Pacific Region Climate Change Learning Opportunities - Nov 2014 Issue
Missed the Fifth Annual PNW Climate Science Conference? No need to worry! Most of the conference presentation PDFs and videos have been posted to the online agenda on the conference website: http://pnwclimateconference.org/program.html. We hope you will join us in Idaho in fall 2015 for the 2015 PNW Climate Science Conference (exact date and location TBA).
Upcoming Webinars, Courses and Meetings
Nov 10 - Conference, REACH Conference on Climate Change impacts in central Washington. The REACH Centers for Environmental, Natural Resource, Energy and Agriculture Science, Richland, WA. To register for a presentation, please go to www.visitthereach.org, contact Kris Cargile at kris@visitthereach.org.
Nov 13, 11am-noon (Pacific Time), NOAA Science Seminar, How does eelgrass affect carbonate chemistry in the nearshore and what does it mean for thinking about ocean acidification in Puget Sound? Brooke Love, Ph.D., Environmental Science, Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University and Shannon Point Marine Center. Audio: (650) 479-3207; access code: 807 346 573
Nov 18, 10-11am (Alaska Time) - Webinar, ACCAP Alaska Climate Webinar: A Tale of Two Synthesis Efforts: The PacMARS and SOAR Programs
Nov 18, 12-130 (Pacific) - Webinar, Creating a Green Infrastructure Plan to Transform Your Community
Nov 19, 10am (Pacific) - Call, PNW Tribal Climate Change Network Call. The PNW Tribal Climate Change Network fosters communication between tribes, agencies, and other entities about climate change policies, programs, and research needs pertaining to tribes and climate change. Please contact Kathy Lynn at kathy@uoregon.edu for information on joining these monthly calls.
Nov 19, 2-3pm (Pacific) - OneNOAA Science Seminar, The Role of Climate and Water Resources Data in Societal Decisions within the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California
Nov 20, 10-11am (Pacific) - Webinar, NPLCC Science-Management Webinar: Correlation and climate sensitivity of human health and environmental indicators in the Salish Sea. Registration is required.
Nov 20 – 10-11am (Pacific) - Webinar, National Adaptation Forum Webinar Series: Out of Town, Not Out of Trouble: Small Agriculture and Indigenous Communities
Dec 2, 11am (Pacific) - Webinar, Predicting Climate Change Impacts on River Ecosystems and Salmonids across the Pacific Northwest
Dec 2-3 - Conference, 3rd Annual Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples Conference – The University of Oregon will host the 3rd Annual Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples Conference and Student Symposium: Environment, Culture and Indigenous Sovereignty in the Americas. There is no registration fee, and the event is open to the public.
Dec 4, 2-3pm (Pacific)- OneNOAA Science Seminar, Predicting the effects of sea level rise and future hydrology on salinity intrusion and freshwater export from the Skagit River Estuary - Northwest Fisheries Science Center Auditorium and webinar.http://training.fws.gov/
Dec 15-16, 2014 - Meeting, Rural Climate Policy Meeting, Washington, D.C. The meeting will bring Rural Climate Network and other rural leaders together to discuss and create a broad rural climate policy platform. The platform will highlight concerns and rural climate mitigation and adaptation options in the U.S.
Jan 15-March 17, 2015 - Online Course, “Decision Analysis for Climate Change” NCTC class (ALC 3196). Register online.
Feb 17-19, 2015 - Conference, Boise State University, ID. Great Basin Consortium Conference
May 12-15, 2015 - Conference, Missoula, MT. 2nd National Adaptation Forum, Early Registration Announcement: discounted registration is available through Feb 28, 2015. More details are provided at the conference website: http://nationaladaptationforum.org/
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Other Ongoing Activities
NOAA Webinar Series on Ocean Acidification
COMET Program Makes Available Recorded Presentations from 2013 Climate Variability and Change Course: The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research's COMET Program has made available recorded presentations from its 2013 offering of the Climate Variability and Change Virtual Course. The five-day course provided extensive background on climate variability and change with emphasis on effective communication skills. The course is free and open to anyone. Content is geared towards those who already understand the foundations of climate science.
Monthly: NOAA Hosts Monthly Webinar Series on Climate Information for Managing Risks in Water Resources: Working with collaborators such as the U.S. National Integrated Drought Information System, Water Research Foundation, Water Environment Federation, Water Environment Research Foundation, and American Water Works Association, the Sectoral Applications Research Program in NOAA's Climate Program Office is hosting a series of webinars the third Thursday of every month. For a listing of webinars, visit this site.
Interactive Education Module on Climate Change Science and Modeling The Climate Change Resource Center has released a new interactive online education module on basic climate change science and climate modeling. The module was designed to make climate change science approachable to the general public and to provide flexibility for busy professionals, but also to facilitate a greater level of understanding and depth through interactive features. It will help the Forest Service continue to make progress on the Climate Change Scorecard by giving all employees access to a new education option. The module, “Climate Change Science and Modeling: What You Need to Know”, gives a brief overview of the climate system, greenhouse gases, climate models, current climate impacts, and future climate projections. Interactive features allow users to control their learning experience, with opportunities to explore outside links, and learn definitions and relevant facts. The main material is followed by an activity specific to the user’s geographical region, and completing the activity will generate a personalized certificate. The climate change module is available here.
PICS Canada Offers Online Climate Courses: Climate Insights 101 is a short course series designed to provide users with an in-depth understanding of climate science and related issues. New courses in 2014 focus on mitigation.
Regional guides for teachers/interpreters: Educational resources for each region of the country, tied to the National Climate Assessment's key findings have been assembled and are now posted on NOAA's teaching climate webpages. (Scroll down to use the clickable map to get to the resources that have been gathered into an online educators "guide" for your region.) Each region's educators "guide" includes a short synopsis of the findings of the Assessment, and a listing of educational resources for the key messages for that region. Resources include background info, lesson plans, videos, etc. This will provide one good place to start if you are looking for info specific to your region. The guides have been vetted by scientists and educators.
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List Servers
● BioClimate News & Events from NCCWSC & the CSCs
● ClimateNews-- is a snapshot from British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, provides new and emerging climate change adaptation and mitigation activities in the natural resource sector. Contact: katharine.mccallion@gov.bc.ca
● Climate CIRCulator (Oregon Climate Change Research Institute)
● Climate Impacts Group (Univ. Washington)
● Earth to Sky Newsletter (NASA/DOI Partnership): anita.l.davis@nasa.gov
● EPA Climate Change and Water E-Newsletter
● FRESC monthly e-newsletter: Contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
● FWS CC Monthly E-Newsletter: Contact kate_freund@fws.gov
● LCC list servers (see your LCC’s website) and the national LCC Network newsletter
● NASA's Climate Change Newsletter climate-feedback@jpl.nasa.gov
● North Pacific LCC Listserve – North Pacific Tidings - important news and announcements; and NPLCC Climate Science Digest - new science/information affecting natural and cultural resources.
● NCTC Climate Change List server (upcoming webinars and courses): contact christy_coghlan@fws.gov
● Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) (British Columbia) Climate News Scan- a weekly summary of the major climate-change related science, technology, and policy advances of direct relevance to the BC provincial and the Canadian federal governments and more generally to businesses and civil society
● PointBlue Weekly Ecology, Climate Change and Related e-Newsletter: Contact ecohen@prbo.org
● PNW Tribal Climate Change Network: Contact kathy@uoregon.edu
● US Forest Service Fish & Wildlife Research Updates
● White House Energy and Environment Updates
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FWS Resources and Tools
FWS Pacific Region employees can access journal articles and publications archived at the Region’s Climate Change Sharepoint site (links below). The Region's Climate Change Science Synthesis document uses these new findings. (The blog is used to highlight changes made to the document.)
> Home Page
> Read this report in Word/Find previous reports
> Document library (journal articles, reports, etc., updated weekly)
> Best available climate change science-- R1 synthesis (updated weekly)
> Blog (provides updates on new journal articles, R1 examples on use of climate science in decision making, etc.)
> Use of Climate science: Regional examples
FWS Climate Change Response: How do partnership efforts such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy fit into the Service's overall response to accelerating climate change? How is our agency reducing its carbon footprint? What is our agency doing now to reduce the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife and plants? Learn more
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: Natural systems and landscapes are impacted by increasing land use pressures and widespread resource threats amplified by a rapidly changing climate. These changes are occurring at an unprecedented pace and scale. By leveraging resources and strategically targeting science to inform conservation decisions and actions, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of partnerships working in unison to ensure the sustainability of America’s land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources. Learn more
National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy: The National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy will provide a unified approach—reflecting shared principles and science-based practices—for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, habitats and associated ecological processes across geographic scales. Learn more
FWS Climate Change Information Toolkit: A key part of the Service's climate change strategy is to inform FWS staff about the impacts of accelerating climate change and to engage partners and others in seeking collaborative solutions. Through shared knowledge and communication, we can work together to reduce the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Here are some resources that can help.
Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the National Park Service and with input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, developed a kit for use when talking with the public about how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands. Learn more .
Safeguarding Wildlife from Climate Change Web Conference Series: The FWS and National Wildlife Federation have developed a series of web conferences to increase communication and transfer of technical information between conservation professionals regarding the growing challenges of climate change. Learn more
(FWS employees only)
NCTC Climate Change Resource Library: The NCTC Climate Change Resource Library provides selected citations to peer-reviewed journal articles, documents, books, theses, presentations, and Websites on the effect of climate change on North American fish, wildlife and habitats. FWS employees can access the library here
For more information on how the Service is working with others to conserve the nature of America in a changing climate, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/
