| Adapting Restoration to Climate Change |
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| Animals and Plants on the Move/Climate Change |
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Wednesday 4-5:30 p.m.
Climate change affects ecosystems in many ways, with numerous ramifications for invasive species. Dealing with invasive species is a large part of current watershed restoration work, since that work can spread invasive species. Invasive species will become a greater issue for future ecosystem management. Restoration practices associated with invasive species will have to adapt to climate change. Current and potential invasive species prevention will be essential for successful watershed restoration.
Participants will:
- Be prepared and motivated to learn more at subsequent sessions on related topics.
- Gain awareness that an invasive species is an introduced organism that has a harmful effect on the new environment, local economies or human health.
- Learn that a wide range of introduction pathways, both accidental and intentional, lead to invasive species introductions.
- Learn that invasive species have a major impact on biodiversity, the environment, the economy and our quality of life.
- Agree that everyone can be part of the solution to the spread of invasive species.
- Know several steps they can take personally and professionally to reduce introduction of invasive species.
Presenters:
Sam Chan is an assistant professor serving as the aquatic invasive species specialist and Watershed Health Education team leader for Oregon State University’s Sea Grant Extension. He serves the state and the Pacific region with special focus on aquatic ecosystem health, aquatic invasive species, and oil spill prevention and management. Projects and interests include: Habitat protection, water pollution, salmon and watershed restoration, oil spills, and invasive non-native plants and animals. Chan holds a bachelor’s degree in bioresource sciences/engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s and PhD in ecology and physiology from OSU.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Coastal Ecosystem Considerations |
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Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m
Changes to global climate resulting in changed ocean currents and increased glacial melt are predicted to create a rise in sea level and to change ocean productivity. The magnitude and significance of the changes will vary geographically.
Participants will:
- Be able to explain how changes in the oceans might influence and affect land use and ecosystem processes as well as salmon abundance and distribution.
- Learn how sea level change will affect estuarine restoration and protection.
- Know how to develop and design coastal projects with predicted changes in mind.
Presenters:
Jack Barth is a professor of oceanography in Oregon State University’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. Barth’s research seeks to understand the spatially and temporally variable circulation, water mass structure and ecosystem response in Oregon waters. He has led a number of research, technology development and ocean observing system projects off Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, and presently serves on the Oregon Ocean Policy Advisory Council’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. Barth received a PhD in oceanography in 1987 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography.
Thomas Dwyer spent much of his professional wildlife career in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Before joining Ducks Unlimited in May 2000, he was deputy regional director of the USFWS for the Pacific Region that encompassed six western states and Hawaii. He began his career with the government as a research scientist studying waterfowl in the U.S. and Canadian prairies and eventually became chief of the Office of Migratory Bird Management for the USFWS. At DU, Dwyer oversees all aspects of conservation program delivery in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii. He holds bachelor’s degrees from Syracuse University and State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry plus a master’s from the University of Wisconsin.
Dick Vander Schaaf is the coast and marine conservation director for The Nature Conservancy of Oregon. He leads conservation activities at the coast including preserves managed by TNC as well as other actions that are off preserves. Current projects include shellfish restoration, watershed-scale planning, identification of potential marine protected areas and integrated management of coastal ecosystems. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Riverside and master’s degrees in biology and planning from the University of Oregon.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Crop and Range Management |
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Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m.
Croplands and rangelands are progressively being exposed to changes in climate. Changes in atmospheric conditions and resulting increases in frequency and intensity of extreme hydrologic events have long-term implications for the viability of these lands. What are the predicted climate change scenarios and how will they affect range condition and crop suitability?
Participants will:
- Be able to describe potential effects of climate change on croplands and rangelands.
Presenters:
Dave Olszyk has been employed as the research ecologist and project leader at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, since 1989. He also fills positions as courtesy professor, Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, and as adjunct professor, University of Portland. He holds a PhD in horticulture and botany as well as a master’s in horticulture, both from the University of Wisconsin.
Michael Strobel is director of the National Water and Climate Center in Portland. He has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey as a hydrologist for almost 20 years, and has worked as a glaciology research assistant for many years doing research in Antarctica, Greenland, Peru, and Alaska. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio State University and a PhD from the University of North Dakota in geological sciences focused on hydrology.
Tony Svejcar has served as research leader of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Burns since 1990. His background is in plant physiology and ecology. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Colorado State University, and a PhD from Oregon State University.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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Presentation Materials
Tony Svejcar PowerPoint presentation handout. (PDF)
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| Engaging Your Community in Climate Change Conversations |
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Wednesday 4-5:30 p.m.
As public scrutiny and debate around climate change shifts from "should I believe it's true?" to "how will it impact me?" watershed professionals increasingly will be asked about the effects of global warming and water issues. In this session, the latest data on current public opinion on climate change in Oregon will be revealed. Preliminary survey data of coastal decision makers and the extent to which climate change has changed their professional activities will also be discussed.
Using the River Network's "Saving Water, Saving Energy" program as a springboard, participants will explore ways to engage communities in the climate change conversation.
Participants will:
- Gain understanding of public opinions of Oregonians about natural resources issues and climate change.
- Evaluate and select from an array of citizen action techniques those which will best suit the budget, skills and mission of their organization.
- Be able to describe, in every-day terms, some of the risks of climate change on the watershed to different audiences with varying levels of understanding of climate change issues.
- Be able to identify at least 3 ways that they can incorporate climate change issues into their current communications plan.
Presenters:
Pat Corcoran is a hazards outreach specialist with the OSU Sea Grant Extension program and an associate professor of political science at Portland State University. Corcoran lives in Astoria and works coast wide engaging university researchers and community stakeholders in understanding the impacts of coastal hazards (e.g. climate change, earthquakes and tsunamis), and identifying adaptive strategies that can increase a community's resilience to coastal hazards. Corcoran has a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin, Eua Claire, and a master's in geography from Oregon State University.
Bevan Griffiths-Sattenspiel joined River Network as an intern in January of 2008 and became project coordinator of River Network’s newest program—Saving Water, Saving Energy—the following July. He has been an active member of the environmental community for years and served as an intern for the New America Foundation’s Political Reform program in Los Angeles during the spring of 2007. He is an Oregon native who graduated from Occidental College with a bachelor’s degree in American studies with an environmental emphasis.
Teresa Huntsinger is the Oregon Environmental Council's program director for clean rivers. She has eight years of experience bringing diverse stakeholders together in the nexus between development and environmental sustainability. Huntsinger served as a rural community development volunteer in the Peace Corps in West Africa, and she currently serves as chair of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council. She convened OEC's Storm Water Solutions Team, is developing a workshop series on low-impact development practices, is expanding the "Ecobiz" certification program for landscaping professionals, and participates in the Governor's Headwaters to Ocean advisory group. She holds a bachelor’s in biology and environmental studies from the University of Oregon.
Lori Weigel is a partner with Public Opinion Strategies, a leading Republican polling firm. She has directed research efforts for hundreds of political and public affairs campaigns throughout the country. She primarily focuses on polling for and against initiatives and referenda in the West, including many successful open space and recreation funding
ballot measures. Weigel has conducted research for a number of conservation groups including The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, Environmental Defense, National Wildlife Federation, and the League of Conservation Voters.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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Presentation Materials
Lori Weigel's PowerPoint presentation. (PDF)
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| Fire Regime Changes in Forests and Rangelands |
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Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m
Changes in temperature and precipitation have a significant effect on the potential for changed fire regimes. Coupled with historic fire management systems, what do the climate change scenarios mean in terms of forest and rangeland ecosystems? These changes will have a significant effect on the function of Oregon’s watersheds.
Participants will:
- Learn how climate change will affect fires.
- Be able to incorporate changed fire regimes into protection and restoration planning.
- Know ways to explain potential changes in fire regimes to their constituents.
Presenters:
Jeffrey Rose works as a fire ecologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Hines. Rose has worked in Hines since 1999. As fire ecologist, he provides input to management plans as they relate to landscape and fire ecology. He directs the post-fire rehabilitation program for the Burns District and supervises the post treatment and fire monitoring for fuels and fire rehabilitation projects. Prior to coming to work for the BLM, Rose was a research associate at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns. He worked on a wide variety of projects related to plant and animal ecology on Eastern Oregon rangelands. Rose holds a bachelor’s in biology from Yankton College in Yankton, SD, and a master’s in rangeland resources from Oregon State University.
Jessica Halofsky is a research ecologist with the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Lab in Seattle. She is currently working with land managers on national forests to identify ecosystem vulnerabilities to climate change, to develop adaptation strategies for climate change, and to incorporate those strategies into planning and projects. Prior to joining the fire lab in Seattle, Halofsky completed a PhD dissertation project at Oregon State University on fire severity and post-fire vegetation recovery in riparian areas.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Forest Management |
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Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m.
Forests are progressively being exposed to changes in climate. Abnormal changes in air temperature and rainfall patterns and resulting increases in frequency and intensity of drought and flood events have long-term implications for the viability of these lands. What are the predicted climate change scenarios and how will they affect forest health? How can forests help mitigate climate change?
Participants will:
- Be able to describe potential effects of climate change on forests.
- Know how forests can be used to mitigate climate change.
- Know several management practices that help watersheds in forests adapt to a changing climate.
Confirmed Speakers:
Mark Harmon is the Richardson chair and professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. In addition he is the co-director of the Cooperative Chemistry Analytical Laboratory. He served as lead OSU scientist for the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. His projects since 1986 include: installation and maintenance of a 200-year wood decomposition experiment; a project to estimate the stores and dynamics of dead trees in forests of the globe; a continental-scale, long-term litter decomposition experiment; studies of long-term patterns of tree growth and mortality; and the development of methods to estimate stores and fluxes of carbon from forest lands within the Pacific Northwest region. Dr. Harmon holds a bachelor’s in biology, a master’s in ecology and a PhD in botany and plant pathology from OSU.
Kathy O’Halloran has been with the U.S. Forest Service for 27 years in both research and management branches of the agency. She currently serves as the natural resources staff officer on the Olympic National Forest. She has been very engaged in helping her agency deal with climate change. She is a member of the Forest Service's Region 6 climate change strategy team and is the climate change liaison with Washington State. She holds a bachelor's degree from Humboldt State University in wildlife management and a master's from Stephen F. Austin State University in biology.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Making Projects Work in an Era of Climate Change |
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Wednesday 4-5:30 p.m.
Planning for restoration and protection projects may need to change in a world with a changing climate. Resource managers must determine whether current models of ecosystem protection are appropriate and effective in a changing climate scenario. Managers will need to assess the need to restore for future habitats. They also will need to use information and data to influence development of conservation strategies.
Participants will:
- Be prepared and motivated to learn more at subsequent sessions on related topics.
- Be able to evaluate their watershed scale assessments and action plans in terms of climate change.
- Be able to evaluate their planning and projects with respect to the potential changes in precipitation and stream flow.
- Learn to use information and data to influence development of conservation strategies, including how to think through management and restoration scenarios.
Presenters:
Tim Beechie has worked in fisheries resource management since 1984, beginning with fish population assessments and catch monitoring in West African lakes as a Peace Corps volunteer. He later spent nine years with the Skagit River Indian tribes assessing impacts of land uses on salmonid habitats. He is currently the science coordinator for the Watershed Program at the NOAA Fisheries Science Center in Seattle as well as leader of the Ecosystem Processes Team. Since 1990, Dr. Beechie has studied the natural development of landscapes and salmon habitat, evaluated the relative influences of different land uses on salmon habitat losses, and led the development of a process-based habitat restoration strategy. He is currently studying the formation and evolution of floodplain habitats, impacts of sediment supply changes on stream habitats, and restoration of incised stream channels in semi-arid environments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology, a master’s in fisheries, and a PhD in forestry, all from the University of Washington.
Allison Aldous directs the research and monitoring program for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. She works with field staff to implement monitoring and research to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation strategies. She also works with numerous partners, including the Oregon Global Warming Commission, to address the impacts of climate change. Dr. Aldous has been with the Conservancy since 2000, where she also has managed a wetland training program across the Americas and worked in the Klamath Basin as a wetland scientist. Aldous is a wetland ecologist with a PhD from Cornell University, and a master’s and bachelor’s from McGill University.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Preparing Your Organization for Climate Change |
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Wednesday 4-5:30 p.m.
Effective organizations not only respond to but also proactively change in anticipation of a changing climate. Climate change is a global issue. However, the impacts are felt locally and an effective, four-part response must occur locally as well. The elements of an effective response can be called 'RPEG': Reduce locally generated greenhouse gas emissions; Prepare watersheds and the community for the consequences of climate change; Educate everyone about the causes, impacts and solutions; and Grow local sustainable businesses. These steps require significant reforms to missions, programs, practices and institutional culture. Working across watershed and organizational boundaries will be vital. Most importantly, new thinking, new assumptions, and new behaviors will be needed.
Participants will:
- Be prepared and motivated to learn more at subsequent sessions on related topics.
- Learn how society’s past and current thinking led to global warming and other ecological, economic and social crises.
- Learn the normal stages of change people go through when making the shift to climate protection and sustainability.
- Discover how to alter the way they, their team and their organization think and act in order to produce climate-positive, sustainable outcomes.
- Gain awareness of how climate change may potentially affect the various activities they do and, therefore, their organization's mission, vision, practices, and communications, etc.
- Learn about powerful mechanisms to lead and motivate personal, group and organizational change.
- See the consequences of climate change for Oregon watersheds and ecosystems using the Climate Leadership Initiative’s Rogue, Willamette, Umatilla and Klamath downscaling projects as examples.
Presenters:
Bob Doppelt is director of Resource Innovations, a sustainability research and technical assistance program, and of the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon. His work focuses on assisting organizations in implementing sustainability change management programs. He spearheaded efforts that led the governors of Oregon and Washington to require state agencies to adopt sustainability plans. He is the author of Leading Change Toward Sustainability: A Change-Management Guide for Business, Government and Civil Society. In addition, Doppelt is an adjunct faculty member at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. He is a graduate of the International Program on the Management of Sustainability in The Netherlands.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
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| Water, Fish, Beaver & Tribes: Management Implications |
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Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m
Climate change implicates changes in snow pack, glacial extent and surface aquifer recharge. These changes affect stream flow volume and timing, which affect aquatic habitat distribution and suitability.
Participants will:
- Be able to describe expected changes in stream flow in different areas of the state.
- Be able to identify watershed management opportunities to reduce or minimize the effects of stream flow changes.
Presenters:
Suzanne Fouty is a district hydrologist for the U.S. Forest Service. She has evaluated the impact of various land uses on streams for The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Justice, and several environmental groups. Dr. Fouty’s master’s research examined long-term groundwater recharge rates in semi-arid and arid regions inNevada. PhD research examined current and historic stream channel response to changes in cattle and elk grazing pressure and beaver activity in Montana and Arizona. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, a master’s from the University of Arizona and a PhD from the University of Oregon.
David Graves has worked at the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission as a GIS specialist since July 2005. His work includes map and data management support for commission projects, as well as analysis of subjects that affect the tribal fisheries including climate change. He conducted research at Portland State University on the hydrologic implications of climate change for a local watershed. Previously, Graves worked at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Graves earned his bachelor’s in environmental policy and assessment from Western Washington University and his master’s in geography from Portland State University.
Anne Nolin is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University where she has taught since 2003. Her research focuses on snow and ice in the climate system and climate change impacts on water resources. She is associate director of OSU's Water Resources Graduate Program. She works closely with NASA and other federal agencies to monitor changes in snowpack and glaciers from the Arctic to Oregon. Dr. Nolin received her PhD in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1993 after which she became a research scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, for nine years.
Evaluations from Workshop Attendees
Read survey results.
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