Implementation UpdateNE Climate Science Center

 

Briefing and Listening SessionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceRegion 3, Bloomington, MNJanuary 10, 2012

Rachel Muir, Interim Director, DOI NE Climate Science Center

Presentation Structure

This is good news for nature resourceManagement!

Why?When? (Official as of 12/2011)Where?Who?What (will the center do?)How? (structure, partnerships, finances) –

And Listen!

Why Regional Climate Science Centers?

• Modeled, in part, after Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Units;

• Create linkages and synergy among University and Federal research;

• Strengthen linkages between fundamental and applied research and monitoring;

• Address the challenges of management at a regional scale – the appropriate and practical scale for climate studies.

Where and Who the Participating Universities was a competitive

Process Directed by DOI• Multiple university consortiums applied;• Proposals were evaluated by the USGS Climate

Mission Area and interviews conducted;• Decisions were determined by a panel of DOI

Resource Management Agencies;• Results of the 2012 completion were announced

by the Secretary October 7, 2011;• Funding Approved by President’s Signature on

12/16/2011.

Climate Science Centers--Regions

North Central

SoutheastSouth Central

Southwest

Northwest

Northeast

Alaska

Pacific Islands

Eight Regions, Initiated between 2010 and 2012

National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center

2011

2011

2010

2010

20102012

2012

2012

Northeast Region22 states, 10 of the 21 LCC regions, over 130 million people and multi-ecoregions– Extreme gradients in environments and threats– Limited federal lands, pattern of ownership and

management dominated by relatively small and privately owned parcels

– Complex history of species extirpations, invasions, range extensions, and restorations

– Complex climate predictions of regional impacts– Wide array of stakeholders

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

Richard Palmer (Lead PI)  

COLLEGE OF MENOMINEE NATION

Melissa Cook (Lead PI) 

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYRadley Horton (Lead PI)

MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY

Linda Deegan (Lead PI) 

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTAAnthony W. D’Amato (Lead PI)

 

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA

Frank R Thompson III (Lead PI) 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

Lewis Gilbert (Lead PI)

U.S. Department of the Interior

Climate Science Center

Mission

Provide science-based tools and information needed to develop and implement management strategies to adapt to and/or prevent adverse impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife resources and their habitats,

orProviding the science for natural and cultural resource adaptation to climate change.

Goals

Partnerships with natural resource managers to address their highest priority science needs;

Partnerships with the scientific community to develop needed information and tools;

Delivery of robust tools and information at applicable scales directly to resource manager;

Focus on climate change adaptation in the context of other actions/stresses, etc.

Achieving Goals Through Coordinated Management

• NE-CSC Director• Stakeholder Advisory Council

(SAC)• Science Implementation Panel

(SIP)• Consortium Research Council and

University Leads

NORTHEAST CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER (NE-CSC)

Management will engender –

• Engaged stakeholders (Federal, State, Tribal, NGOs, …..)

• Innovative, practical and stakeholder identified research

• Strong leadership from the primary research campus • Sustainable partnerships between each member of

the Consortium

Adaptive Management

Res

earc

h I

nst

itu

tio

ns

Par

tici

pat

ion

US

GS

, LC

Cs,

oth

ers

Global Climate Models

Monitoring and Feedback

Local/Regional InformationEcological

UnderstandingForecasts of Ecol Response

Focus Ecosystems/Habitats for the Northeast/Midwest

Climate Adaptation Research and Monitoring for Northeast and Midwest Habitats:

UrbanCoasts and Oceans*AgriculturalForested and MontaneFreshwaterPrairies and Plains

*including the Great Lakes

Climate Change Adaptation Model and Interaction with Partners

Adaptation needs met: changes in policy, management, etc.

Monitoring and data collection

Science and model development

Syntheses and assessments

Development of analytic and decision-

making tools

Planning, analysis, and decision-making

Agencies, states, local governments, tribes, NGOs, & private landowners

CSCsLCCs

Getting Down to Business – Near- Term Tasks

• Begin development of science plan for the CSC – a bottoms up, partner-driven process achieved through outreach activities;

• Establish interim Advisory Council to begin establishing protocols for final Council and identifying Regional Science Priority Needs.

• Partners support Interim Director in consultation with Consortium members to identify and fund priorities for 2011 cycle.

Direct Financial Support

• Five year budget as currently planned:– $7.5 Million projected for 5 years; – One year (2012) funding -- $1.5 million to

Universities for facility, post-docs, grad and undergrad with research directed toward partner-driven needs;

– First year – Approximately $.6 million directed toward research and outreach to be obligated by 6/2012.

Request to Partners

• Identify near-term and long term climate science needs;

• Collaborate with partners, (agencies, LCCs Joint Ventures, Fish Habitat Partnerships) in finding shared science needs:

• Provide forums for outreach;• Participate in development of interim and

final advisory council and science teams.

Points of Contact

Points of Contact for DOI – NE –CSC:Rachel Muir – Interim Director

rmuir@usgs.gov703-648-5114

Richard Palmer, Principal InvestigatorUniversity of Massachusetts

Palmer@ecs.umass.edu413-545-2808

• On the web -- http://www.cns.umass.edu/neclimate/doi-csc/section-4-1