When I left for work this morning it was raining. I drove up my winding driveway past some significant trees, and another mile down the road, passed the Country Club with gorgeous greens and fairways. Then I crossed a small stream, which was brimming with flowing water.
Well, I know that's not remarkable for Arkansas, but it would be in southern California.
Yes, climate change has made water in the Southwest of our country a valuable commodity. Of course water is plentiful in Arkansas, but would we consider the average Arkansas town as a destination that would attract residents from another state because of water?
Well, maybe we should.
After all, for years, people all across the country have traveled from one section of America to another because they believed that state or town would be a better place to live.
When the combination of a depression and the Dust Bowl created a huge migration from Oklahoma and Arkansas to California, it was caused by believing the living and working conditions were better, and it was caused by the lack of water.
We are still seeing Americans moving from place to place, but it's not as focused as the Dust Bowl Migration. However, with the severe drought, which is predicted to become worse in the southwest, especially in California and Arizona, we may see a reverse migration from those states to the mid-south where water is plentiful.
If the Southwest continues to suffer water shortages for the next decade due to climate change, the trickle of residents leaving the area may turn into a torrent.
But the American Southwest is not the only area in the world to experience extreme drought.
In Central America, a long drought is the primary factor in the overwhelming numbers of migrants trying to cross the border into the United States. The thousands of rural farms and the absence of plentiful water is the root cause if this migration. Climate change will be more and more of a factor in the future, and as the drought continues in the American Southwest, especially in California and Arizona, the lack of water may prove to be the reason for a slow but steady migration to states, which have abundant water.
That is why I believe Arkansas will benefit from this migration.
Until you have lived in an area where water was scarce, you really can't appreciate how important an abundance of water is. When water is rationed, the idea of having grass on your yard is unheard of, and outside of a few potted plants, you can forget anything green that requires water.
I played golf in Benghazi, Libya, and there wasn't a blade of grass on the course. The "greens" were oil stained sand called "browns." So don't underestimate the importance of plentiful water and lush forests.
Put yourself in the shoes of a person who may be ready to retire, or at least move to a more attractive place with plentiful water. We take our forests for granted, and think nothing of scraping off a heavily forested piece of land to build on. Our old "slash and burn" attitude is a carryover from the early settlement days still prevails in a lot of communities. Look at photos from the 40s and 50s, and you will see most downtown have a totally bare look, and if you are leaving an area because of the drought, a bare, treeless town is the opposite of what you want to see.
Greening up a town is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do, and believe me, more is better. Over the past 30 years I have partnered with the City of El Dorado and the Arkansas Forestry Commission to get over 1,000 downtown trees planted, and along with those trees, we had another committee that managed to get 5,000 crepe myrtle trees planted in the city.
When you are coming from an area which won't allow you to water your yard, a town with green, flowery planters and abundant trees makes a very attractive destination.
How much money or effort does it take to plant a tree, or plant a planter with flowers? We need to realize folks who may be looking to move from the drought stricken Southwest view flowers, trees and fountains as very positive attractions, and they sure don't look at a bare, treeless street in a positive manner.
The second part of the migration equation is our overall climate. I previously wrote about what I call a sweet spot across the South with four distinct seasons. That one reason could be a deciding factor in a person's decision.
Vertis and I traveled to zouthern California and Arizona a number of times during the 70s and 80s, and I remember playing tennis at the John Wayne Tennis Center in San Bernardino, California. I was a little intimated when I found out you must wear all-white. The Center set up the match, but I could tell my opponent was very reluctant to play me. I overheard him gripe about wasting his time.
"Arkansas?" he grumbled.
"I'm ranked in California," he announced as we walked to the court.
When I beat him 6-2, 6-2, I shook his hand and said, "I'm ranked in Arkansas."
But the California and Arizona of the 70s and 80s that we loved has changed, and with the congestion and now the drought, it is a different place altogether.
Our State's natural beauty that we see on a daily basis, and take for granted, is our ace in the hole. The idea that nearly all of our towns and cities are just minutes away from hunting or fishing, or just hiking on a trail through a beautiful setting is something that most of the potential residents would love.
Combine that with a very short drive, we can be in a very natural setting is a little plus that someone from southern Californian would find extremely attractive. If our prospective resident is from Los Angeles the idea of being 15 minutes in light traffic from nearly everywhere is especially good.
When we look closely at the towns in our state and the entertainment venues available, we can easily point to dozens of restaurants that are easily top quality and although they might be a 30 minute drive, if you lived in southern California you wouldn't think that is a problem.
What we might dismiss as ordinary, the prospective residents might find extraordinary -- they might think hunting or fishing is great entertainment, or just being where on a clear night you can see the stars and not hear the rumble of traffic would be wonderful.
Our numerous entertainment venues make living in Arkansas much easier than fighting traffic or standing in line to do almost anything entertaining.
Contrast that to packed eight lane freeways with long commutes and our short drives from everywhere looks better and better. If you lived in the drought stricken Southwest and sweltered under a 105 summer heat wave without a rainy end in sight, would you be tempted to move to our lush, water abundant state?
Of course you would!
Richard Mason is an author and speaker. He can be reached at [email protected].