What
a great time of year! The holidays are in full swing, the ski resorts
are open and tourists are coming to ski, snowboard and frolic in our
wonderful snow. We are all aware of what benefits this winter weather
provides us and the state of Colorado but what does it do for the
natural world?
Snow,
the other highly prized mineral in this area, is important to plants,
animals and humans as well.
When
the snow blankets the ground, air gets trapped and becomes a perfect
insulator for the plants, denning animals and humans. Have you ever
made or been inside a snow cave? Some igloos in the north can be 100
degrees warmer on the inside than the outside being heated only by
the bodies inside, that’s great insulation!
As the snow melts and pools,
it provides drinking water. One of the major benefits to the earth
is that snow provides 80% of fresh water which we all rely on. In the
summer months it provides water for drinking, recreating and
irrigation including our neighbors in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona to
name a few. In drier years we can see the impact this smaller snow
level has on our lives and nature. Humans will need to implement
water conservation, water storage and in some cases we will see a
decrease in crop production. Nature has to adapt to drier conditions
finding other water sources and even eating different food.
Colorado
still holds two records for the most snow. On December 4, 1913, the
most snow to fall in a single calendar day was in Georgetown on I-70
with 63” in a 12-hour period, that’s over 5 feet of snow! The
second record we hold is for the most snow fall in a 24-hour period.
In Silver Lake, near Nederland in Boulder County, 76” of snow fell,
that's a lot of shoveling!
Enjoy
the season and when you build the snowman in your yard, remember as
he melts in the winter sun, that this liquid gold, will be a
refreshing glass of water in the spring.
