested positive for this novel coronavirus, are only showing mild symptoms of the disease," Nebraska Medicine said in a statement.
The facility includes a 20-bed national quarantine unit, where 12 of the evacuees are now being monitored. But another evacuee was deemed to need specialized care and was placed in a biocontainment unit.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center runs the national Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center, which it says has "the nation's only federal quarantine unit and simulated biocontainment units for advanced experiential training."
The center has been involved in combating other dangerous outbreaks in recent years, including the Ebola virus outbreak that started in 2014.


npr--2020-02-18--BLM Acting Director Defends Agency's Controversial Move To Colorado

The Bureau of Land Management 's new headquarters in Grand Junction , Colo. , is a long 1,900 miles away from Washington , D.C .
In the small western Colorado city , it 's impossible to ignore you are surrounded by federal public land : the towering mesas , red rock canyons and the Colorado National Monument .
It 's also hard to miss the other tenants the agency shares office space with in its new building on the northern edge of town .
There 's Chevron upstairs .
On the main floor , right next door to BLM 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oil and Gas Association , the state 's lead energy lobbying firm .
`` And I 'm just thankful it 's not a marijuana dispensary , '' says William Perry Pendley , who 's served as BLM 's acting director since last summer .
There 's no dearth of pot shops around here .
But the agency says it 's also hard to find an office space where the industry does n't have a presence .
Just 30 miles east of here is one of the country 's most prolific natural gas deposits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At 6 ' 5 '' , Pendley is wearing a crisp white western shirt and black bolo tie .
And he seems tired of the symbolic criticism .
The General Services Administration , not him or the BLM , found this space to lease anyway , he says .
`` Let 's be real , '' Pendley says .
`` The oil patch can always afford to fly to Washington and sit down with somebody , the people who ca n't do it are farmers and ranchers and people from small communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Land Management decides who gets to do what on some 250 million acres of public land in the country , or to put it another way roughly one-tenth of all the land in the U.S .
Relocating its headquarters to the West , where most of its actual land is , has been floated for years .
But now the Trump administration is actually making it happen .
For Pendley the move is part of a broader push by the controversial president to decentralize the federal government .
`` I think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here , we 're in the local community , and locals can come and see us , '' he says .
`` We 're just a short day 's drive away from a lot of people who would never think of flying to D.C. to sit down with the director . ''
The 74-year-old attorney served in President Reagan 's Department of Interior under controversial Secretary James Watt .
But he spent most of his career at the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation in Colorado .
There , he frequently challenged the BLM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently Utah counties who fought Bears Ears National Monument .
Some westerners , Pendley included , have long complained that the agency 's leaders in Washington are disconnected with rural , resource-dependent communities .
Here in Grand Junction , Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese pushed hard for the relocation .
`` We have had great relationships with our local field offices , '' Pugliese says .
`` But ultimately we have learned that the decisions are made in Washington , D.C. , where they do n't really even know where Mesa County is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our economy . ''
Pugliese is a Republican .
But there has been some bipartisan support in Colorado anyway for the relocation .
In part because the government is moving higher paying leadership jobs out here .
Still , for the most part , many Democrats and many more conservationists are fighting the move to Grand Junction .
They lost a bid in Congress to strip appropriations for its funding .
But they did convince the Government Accountability Office to launch an inquiry .
`` This is public land that belongs to not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans , '' says Cody Perry , a local activist and environmental filmmaker .
He 's standing at a trailhead at the entrance to Bangs Canyon , a BLM recreation site about a 10-minute drive south of town .
The area is also popular with hikers and mountain bikers .
While oil and gas has long been woven into Grand Junction 's economy — in some cases its identity — lately the city and county have marketed its easy access to outdoor amenities .
Many outdoor recreation businesses have opened or relocated here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a ranch in rural Arizona , points out that the vast majority of BLM staff is already living and working full-time in the rural West .
And he worries that removing leaders from the halls of power in D.C. will turn the agency into a backwater .
But he thinks that 's by design .
`` I think it 's an absolute effort to undermine and dismantle an agency , '' Perry says .
`` We 're essentially removing institutionalized knowledge that is being basically dismantled by industry actors . ''
Back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offices near the city 's small , regional airport , Acting Director Pendley counters that , if anything , the BLM is staffing up to carry out the administration 's public lands agenda .
`` Why in the world would we fire people or dismantle an agency that 's critical to accomplishing our goals like energy independence , like increasing recreational access , like decreasing the likelihood of wildfires all across the West , '' he says .
But for the third straight year President Trump has proposed cutting the agency 's budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40 staffers here by the end of March , around the time that his temporary appointment to lead the agency expires .

BLM Acting Director Defends Agency's Controversial Move To Colorado
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
The Bureau of Land Management's new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colo., is a long 1,900 miles away from Washington, D.C.
In the small western Colorado city, it's impossible to ignore you are surrounded by federal public land: the towering mesas, red rock canyons and the Colorado National Monument.
It's also hard to miss the other tenants the agency shares office space with in its new building on the northern edge of town. There's Chevron upstairs. On the main floor, right next door to BLM's new glass entryway, is the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the state's lead energy lobbying firm.
"And I'm just thankful it's not a marijuana dispensary," says William Perry Pendley, who's served as BLM's acting director since last summer.
There's no dearth of pot shops around here. But the agency says it's also hard to find an office space where the industry doesn't have a presence. Just 30 miles east of here is one of the country's most prolific natural gas deposits on public land, the Piceance Basin.
At 6'5", Pendley is wearing a crisp white western shirt and black bolo tie. And he seems tired of the symbolic criticism. The General Services Administration, not him or the BLM, found this space to lease anyway, he says.
"Let's be real," Pendley says. "The oil patch can always afford to fly to Washington and sit down with somebody, the people who can't do it are farmers and ranchers and people from small communities and county commissioners."
The Bureau of Land Management decides who gets to do what on some 250 million acres of public land in the country, or to put it another way roughly one-tenth of all the land in the U.S. Relocating its headquarters to the West, where most of its actual land is, has been floated for years. But now the Trump administration is actually making it happen.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
For Pendley the move is part of a broader push by the controversial president to decentralize the federal government.
"I think the more important story is we're out here, we're in the local community, and locals can come and see us," he says. "We're just a short day's drive away from a lot of people who would never think of flying to D.C. to sit down with the director."
The 74-year-old attorney served in President Reagan's Department of Interior under controversial Secretary James Watt. But he spent most of his career at the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation in Colorado. There, he frequently challenged the BLM in cases representing miners, ranchers and recently Utah counties who fought Bears Ears National Monument.
Some westerners, Pendley included, have long complained that the agency's leaders in Washington are disconnected with rural, resource-dependent communities.
Here in Grand Junction, Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese pushed hard for the relocation.
"We have had great relationships with our local field offices," Pugliese says. "But ultimately we have learned that the decisions are made in Washington, D.C., where they don't really even know where Mesa County is or the impacts of their decisions on our economy."
Pugliese is a Republican. But there has been some bipartisan support in Colorado anyway for the relocation. In part because the government is moving higher paying leadership jobs out here.
Politics Democrats, Environmentalists Call For Federal Lands Chief To Resign Democrats, Environmentalists Call For Federal Lands Chief To Resign Listen · 2:23 2:23
Still, for the most part, many Democrats and many more conservationists are fighting the move to Grand Junction. They lost a bid in Congress to strip appropriations for its funding. But they did convince the Government Accountability Office to launch an inquiry.
"This is public land that belongs to not just people in this county but all Americans," says Cody Perry, a local activist and environmental filmmaker.
He's standing at a trailhead at the entrance to Bangs Canyon, a BLM recreation site about a 10-minute drive south of town. The area is also popular with hikers and mountain bikers. While oil and gas has long been woven into Grand Junction's economy — in some cases its identity — lately the city and county have marketed its easy access to outdoor amenities. Many outdoor recreation businesses have opened or relocated here recently.
Perry, who grew up on a ranch in rural Arizona, points out that the vast majority of BLM staff is already living and working full-time in the rural West. And he worries that removing leaders from the halls of power in D.C. will turn the agency into a backwater. But he thinks that's by design.
"I think it's an absolute effort to undermine and dismantle an agency," Perry says. "We're essentially removing institutionalized knowledge that is being basically dismantled by industry actors."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
Back at the BLM's still mostly empty offices near the city's small, regional airport, Acting Director Pendley counters that, if anything, the BLM is staffing up to carry out the administration's public lands agenda.
"Why in the world would we fire people or dismantle an agency that's critical to accomplishing our goals like energy independence, like increasing recreational access, like decreasing the likelihood of wildfires all across the West," he says.
But for the third straight year President Trump has proposed cutting the agency's budget.
Pendley hopes to have up to 40 staffers here by the end of March, around the time that his temporary appointment to lead the agency expires.


npr--2020-02-18--Poll: Sanders Leads The Field, Bloomberg Qualifies For His 1st Debate

Poll : Sanders Leads The Field , Bloomberg Qualifies For His 1st Debate Updated at 7:08 a.m .
ET Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened up a double-digit lead in the Democratic nominating contest , according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll .
Sanders has 31 % support nationally , up 9 points since December , the last time the poll asked about Democratic voters ' preferences .
His next closest contender has 19 % .
But that second-place rival is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg .
With this poll , Bloomberg has qualified for the Nevada debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there for Saturday 's caucuses .
Many Americans have become familiar with Bloomberg lately in this race because of his ubiquitous TV ads .
But now get ready to see him on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday .
Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey called the new poll result the latest evidence of a `` groundswell '' for the candidate .
To qualify , a candidate needed to have won at least one delegate in the first two contests , have four national polls showing the candidate with 10 % or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Carolina or Nevada showing the candidate with 12 % or more support .
Bloomberg previously cracked 10 % in polls from Quinnipiac University , Monmouth University and Fox News .
Bloomberg , a multibillionaire , has spent more than $ 300 million of his own money on ads , and despite not competing in the first four states of the nominating process , he 's vaulted now into second place nationally .
In recent days , Sanders and Bloomberg have upped attacks against each other .
Sanders has taken aim at Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent in the campaign , accusing him of trying to buy the nomination .
He tweeted that Bloomberg `` will not create the kind of excitement and energy we need to defeat Donald Trump . ''
Bloomberg responded by tweeting a video compilation of attacks leveled against fellow competitors by Sanders supporters online and stressing it 's important to `` unite '' and that `` this type of 'energy ' is not going to get us there . ''
Third among Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning independents is former Vice President Joe Biden with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December .
The debate Wednesday , as well as Biden 's performance in Nevada Saturday and South Carolina a week later , are critical to whether the former vice president has a real chance at the nomination after disappointing fourth- and fifth-place showings in Iowa and New Hampshire , respectively .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
Following Biden is Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12 % , also down from December — by 5 points — after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire .
Next is Minnesota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She 's up from 4 % in December after surprisingly good finishes in the first two contests , and she has leaped ahead of Pete Buttigieg in this national survey .
The former South Bend , Ind.
, mayor is at just 8 % , down from 13 % in December , not a good sign for the candidate after very solid finishes in the first two contests .
Buttigieg is the delegate leader , one ahead of Sanders .
He won the most national delegates out of Iowa and , though he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hampshire , they tied with the same number of delegates out of the state .
The poll result is especially inauspicious for Buttigieg heading into Super Tuesday , March 3 , in what will be essentially a national primary , with 16 contests and more than a third of all delegates up for grabs on that single day .
The one thing Biden can continue to hang his hat on is how well he does against President Trump .
All of the top six Democrats the poll tested beat Trump in a head-to-head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beating Trump by 6 points and the only candidate to reach 50 % .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
Next best is Bloomberg , who beats Trump by 4 points , 48 % to 44 % ; followed by Sanders , 48 % to 45 % ; Buttigieg and Klobuchar do the same against the incumbent president , 47 % to 45 % ; Warren runs about even with Trump , just 1 point ahead , 47 % to 46 % .
In this survey , Sanders has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected , with those younger than 45 , progressives , in cities and among those without college degrees .
But he also leads with women ; college graduates , including white college graduates ; in the suburbs and rural areas ; and is second with black voters , within the margin of error , to Biden .
Bloomberg leads with moderates and voters older than 45 , showing the clear split in the party , and where Bloomberg 's appeal is and might grow if he does well on Super Tuesday .
Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without a college degree and in rural areas .
He also is third with black voters , showing that if Biden does n't do well in South Carolina and drops out before Super Tuesday , Bloomberg might stand to benefit .
Two candidates who have to be worried about their lack of support with black voters , especially as the race is about to take a turn to the South , are Buttigieg and Klobuchar .
They each get only 4 % and 3 % , respectively , with black voters .
Klobuchar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with 80 % of African Americans saying they would vote for her over Trump .
Buttigieg gets just 74 % saying they will vote for him .
In 2016 , Democrat Hillary Clinton won 89 % of black voters nationally against Trump , according to exit polls .
The live-caller telephone survey of 527 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents was conducted by the Marist Poll at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion .
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.4 percentage points .

Poll: Sanders Leads The Field, Bloomberg Qualifies For His 1st Debate
Enlarge this image toggle caption David Zalubowski/AP David Zalubowski/AP
Updated at 7:08 a.m. ET
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened up a double-digit lead in the Democratic nominating contest, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Sanders has 31% support nationally, up 9 points since December, the last time the poll asked about Democratic voters' preferences.
His next closest contender has 19%. But that second-place rival is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. With this poll, Bloomberg has qualified for the Nevada debate, despite not being on the ballot there for Saturday's caucuses.
Many Americans have become familiar with Bloomberg lately in this race because of his ubiquitous TV ads. But now get ready to see him on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday.
Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey called the new poll result the latest evidence of a "groundswell" for the candidate.
To qualify, a candidate needed to have won at least one delegate in the first two contests, have four national polls showing the candidate with 10% or more or two state polls from either South Carolina or Nevada showing the candidate with 12% or more support. Bloomberg previously cracked 10% in polls from Quinnipiac University, Monmouth University and Fox News.
Bloomberg, a multibillionaire, has spent more than $300 million of his own money on ads, and despite not competing in the first four states of the nominating process, he's vaulted now into second place nationally.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brett Carlsen/Getty Images Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
In recent days, Sanders and Bloomberg have upped attacks against each other. Sanders has taken aim at Bloomberg for the amount of money he has spent in the campaign, accusing him of trying to buy the nomination.
He tweeted that Bloomberg "will not create the kind of excitement and energy we need to defeat Donald Trump." Bloomberg responded by tweeting a video compilation of attacks leveled against fellow competitors by Sanders supporters online and stressing it's important to "unite" and that "this type of 'energy' is not going to get us there."
Third among Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning independents is former Vice President Joe Biden with 15%, down 9 points since December.
The debate Wednesday, as well as Biden's performance in Nevada Saturday and South Carolina a week later, are critical to whether the former vice president has a real chance at the nomination after disappointing fourth- and fifth-place showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Following Biden is Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12%, also down from December — by 5 points — after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Next is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 9%. She's up from 4% in December after surprisingly good finishes in the first two contests, and she has leaped ahead of Pete Buttigieg in this national survey.
The former South Bend, Ind., mayor is at just 8%, down from 13% in December, not a good sign for the candidate after very solid finishes in the first two contests. Buttigieg is the delegate leader, one ahead of Sanders. He won the most national delegates out of Iowa and, though he narrowly finished second to Sanders in New Hampshire, they tied with the same number of delegates out of the state.
The poll result is especially inauspicious for Buttigieg heading into Super Tuesday, March 3, in what will be essentially a national primary, with 16 contests and more than a third of all delegates up for grabs on that single day.
The one thing Biden can continue to hang his hat on is how well he does against President Trump. All of the top six Democrats the poll tested beat Trump in a head-to-head matchup, but Biden does best, beating Trump by 6 points and the only candidate to reach 50%.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
Next best is Bloomberg, who beats Trump by 4 points, 48% to 44%; followed by Sanders, 48% to 45%; Buttigieg and Klobuchar do the same against the incumbent president, 47% to 45%; Warren runs about even with Trump, just 1 point ahead, 47% to 46%.
In this survey, Sanders has broad support. He leads, as expected, with those younger than 45, progressives, in cities and among those without college degrees. But he also leads with women; college graduates, including white college graduates; in the suburbs and rural areas; and is second with black voters, within the margin of error, to Biden.
Bloomberg leads with moderates and voters older than 45, showing the clear split in the party, and where Bloomberg's appeal is and might grow if he does well on Super Tuesday. Bloomberg is also second with women, voters without a college degree and in rural areas. He also is third with black voters, showing that if Biden doesn't do well in South Carolina and drops out before Super Tuesday, Bloomberg might stand to benefit.
Two candidates who have to be worried about their lack of support with black voters, especially as the race is about to take a turn to the South, are Buttigieg and Klobuchar. They each get only 4% and 3%, respectively, with black voters. Klobuchar does better against Trump with black voters, with 80% of African Americans saying they would vote for her over Trump. Buttigieg gets just 74% saying they will vote for him.
In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won 89% of black voters nationally against Trump, according to exit polls.
The live-caller telephone survey of 527 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents was conducted by the Marist Poll at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.4 percentage points.


npr--2020-02-18--Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy As It Faces Hundreds Of Sex-Abuse Claims

Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy As It Faces Hundreds Of Sex-Abuse Claims Updated at 10:30 a.m .
ET The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy , a sign of the century-old organization 's financial instability as it faces some 300 lawsuits from men who say they were sexually abused as Scouts .
The organization says it will use the Chapter 11 process to create a trust to provide compensation to victims .
Scouting programs will continue throughout .
The Boy Scouts had been exploring the possibility of bankruptcy since at least December 2018 , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible Chapter 11 filing .
Chapter 11 usually involves the debtor making a reorganization plan to keep its business alive and pay its creditors over time .
The filing was made in Delaware and is expected to set a new deadline for victims ' claims to be made .
The Boy Scouts also published a carefully worded open letter to victims of abuse .
The letter , signed by BSA National Chair Jim Turley , reads in part : '' I am outraged that individuals took advantage of our programs to commit these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outraged that there were times when volunteers and employees ignored our procedures or forgave transgressions that are unforgivable .
In some cases , this led to tragic acts of abuse .
While those instances were limited , they mean we did n't do enough to protect the children in our care — to protect you .
`` On behalf of myself and the entire Scouting community : I am sorry .
I am devastated that there were times in the past when we failed the very children we were supposed to protect .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ abused to come forward and file claims so they can receive compensation from the trust that will be created .
Amid high-profile sexual abuse scandals in organizations from the Catholic Church to USA Gymnastics , some states have changed their laws to allow more time for victims of sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators .
That has brought a wave of new lawsuits from victims whose cases were prevented previously by statutes of limitations .
`` For years , organizations like the Boy Scouts counted on these laws protecting them , '' says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles who is representing many men who are suing the Boy Scouts .
`` Now those laws are not there , and the Boy Scouts have fallen under their own weight of these abuse allegations and the potential cases that will be filed . ''
The Boy Scouts ' potential liability is large .
Mones points to just one case he won in Portland , Ore. , in 2010 , where the judgment against the organization was nearly $ 20 million .
For many years , the Boy Scouts had insurance that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent years these carriers have been withdrawing coverage , arguing that the Boy Scouts knew about the abuse and did n't tell the insurance companies .
That has left the organization with the prospect of having to fund any litigation and settlements itself .
The Boy Scouts ' most recent tax filing shows total revenue of more than $ 285 million .
With significant land holdings across the U.S. , the organization 's assets in 2018 totaled $ 1.4 billion .
The national organization might hope that its bankruptcy filing will shield the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how Catholic dioceses were able to protect their properties and parishes from claims .
BSA was clear on this point in its statement on Tuesday : `` Local councils , which provide programming , financial , facility and administrative support to Scouting units in their communities , have not filed for bankruptcy .
They are legally separate , distinct and financially independent from the national organization . ''
Local Boy Scout councils and other affiliated nonprofits separately hold $ 3.3 billion in assets , The Wall Street Journal reported last month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. have filed for bankruptcy amid the wave of sex abuse lawsuits against the church .
Some victims ' attorneys have complained that bankruptcy filings shift the emphasis to the diocese 's finances , rather than uncovering documents and information about what church leaders knew .
Mones says the Boy Scouts ' case could be a warning for any organization that has n't properly reckoned with reports of abuse .
`` If the largest youth organization by far in the United States can be crippled under the weight of doing nothing about their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , I think it is a warning shot across the bow to all churches and youth organizations and schools that have this problem and do n't act proactively to resolve it , '' he says .

Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy As It Faces Hundreds Of Sex-Abuse Claims
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tony Gutierrez/AP Tony Gutierrez/AP
Updated at 10:30 a.m. ET
The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy, a sign of the century-old organization's financial instability as it faces some 300 lawsuits from men who say they were sexually abused as Scouts.
The organization says it will use the Chapter 11 process to create a trust to provide compensation to victims. Scouting programs will continue throughout.
The Boy Scouts had been exploring the possibility of bankruptcy since at least December 2018, when the group hired a law firm for a possible Chapter 11 filing. Chapter 11 usually involves the debtor making a reorganization plan to keep its business alive and pay its creditors over time.
The filing was made in Delaware and is expected to set a new deadline for victims' claims to be made.
The Boy Scouts also published a carefully worded open letter to victims of abuse. The letter, signed by BSA National Chair Jim Turley, reads in part:
"I am outraged that individuals took advantage of our programs to commit these heinous acts. "I am also outraged that there were times when volunteers and employees ignored our procedures or forgave transgressions that are unforgivable. In some cases, this led to tragic acts of abuse. While those instances were limited, they mean we didn't do enough to protect the children in our care — to protect you. "On behalf of myself and the entire Scouting community: I am sorry. I am devastated that there were times in the past when we failed the very children we were supposed to protect."
The letter encourages people who were abused to come forward and file claims so they can receive compensation from the trust that will be created.
Amid high-profile sexual abuse scandals in organizations from the Catholic Church to USA Gymnastics, some states have changed their laws to allow more time for victims of sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators. That has brought a wave of new lawsuits from victims whose cases were prevented previously by statutes of limitations.
"For years, organizations like the Boy Scouts counted on these laws protecting them," says Paul Mones, an attorney in Los Angeles who is representing many men who are suing the Boy Scouts. "Now those laws are not there, and the Boy Scouts have fallen under their own weight of these abuse allegations and the potential cases that will be filed."
The Boy Scouts' potential liability is large. Mones points to just one case he won in Portland, Ore., in 2010, where the judgment against the organization was nearly $20 million.
For many years, the Boy Scouts had insurance that would cover sexual abuse claims. But in recent years these carriers have been withdrawing coverage, arguing that the Boy Scouts knew about the abuse and didn't tell the insurance companies. That has left the organization with the prospect of having to fund any litigation and settlements itself.
The Boy Scouts' most recent tax filing shows total revenue of more than $285 million. With significant land holdings across the U.S., the organization's assets in 2018 totaled $1.4 billion.
The national organization might hope that its bankruptcy filing will shield the assets of its local councils, similar to how Catholic dioceses were able to protect their properties and parishes from claims.
BSA was clear on this point in its statement on Tuesday: "Local councils, which provide programming, financial, facility and administrative support to Scouting units in their communities, have not filed for bankruptcy. They are legally separate, distinct and financially independent from the national organization."
Local Boy Scout councils and other affiliated nonprofits separately hold $3.3 billion in assets, The Wall Street Journal reported last month.
At least 20 Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy amid the wave of sex abuse lawsuits against the church. Some victims' attorneys have complained that bankruptcy filings shift the emphasis to the diocese's finances, rather than uncovering documents and information about what church leaders knew.
Mones says the Boy Scouts' case could be a warning for any organization that hasn't properly reckoned with reports of abuse.
"If the largest youth organization by far in the United States can be crippled under the weight of doing nothing about their sexual abuse allegations and covering the problem up, I think it is a warning shot across the bow to all churches and youth organizations and schools that have this problem and don't act proactively to resolve it," he says.