| |
|
Michigan
|
|
 |
| Michigan Wetlands Association logo. |
|
Keeping wetlands healthy in a changing climate
Wetlands are important hotspots of biodiversity in the Midwest, and they are critical for maintaining overall water quality and water cycles on the landscape. Wetlands managers are grappling with integrating climate change considerations into the already difficult task of maintaining and restoring wetlands. Recently, the Michigan Wetlands Association invited NIACS to organize a workshop in Okemos, MI, to help MWA members get experience with this tricky subject. Danielle Shannon and Todd Ontl led participants through presentations to introduce climate change trends in Michigan, vulnerability assessments for wetland communities, and climate adaptation principles. MWA members also got some "hands-on" experience developing climate adaptation plans by working on four case study projects. For more information, please contact Danielle Shannon! |
|
Minnesota
|
|
|
| Minnesota DNR foresters consider watershed and fisheries considerations at a field tour. |
|
A
flurry
of climate change action in the Gopher State
NIACS has been involved in a handful of inspiring climate change events in Minnesota over the past few weeks. In June, we worked with the Minnesota Forest Association Metro Chapter to organize an event for private landowners at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Participants heard about climate change trends in Minnesota, toured two long-term research sites, and discussed how to help their own woods adapt. In July, the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources held a Forestry Academy for new field foresters, and NIACS teamed up with DNR Senior Climatologist Kenny Blumenfeld to cover climate change impacts and adaptation. Finally, NIACS worked with a team from the state of Minnesota at a Learning Lab focused on carbon sequestration from natural and working lands. Minnesota is part of the US Climate Alliance, and this meeting was designed to help state-level teams develop ideas that will help meet greenhouse gas reduction goals. Go, Gophers! |
|
Wisconsin
|
|
|
| Partners in Action meeting logo. |
|
BIA staff and partners consider tribal adaptation perspectives
There are 36 federally recognized tribes in the Upper Midwest, each with their own concerns regarding the conservation and protection of natural resources. Each year the Midwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs organizes the Partners in Action Conference to share resources and information between the agency, individual tribes, and partner organizations. This year's PIA meeting was held in Milwaukee, WI, and NIACS worked with several partners to organize a working session on climate change adaptation. For the past year, staff from several organizations (
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, 1854 Treaty Authority, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Michigan Tech University, and others)
have been working together to prepare a Tribal Adaptation Menu that will complement other NIACS adaptation menus. The PIA working session was a chance to get valuable feedback on the draft menu, and we expect to have a draft ready to share later in 2018.
|
|
Upcoming Events
Grand Rapids, MN - August 29-30 - $15
This two-day workshop will feature a half-day of indoor discussion and a field tour of several different forest types. Participants will consider climate change risks and real-world adaptation actions. This event is being organized by the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, the University of Minnesota, and NIACS.
Ann Arbor, MI - September 24-26 - Cost varies
This regional workshop will showcase best practices and innovations across several disciplines, from forestry and natural resources to human health and urban planning. It's a great way to catch up with other professionals who focus on climate change issues around our region!
Bath, MI - September 27-28 - Free
This active, hands-on workshop will help participants consider climate change and develop custom-built adaptation actions into their own real-world projects. Participants will use a new Wildlife Adaptation Menu being developed by the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, Michigan DNR, UW-Madison, and NIACS.
|
|
Online Education
Fall 2018 enrollment is now open for MSU's online Graduate Certificate program that focuses on forest carbon. Financial assistance will be available through a Weyerhaeuser Fellowship, so please visit the website to learn more and apply! Contact
[email protected] with questions.
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!
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!
|
|
Useful Resources
This project from Michigan Tech University, the US Forest Service, and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative aims to create a detailed map of black ash throughout its range. Learn more at the link above, and consider submitting your own inventory data to help complete the map!
My Minnesota Woods has created two handy pages that spell out the current risk levels for oak wilt and EAB across the state. Check them out, and stay informed!
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!
|
Feel free to contact
Stephen Handler with any comments, questions, or suggestions for projects within the Northwoods Response Framework!
|
|
|
|
|
|
