Three people stand outside.
A Note from Cat*

Have you seen the Drawing Connections video series? “Awe” and “mesmerized” are my sensations even after multiple viewings of these innovative videos. True, I’m lacking in such artistry and creativity, but others with real experience to judge are similarly impressed. The NPS Climate Change Response Program and ConverSketch recently received a 2021 Silver Telly award in the category of Public Service and Activism for the Drawing Connections series. The Tellys are awarded annually to recognize excellence in video and television production.

The Drawing Connections series highlights subtle, often-overlooked connections between climate change and the NPS. We share this award recognition with numerous partners: the Biological Resources Division, Cabrillo National Monument, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Fort Laramie National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Haleakalā National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve, the NRSS Fundamentals Team, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the US Public Health Service, and Yosemite National Park.

To those on the Climate Change Response Program team and all who collaborated on this series…thank you for your vision, ingenuity, and hard work on each episode. And to those who haven’t watched yet, what are you waiting for?

*Cat Hawkins Hoffman is the Program Manager for the Climate Change Response Program
Illustration of birds and a volcano island.
Click the image above to watch the latest episode on climate change and avian malaria in Haleakalā National Park.

You can view the entire playlist on YouTube or 
A person uses a computer outdoors.
New Publication:
Divergent, Plausible, and Relevant Climate Futures for Resource Planning
It seems the effects of climate change are all too clear in 2021. Yet, we know more change is expected. When trying to adapt to a changing climate, with all the inherent uncertainties about how the future may play out, resource managers often turn to scenario planning as a tool. Managers use scenario planning to explore plausible ways the climate may change, allowing them to work with climate change uncertainty rather than being paralyzed by it. Once identified, scenarios of the future are used to develop proactive measures to prepare for and adapt to scenarios of change.

A key part of scenario planning is generating a list of potential future climates we may deal with. These ‘climate futures’ serve as the foundation of each scenario explored in the planning process. For example, managers consider how they would respond to a warm, wet versus a hot, dry future. In a paper recently published in the journal Climatic Change, NPS and USGS researchers describe and compare three approaches to generate the climate futures that feed into the scenario planning process. Using an example planning effort at Big Bend National Park, the paper describes each approaches’ ability to capture the range of climate conditions the park may experience in the early-, mid-, and late-21st-century. These time frames align with near-, mid-, and long-term planning horizons. In doing so, this work identifies an approach to developing climate futures that captures a broad range of climate conditions (a key ingredient to developing scenarios) across both near and long-term planning horizons. The paper also discusses suitable applications and tradeoffs for different ways to generate climate futures.
Upcoming Webinar:
Stewarding Transformation: the RAD Framework.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 from 1:00–2:00 MDT.
A webinar offers guiding principles for resisting, accepting, or directing the transformation of ecosystems.
A park ranger in a flathat talks to people.

Climate Change Conversations:
"No one I know has looked at the IPCC report... Are people at your park talking about it? "
Congratulations to Amanda and Patrick on their new roles!
Photos by Al Golub and Amanda Hardy
Dr. Patrick Gonzalez will begin a one-year detail as Assistant Director for Climate and Biodiversity with the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) starting August 30. The OSTP is responsible for policy formulation associated with scientific and technical issues of national concern, including life sciences, telecommunications, technology, space and aeronautics, the environment, social, behavioral and educational sciences, physical sciences and engineering, national security, homeland security, the economy, international affairs, and intellectual property. Subject to pandemic conditions, Dr. Gonzalez will work for OSTP from his duty station in Berkeley, CA to implement a strategic, ​globally-focused scientific approach to US government efforts to conserve and/or enhance terrestrial biodiversity.
Dr. Amanda Hardy will transition to a new role as a project manager for the Natural Resources Team at the Denver Service Center beginning October 10. For the past five years, Amanda has served in a liaison role between the Climate Change Response Program and the Biological Resources Division. During her tenure, Amanda helped advance climate change adaptation efforts within an overarching context of trans-boundary migration and connectivity, land use change, invasive species, energy development, and protection of T&E and non-endangered wildlife.
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Third-party publications, articles, and products, shared or discussed in this newsletter are provided for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service or the U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial entities does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government.