October 2017
Get Inspired! 

We're doing something a little different with this month's Northwoods newsletter. Before you scroll down to the state-level stories and online resources, take 10 minutes and read this article by Meredith Cornett of The Nature Conservancy. Adaptation as Acceptance: Toward a New Normal in the Northwoods was published on Agate, an online magazine. If you love the Northwoods and you're trying to come to grips with climate change, this essay will speak to you. Enjoy!
Minnesota 
Participants create posters to describe their climate adaptation projects at a recent workshop.
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources staff design their own adaptation projects 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been considering how climate change factors into their work managing forests, water resources, fish and wildlife, recreation, minerals, and much more. Part of their on-going work is to train staff on climate change impacts and adaptation. NIACS has been happy to help with this effort, and recently worked with the Minnesota DNR and the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative to host another hands-on climate adaptation workshop. Twenty-six staff members worked together to consider 11 real-world projects, from tree-planting in Kellogg to campground management in Roseau (and everything in between!). You can contact Stephen to learn more or design a workshop of your own!  
Wisconsin
WWOA Field Day participants talk about climate impacts.  (Credit: Sam Harrington)
Wisconsin private landowners get a crash course in climate adaptation 

The Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association offers education and fellowship for private landowners, with the overall goal of supporting sustainable forestry. WWOA has helped communicate information on climate change to members over the past few years, most notably through articles in Wisconsin Woodlands Magazine. At this year's annual meeting, WWOA invited NIACS to host a discussion session on climate change as part of a field day at the Forest Lodge. The landowners who participated discussed site-level factors that could affect climate change risks, and did an activity to help visualize the amount of change that could occur in an example stand. It was a great day, with lots of thoughtful questions and discussion. We look forward to future opportunities to work with WWOA and private landowners! 
Michigan 
Forests for Fish logo.
Michigan foresters consider water connections

The Michigan Chapter of the Society of American Foresters held their annual fall meeting in early October, and it was the second meeting in a row featuring the connection between forests and water. Forests for Fish is a 3-year program organized by the Michigan DNR, and funded by the US Forest Service. The project is offering training to foresters and loggers, as well as financial incentives for landowners. NIACS staff member Danielle Shannon attended the SAF meeting, which was a valuable opportunity to connect with folks across the forestry and watershed management communities. Danielle is creating a new "menu" of adaptation actions for forested watersheds, which will help foresters and land managers design real-world adaptation projects. Stay tuned for more info on woods and water! 
Useful Resources

Check out this new documentary from WKOW in Wisconsin. It's 55-minutes long, and it would make a great discussion piece for a classroom or a community event! 

The College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute is creating a new platform for indigenous peoples to share information on climate impacts and discuss ways to adapt. The new website just launched, and contains lots of great videos and resources! 

NIACS created a series of 2-page handouts that summarize how individual tree species are expected to respond to climate change across the Northwoods states. Each handout includes model projections from two future climate scenarios and models like the Climate Change Tree Atlas. We think they're a handy way to show a lot of information and get people thinking about managing climate change risk and opportunity. Contact Stephen Handler with any questions or comments! 

Vulnerability Assessments for Wisconsin's Natural Communities
The WICCI Plants and Natural Communities Working Group has released a series of short climate change vulnerability assessments for Wisconsin's natural communities. Briefs are available for 10 broad community groups (Northern Forested Wetlands, Southern Upland Forests, etc.) and 52 more specific Natural Communities (Boreal Rich Fen, Oak Woodland, etc.) These are great resources - enjoy!
Online Education

This 8-week training will run from January to March 2018, with 1.5-hour sessions each week.  Staff from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Wildlife Society, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Park Service, Northeast Climate Science Center, and other organizations have worked together to design this course.  Email  Davia Palmeri to learn more! 

NIACS created the Adaptation Workbook as an online, interactive decision-making process. This year, we've expanded the site to support urban forestry and agriculture projects, in addition to regular forestry projects. Stephen Handler gave a quick "tour" of the website in a recent webinar to the Climate Learning Network - click on the link above to watch! 

The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) has released a new interactive online education module, "Responses to Climate Change: What You Need to Know." It provides an overview of adaptation options for resistance, resilience, and transition, and how to incorporate these ideas into natural resource management. This is the third module in a series; the first two cover the fundamentals of climate change science and an overview of climate change effects around the country.

NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, North Carolina State University's Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-North Carolina, along with many cooperating partners in every state has released a state-by-state assessment of climate change. They're full of great graphics and printable PDFs! 

Lake States Fire Science Consortium
The Lake States Fire Science Consortium is designed to share knowledge among researchers and managers across our region. They have a searchable Science Library of great resources, and a regular webinar series. Check it out! 
Feel free to contact Stephen Handler with any comments questions or suggestions for projects within the Northwoods Response Framework!
New Projects Button
Learn more about Adaptation Demonstration Projects in the Northwoods! 
 
niacs artwork