WATERVILLE Donald Ernest Nystrom, 68, died with his wife and youngest sister at his side, Tuesday, February 14, 2023, following a brief illness. Born in Skowhegan, October 9, 1954, he was the son of William and Barbara Winchenbach Nystrom.
by Henry Houston
Looking toward Lane County’s climate in 2040 sounds like the setting of a dystopian sci-fi novel. According to Phase One of the Climate Action Plan paid for by the county, summer temperatures could be 10 to 12 Fahrenheit degrees hotter, and there could be a 400 to 500 percent increase of wildfire surface area and no more snowpack in the Cascades.
But Lane County is at last taking action.
With recent reports inventorying the county government and countywide greenhouse gas emissions, Lane County is beginning to address climate change, tackling its part in humanity’s greatest existential crisis. Earlier this year, the county hired a climate strategist, Mark Nystrom. He says the county is in a unique position to find ways to address climate change in rural areas, and he wants solutions to put priority on equity over lowering the carbon footprint.