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UNH Professor: climate change threatening Maine winter sports season

Is Maine's ski industry in jeopardy?

Durham, NH - (NEWS CENTER Maine) - Liz Burakowski, an assistant research professor at the University of New Hampshire, loves to ski but doesn’t do it the way she once did. Her habits didn’t change because of the time or considerable money skiing requires. Instead Liz heads to ski areas less often these days because she wants to reduce her carbon footprint. “I like to ‘earn my turns.’ So I will skin up a mountain on my skis [climb it on skis equipped with skins that allow one to glide uphill, albeit with considerable exertion], and that comes at a very low carbon cost.”

In February, Burakowski helped write a report on the impact climate change is likely to have in the U.S. on snow sports such as skiing and snowmobiling. Among the predictions: ski seasons in 2050 may be fifty percent shorter than they are now. If so, the effect on the $20 billion a year winter sports tourism industry could be devastating.

Despite the bleak outlook, Burakowsi is not wallowing in pessimism. What gives her hope is the commitment of the students she teaches. “I have a number of students who were in my Introduction to Climate class, for example, who were also civil engineering majors. And they are just so motivated to make things more energy efficient, to consume less fuel, and to be carbon neutral.” They may hold the key, she says, to preserving winter for future generations.

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