An Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Workshop
2010 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference
Milwaukee, WI 8am-12pm March 22nd
Resource managers are often required to make tough decisions, especially when the science is uncertain. However, these decisions must be defensible if called into question. It is often unclear what the full impact of an environmental problem will be and what kind of impacts (both intended and unintended) the solution may have. There is growing scientific consensus that a major shift in climate is underway worldwide, with profound implications for natural resource management. Adaptation to climate change will be an especially challenging issue for management agencies because decisions will be made, in many cases, based on an incomplete understanding of climate change impacts, particularly at the local level. Adaptive management and structured decision making are critical tools for making management decisions with incomplete information and high levels of uncertainty. Adaptive management allows decision making to proceed even in the face of profound uncertainty about outcomes by treating management decisions as testable hypotheses. Structured decision making is a decision analysis process that can help overcome challenges by breaking down difficult decisions such that a decision can be acceptable to a broad range of stakeholders.
Recognizing the importance of these tools, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Science & Research Committee is developing a series of workshops for state fish and wildlife agencies to provide them with the tools for making decisions in a scientifically defensible manner. The first workshop at the 2009 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference focused on using adaptive management and structured decision making for invasive species management. For the second workshop the Science & Research Committee, in collaboration with the Associations Climate Change Committee, will co-sponsor a workshop to present how adaptive management and the structured decision making process can be used to address local climate change adaptation issues and can also be built into State Wildlife Action Plans revisions, as well as revisions for other plans, for climate change adaptation. The workshop will use local examples to demonstrate how adaptive management and structured decision making can be used for climate change-based, natural resource issues.
The workshop will be held at the 2010 North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference in Milwaukee, WI on the morning (8am-12pm) of March 22nd.The NationalWildlifeFederationsClimateChangeTown Hall meeting will follow in the afternoon to complete a day of climate change discussions.
Governor Schwarzenegger Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Comprehensive Climate Strategy, Announces Climate Adaptation Advisory Panel And Unveils Google-Earth Based Applications to Show Climate Change Risks
California's Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS) final report, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive, multi-sector analysis will enhance the state's management of climate impacts from sea level rise, increased temperatures, shifting precipitation and extreme natural events. The CAS final report summarizes the latest science on how climate change could impact the state and provides recommendations on how to manage against those threats. It focuses on seven different sectors – public health, biodiversity and habitat, ocean and coastal resources, water management, agriculture, forestry, and transportation and energy infrastructure - and lays out several recommendations focused on reducing climate risks to people, the environment and infrastructure.
The creation of the Climate Adaptation Advisory Panel, in partnership with the Pacific Council on International Relations, will further assess California's climate change risks and help develop a set of independent adaptation recommendations to implement CAS:
-The independent, non- partisan group will build off the CAS final report focusing on three key hazards that are most likely to have increasing impact on California as the climate changes
-These include increased wildfires and extended fire seasons, rising sea levels along 1,100 miles of coastline and reduced availability of water with reduced snow pack in the Sierras and extended periods of drought
-The panel, made up of 23 prominent business, labor, government and private sector leaders, will develop recommendations for consideration by the Governor and his administration, the Legislature and other stakeholders in July 2010
Additionally, the Governor unveiled two new Google-Earth based applications that will allow Californians to see the risks of climate change impacts in their communities:
-Setting the standard for displaying and transferring climate change information, the Cal-Adapt prototype application will allow users to explore the risks of global warming in California and help make better-informed localized adaptation decisions
-Funded by the California Energy Commission and Google.org, the Stockholm Environmental Institute has also developed a Web site using the Google-Earth platform to display an interactive tour on climate change
-Gov. Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-13-08 <http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/11035/> in November 2008, which directed the Natural Resources Agency to identify how state agencies can respond to rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and extreme natural events associated with climate change
-The Natural Resources Agency has worked with state agencies (California Emergency Management Agency; California Environmental Protection Agency; Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; Health and Human Services Agency; California Office of Information Security and the California Department of Food and Agriculture) during the last two years to develop the CAS
An Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Group under the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) with assistance from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been tasked to consider the capabilities of the Federal government to respond to the impacts of climate change across various critical sectors, institutions, and agencies. Five initial working groups (science policy, agency process, water, insurance, and international assistance) will review existing policies, operations, procedures, and other tools that affect the Federal government’s response, and suggest options for improving the government’s capacity for adaptation to climate change.
The Agency Adaptation Workgroup is tasked with identifying approaches for agencies in climate change adaptation planning related to internal agency operations, policies, and processes. It will also identify agency-level operational activities necessary to assess climate risks and plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of these activities prospectively. A critical component of the work of this group will be identifying opportunities for actions by agencies that reduce risks, facilitate resilience, and build adaptive capacity. The workgroup is charged with developing a report to the Interagency Committee by the end of the year. The report will include recommendations on adaptation planning and implementation, encompassing intra-agency and inter-agency considerations. It will summarize the key issues, the Federal government’s capabilities, and challenges in responding to climate change, suggest possible improvements in the Federal government’s capacity for climate change adaptation, and recommend policy and other options for consideration by the Interagency Committee.
State Agency Listening Session Overview
The workgroup held a series of “listening sessions” with local, state, and tribal governments and private sector partners. The purpose was to engage stakeholders involved in related planning processes and gather input on how federal agencies can work with partners to design and implement adaptation plans. During these sessions, participants were asked to consider the following questions:
·How did you approach your climate adaptation planning and implementation process? What worked well? What didn’t?
·What were the key programs, policies or other activities that supported and guided your adaptation planning and implementation?
·How did you coordinate with other organizations, governments and businesses?
·Are there key programs, policies, or other actions that Federal agencies should adopt to support or guide their climate change adaptation planning?
·Are there adaptation planning and implementation resources, studies or reports that the workgroup should consider in its work?
On the 16th of November, 2009 the workgroup held a listening session in the TrumanRoom of the White House Conference Center for State Fish & Wildlife Agencies on their work with State Adaptation Strategies. A teleconference line was made available for those who could not attend in person. Each state participant was given time to answer the questions listed above. States that could not participate in the Listening Session are encouraged to email their replies to AgencyAdaptation@ceq.eop.gov with the subject line: “(organization) listening session-(Date).” Comments are still welcome by the workgroup.
Common Themes
One of the common threads throughout the listening session was the lack of coordination and communication among federal agencies. There is also a perception of competition among state agencies to be the first to move ahead in climate change impact assessment and adaptation planning. Several state participants reported that there is confusion within their agency about the roles of many federal agencies within the framework of climate change adaptation. This lack of coordination translates into lack of communication with state agencies as well as support and guidance on critical issues.
Several states indicated that a national adaptation strategy would be essential for future adaptation planning particularly as states are beginning to update their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) for climate change.
In addition, a few states mentioned the need for adaptive management training for state agencies. Adaptive management and structured decision-making are important tools that state agencies need to be more comfortable practicing, particularly when managing for climate change.
Overview of State Participants Adaptation Activities and Challenges
California
-CA Adaptation Plan-The multi-sector plan involved close participation by stakeholder groups which helped create an open and transparent process. CA Department of Natural Resources was a key player in the creation of this document. The final version will be out for release soon: http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/
-California DFG is also co-chair (with Nevada) of the WAFWA climate change committee.
Idaho
-Idaho is just beginning to coordinate and plan for climate change adaptation.
-Pennsylvania’s Governor created a Climate Change Advisory Council to begin drafting an adaptation plan. The plan, which crosses sectors, is currently under review.
-The Fish & Boating Commission and the Wildlife Commission are beginning to update their SWAP. At this time they are uncertain if it will be a large or small update.
Missouri
-The need for information on which parts of SWAPs would be most useful to federal agencies and partners was identified.
-Missouri is trying to determine how to integrate agriculture and wildlife agencies respective adaptation plans.
Alaska
- Alaska has formed a Sub-cabinet on Climate Change to prepare an Alaska climate change strategy which consists of an Adaptation Workgroup and a Mitigation Workgroup: http://www.climatechange.alaska.gov/
-Alaska Department of Fish and Game has also formed a Think Tank to identify likely impacts to fish and wildlife.
Oregon
-Oregon is currently updating their SWAPs for climate change.
-Minnesota created a strategic plan in 2009 on energy and climate for their agency that identifies adaptation and mitigation strategies.
-A new inter agency adaptation team was created and will host a Climate Change Adaptation Summit in December to identify what the research and policy needs are for the state.
Wisconsin
-The WI DNR, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin and other state agencies and institutions are part of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI). This taskforce consists of a science council, advisory committees, and 18 different working groups that assesses and anticipates climate change impacts on Wisconsin’s different sectors. The taskforce has downscaled climate models to the local level for WI: http://www.wicci.wisc.edu/
-The WICCI will be releasing an Assessment Report in 2010 that recommends adaptation strategies that can be implemented by different sectors.
Vermont
-Vermont is working with their cooperative units on data processing and analysis to develop an adaptation management framework.
-They are working with different partners on biodiversity and connectivity.
Massachusetts
-For the past year and a half Massachusetts has worked with Manomet to identify vulnerable habitats through an expert panel process. These habits are identified in their SWAPs.
-They are now in the process of developing adaptation planning for the state across all sectors.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Section of Fisheries are partnering with other federal and state agencies, academia, local units of government, and citizen volunteers to better understand and respond to the potential effects of climate change on Minnesota’s glacial lake resources and fish communities.
The first effort is dubbed “SustainingLakes in a Changing Environment” or SLICE.SLICE is designed to understand, predict, and respond to the outcomes of major drivers of change such as development, agriculture, invasive species, and climate change on lake habitats and fish populations.Climate change has the potential to exacerbate the harmful effects of other watershed or in-lake perturbations.We are exploring processes and mechanisms at the watershed scale that drive patterns in water quality and fish habitat in a diverse set of 24 sentinel lake watersheds spread across the state’s major land types (See Lake Map).
Our approach is to augment ongoing ‘snapshot’ data collection efforts in many MN lakes with an intensive focus to understand processes in a few representative sentinel systems.This represents a novel and promising direction in water resource and fisheries management.Further, cooperation with multiple entities charged with aquatic resource management ensures rigor (e.g., the right people doing the job), efficiency, relevance, and shared ownership in common-held goals.
The first phase of SLICE runs from 2008 – 2011.Partners are collecting comprehensive datasets on watershed stressors, water quality, zooplankton, aquatic plants, and fish populations.These datasets are informing comprehensive baseline reports for each sentinel lake to form the foundation of future explorations.Analysis teams will also be busy in 2011-2012 identifying a set of lake habitat and fish indicators that exhibit little natural variability but respond predictably across a gradient of lake habitat conditions.These results will be used to set a long-term monitoring schedule; moving SLICE into its implementation phase.
Minnesota DNR Fisheries is also participating in a large-scale research project sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) focused on the effects of climate change on fish habitat. DNR Fisheries researchers will team up with the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota (Duluth) to investigate the effects of climate and land use change on cisco (tullibees) in a number of Minnesota lakes.Populations of cisco in Minnesota are especially vulnerable to climate change, because the state is in the southern part of the species range. A requirement for cold, well oxygenated water make cisco an excellent indicator species for understanding the effects of climate change on many of our deeper lakes in the state.
The USGS National Climate Change and WildlifeClimateCenter (http://nccw.usgs.gov/) is funding this research so state management agencies can develop climate change adaptation strategies.Deep lakes with exceptional water quality will be specifically targeted because they will represent important sanctuaries for coldwater fish in a climate-warmed Minnesota. After identifying these potential refuge lakes, watershed protection efforts can be initiated that will protect these systems from any additional nutrient enrichment that would likely exacerbate climate-induced losses of cisco thermal habitat. Landscape ecologists at NRRI will assist with modeling the effects of climate and land use change on cisco habitat using newly developed, downscaled climate and land use projections that allow for analysis at very high geographic resolutions. Results of the Minnesota cisco study will be integrated with the analyses of several other state, federal, and university research partners who will be studying the effects of climate and land use change on fish habitat in the Rocky Mountain West, Desert Southwest, and Northeast US. The research will allow state management agencies like the Minnesota DNR to develop strategies that strengthen the resilience of fish habitat in lakes and streams against the effects of climate change.
For further information regarding SLICE contact SLICE coordinator RayValleyray.valley@state.mn.us
For further information regarding The Cooperative USGS climate change grant contact Peter Jacobson peter.jacobson@state.mn.us
Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan identifies more than 900 species that are being impacted by the loss or degradation of their habitats. Many of these species could become extinct or extirpated from the Commonwealth if steps are not taken to reverse these trends. In coming decades, climate change will exacerbate and intensify many of the existing threats and will likely result in new sets of impacts and stressors. Virginia’s Strategy for Safeguarding Virginia’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need from the Effects of Climate Change was created to provide initial guidance on actions Virginia’s conservation community can implement immediately to enhance the conservation of wildlife and habitats in the face of climate change while more comprehensive adaptation strategies are developed. Conservation strategies include specific actions for conserving species and habitats, developing new data and climate modeling resources, and implementing new outreach efforts related to climate change. The document was prepared by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish, National Wildlife Federation, and Virginia Conservation Network with funding provided by Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund and USFWS’s State Wildlife Grants Program.
The State of Montana's Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) convened its first meeting of its Climate Adaptation Working Group on October 16, 2009 in Helena Montana. There were 21 participants representing government and the NGO community. Montana's Climate Adaptation Working Group is the result of the State's effort to implement the Western Governors Association Wildlife Corridor Initiative and comes just after the State has compiled its new Crucial Areas and Connectivity Assessment, now provisionally called the Montana Decision Support System.
Some of the highlights from this first meeting include:
1. Building the architecture for a robust plan. Given the fact this is the first plan for the State, that climate predictions are still imprecise at the fine scale, and that capacity and resources to perform detailed modeling and monitoring for the entire State, all its biodiversity, and all ecoregions is limited, this group aspires to build a planning framework to insert climate data and climate impacts as information comes online and is refined. The building blocks for the plan include the the Montana Decision Support System; regional information from ongoing or planned efforts in the Crown of the Continent, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Northern Great Plains; federal efforts to assess climate impacts on public lands; statewide climate data efforts with the University of Montana, NatureServe, the Nature Conservancy and US Geologic Survey; and interstate efforts with the activities of the Western Governors Association, with NGOs that are working to connect planning efforts between states such as National Wildlife Federation and Defenders of Wildlife. The Working Group hopes to create the basic architecture of an initial plan that the State can refine as adaptation knowledge and resources come online over time (i.e., Montana Climate Adaptation Plan version 1.0).
2. Discreet tasks. The Working Group was subdivided into several smaller task teams with discreet objectives. The overall goal of the working group is to develop a plan to assess climate impacts and develop management recommendations for conserving species, habitats and ecological processes in Montana based on observed and expected impacts. As such, task groups looking at species, habitat and ecological process exposure to climate change were established (i.e., vulnerability risk assessment). Other task groups include data collection, climate modeling, outreach (to the Governor's office, to other states and to federal partners), and Working Group coordination.
For more information please contact: Amielle DeWan at adewan@defenders.org
The U.S. Government Accountability Office report, "Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help Government Officials Make More Informed Decisions," GAO-10-113, is now published. Please see links below for the report and the hearing held today by Chairman Ed Markey of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
