Climate Change and the Logan River: Past, Present, and Future Mercy Smith1, Kendall Becker, Ph.D.1,2, and Scott Hotaling, Ph.D.1,2 Climate Resiliency Extension, Utah State University Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University 1
2
The Logan River runs through Idaho and northern Utah, beginning in the Bear River Mountains and flowing through Logan Canyon to Cutler Reservoir. The river is socially and ecologically significant to the Cache Valley community. Throughout its history, the Logan River’s water and energy have sustained life within the valley. However, climate change is threatening the Logan River’s support of both human and animal communities. Rising water temperatures and reduced flow caused by declining snowpack may impair the river’s ability to maintain healthy ecosystems.
Past: River History and Uses The Logan River has long been significant to the residents of Cache Valley, since early Shoshone settlement around 3000 B.C. (Figure 1; Walters et al., 2024). During the thousands of years that people have lived alongside the river, it has served as a place for recreation and sustenance, an irrigation source, a hydroelectric energy generator, a research subject, and a thriving aquatic ecosystem.
Figure 1. The Logan River’s Course Within Utah (dark line), Including Its Three Major Dam Locations Base map source: Google Maps, n.d.
1