>> Sreenivasan: THIS WEEKEND, WE

ARE BRINGING YOU A SPECIAL

SERIES OF STORIES EXAMINING HOW

THE CHANGING CLIMATE IS

IMPACTING STATES ALONG THE

MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

OUR REPORTERS AND PRODUCERS

SPENT THE LAST MONTH TRAVELLING

TO SEVERAL STATES THAT BORDER

THE MISSISSIPPI, TO EXPLORE NOT

ONLY THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE

CHANGE BUT SOLUTIONS FOR

COMBATING RISING WATERS,

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND

DISRUPTION OF COMMERCE.

WE BEGAN WHERE THE MISSISSIPPI

RIVER DOES IN THE STATE OF

MINNESOTA, WHERE BUSINESSES IN

THE NORTH THAT RELY ON THE COLD

ARE FACING WARMER WINTERS.

ONE SUCH BUSINESS IS DOG

SLEDDING.

KAOMI GOETZ, A REPORTER FOR ONE

GREATER MINNESOTA, BRINGS US THE

STORY FROM TWIN CITIES PBS.

THE SERIES IS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES, "PERIL AND

PROMISE: THE CHALLENGE OF

CLIMATE CHANGE," AND IS PRODUCED

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEXUS MEDIA

NEWS, A NONPROFIT NEWS

ORGANIZATION.

>>WELCOME TO THE STARTING LINE!

WEARING BIB NUMBER EIGHT, FROM

DULUTH...

>> Reporter: TEMPERATURES DIPPED

TO MINUS DIGITS FOR THE 35th

ANNUAL JOHN BEARGREASE DOG SLED

MARATHON.

AT 300 MILES, IT'S THE LONGEST

DOG SLED RACE IN THE LOWER 48

STATES.

PETER McCLELLAND RUNS A DOG SLED

ADVENTURE BUSINESS IN ELY.

HE WAS ONE OF THE 11 MARATHON

COMPETITORS.

HE SAID IT'S A CHALLENGING

COURSE.

>> THE MAIN THING YOU'RE GOING

TO THINK ABOUT IS, JUST TAKE IT

EASY AT THE BEGINNING.

YOU COULD LOSE THIS RACE IN THE

FIRST RUN.

YOU CANNOT WIN THIS RACE IN THE

FIRST RUN.

>>ONE OF THE MENTORS OF THE

JOHN BEARGREASE SLED DOG

MARATHON, PLEASE WELCOME PETER

McCLELLAND!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )

>> Reporter: AFTER CONNECTING

WITH HIS DOGS, IT WAS

McCLELLAND'S TURNED TO START.

>>5-4-3-2-1, THE MENTOR IS NOW

THE COMPETITOR!

>> Reporter: IT SEEMED LIKE A

PICTURE PERFECT WINTRY POSTCARD,

BUT THE BEARGREASE IS CHANGING.

ORGANIZERS HAD TO SHAVE OFF MORE

THAN 70 MILES FROM LAST YEAR'S

COURSE.

IT WAS ALSO REROUTED, ALL

BECAUSE OF A CONTINUAL TREND:

LACK OF SNOW.

>>HE'S OUT OF HERE!

(CHEERS )

>> CLIMATE CHANGE, I... I THINK

IT'S COMING.

I MEAN, IT'S HERE, PROBABLY.

I'M NOT AN OFFICIAL, BUT I THINK

IT'S HERE, AND IT'S DEFINITELY

SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT

OUR INDUSTRY.

>> Reporter: THE CHANGES ARE

ALREADY BEING FELT BY THOSE WHO

MAKE THEIR LIVING OFF WINTER.

(DOGS BARKING )

PAUL SCHURKE CAME UP TO ELY

DECADES AGO AND RUNS A DOG

SLEDDING BUSINESS.

>> WE'VE KEPT OUR OWN LITTLE

NOTES ON OPERATING A SEASON

SINCE WE STARTED HERE 40 YEARS

AGO, AND WE'VE SEEN OUR DOGS AT

OPERATING SEASON DIMINISH BY

SOMETHING IN THE ORDER OF 20%.

IN OUR FIRST SEVERAL YEARS, WE

WERE ABLE TO CONSISTENTLY... OUR

FIRST DECADE, WE CONSISTENTLY

DOG SLEDDED FOR ABOUT 116, 120

DAYS OF WINTER.

NOW, MAYBE JUST OVER 90 IF WE'RE

LUCKY.

>> Reporter: LOSING A MONTH OR

MORE IS DISASTER FOR A FOUR-

MONTH SEASONAL BUSINESS.

MANY OF THE STATE'S DOG SLEDDERS

ARE CONCENTRATED AROUND ELY.

SCHURKE ESTIMATES, IF THEY ALL

GO UNDER, IT'LL BE A LOSS OF

$1.5 MILLION A YEAR TO THE AREA

ECONOMY, AND THAT'S A LOT FOR A

COMMUNITY THAT CAN'T SURVIVE ON

SUMMER TOURISM ALONE.

>> FOR THOSE OF US WHO'VE BEEN

HERE NOW FOR SOME DECADES AND

WHOSE BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN

DEPENDENT ON IT, WE'VE GOT A

MICROSCOPIC VIEW OF WHAT'S GOING

DOWN BECAUSE WE DEAL WITH DAILY.

>> Reporter: THE WINTRY BEAUTY

IS SOMETHING TO SEE, BUT THE

SCIENTISTS AGREE WINTER IN

MINNESOTA IS UNDER SIEGE.

>> THE SUMMERTIME TEMPERATURE IS

GOING UP, BUT MOSTLY BECAUSE

IT'’S GOING UP AT NIGHT.

IT'S NOT GOING UP DURING THE

DAY.

WHEN WE LOOK AT WINTER, THE

WINTERTIME TEMPERATURE IS GOING

UP BOTH DURING THE DAY AND

ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

AND WINTER IN GENERAL IS WARMING

ABOUT TEN TIMES FASTER THAN

SUMMER IN MINNESOTA OVER THE

LAST FIVE DECADES OR SO.

>> Reporter: HE SAYS IT AMOUNTS

TO A WARMING OF ABOUT ONE DEGREE

PER DECADE, AND THAT CONTRIBUTES

TO MILDER WINTERS.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RECENT POLAR

VORTEX OF 2019?

BLUMFIELD SAYS WE USED TO GET A

LOT MORE OF THEM, AND THEY STUCK

AROUND FOR WEEKS.

>> THE FACT THAT IT HAS BEEN 23

YEARS SINCE ONE LIKE THIS

HAPPENED IS PROBABLY REALLY

STRONG EVIDENCE THAT THE CLIMATE

HAS CHANGED AND IS CHANGING.

>> WE'RE SEEING THIS SORT OF AS

ENVIRONMENTAL DISTRESS OR AN

EMOTIONAL ANXIETY.

>> Reporter: RESEARCHERS ARE

LOOKING AT HOW PEOPLE ARE

RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

IN DULUTH, CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS

ARE OFTEN CHALLENGED WITH LESS

SNOW.

>> ONE CREATIVE ADAPTATION WE'VE

SEEN PEOPLE DO IS TURNING TO

WINTER HIKING, TURNING TO FAT-

TIRE BICYCLE RIDING.

THERE'S FAT-TIRE BIKE TRACKS ALL

OVER THE PLACE HERE WHERE PEOPLE

ARE GETTING OUT ON A BIKE.

>> Reporter: BERRY SAYS, WITH

THE CHANGES, THERE ALSO COMES A

NEW ANXIETY-- LOSS OF IDENTITY

AND EVEN LIVELIHOOD.

(DOG BARKS )

PETER McCLELLAND FINISHED 7th IN

THE BEARGREASE.

NOW, IT'S BACK TO WORK, GIVING

PEOPLE A TASTE OF WINTER'S

MAGIC.

BUT HE SAYS, SOME YEARS, IT'S

BEEN A SCRAMBLE.

>> ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS

WHOLE CLIMATE CHANGE IN

TOURISM: WHEN YOU GET A GOOD

WINTER, IT'S OFF EVERYONE'S

RADAR SCREEN.

AND THEN, WE'LL HAVE TWO OR

THREE MARGINAL WINTERS IN A ROW,

AND IT'S ALL ANYONE'S TALKING

ABOUT.

>> Reporter: McCLELLAND LOVES

WHAT HE DOES FOR A LIVING.

YOU HAVE TO SINCE THERE'S LITTLE

MONEY IN IT.

BUT IT'S A PASSION HE KNOWS HE

WON'T BE ABLE TO PASS ON TO HIS

KIDS.

>> I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO

THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE

GOING TO KEEP HAVING WINTERS.

SO... BUT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE

ENOUGH WEEKS OF WINTER THAT YOU

CAN HAVE A BUSINESS THAT'S

VIABLE?