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NE CASC Newsletter 01.31.19

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

 

 

————NE CASC NEWS———————

Announcing Our First Brown Bag Talk for Spring     On Wednesday, February 13, 12:00 eastern, Bill DeLuca of UMass Amherst will kick off our spring semester brown-bag talks by giving an update on the NE CASC capstone project, “Mechanisms for species responses to climate change: Are there biological thresholds?”  Bill will review the culmination of research conducted on species response to climate change to improve managers’ ability to incorporate species vulnerability assessments into landscape conservation and adaptation planning.  His talk, “Incorporating climate and land use change to improve wildlife management capacity” will be followed by a discussion and question and answer period with the audience.  These brown-bag talks provide brief updates on NE CASC activities and serve as an opportunity for participants to join in discussions.  This spring well hear about TNC’s Connecticut River Study, NE CASC coastal adaptation projects, and USGS-led vernal pool resistance mapping project.   Read More >> 

 

NE CASC Fellow Dan Miller Featured for His 'Eye-Opening' New Study     Dan, who recently earned his Ph.D. from UMass Amherst, used a new technique to reconstruct the longest and highest-resolution climate record for the Northeastern U.S.  He conducted the study with doctoral students Helen Habicht and Benjamin Keisling, working with advisors NE CASC PI Raymond S. Bradley and Isla S. Castaneda. The results reveal previously undetected past temperature cycles and extends the record 900 years into the past, well beyond the previous early date of 1850.  Read More>>

 

Welcome New NE CASC Graduate and Postdoc Fellows     A new cadre of graduate students and a post-doc have joined our center to advance our understanding of climate impacts and adaptation. 

  • Sarah Deckel studies the impacts of climate change on distribution and migration of birds with David King and Alex Gerson at UMass Amherst.  She is from Rhode Island originally and has enjoyed skiing, hiking, reading and rock climbing.  Read More >>
  • Laura Ganley is a Ph.D. candidate at UMass, Boston. Her studies focus on global drivers of North Atlantic right whale distribution in the Gulf of Maine. She is working with Michelle Staudinger on the project “How and why is the timing and occurrence of seasonal migrants in the Gulf of Maine changing due to climate?”  Read More >>  
  • Mike Hallworth is a postdoctoral Fellow working with Toni Lyn Morelli on increasing northern wildlife resistance and resilience to climate change.  Mike has always been interested in wildlife but it was a field-based tropical ecology course in Puerto Rico as an undergraduate at Plymouth State University that introduced him to field work and conducting field-based research.  Read More >>  
  • Henry Legett is a graduate student at Purdue University, originally from Jacksonville, Florida. He is a visiting USGS-NSF intern with Michelle Staudinger examining shifts in phenology. Henry’s free time is spent hiking and reading (fiction and history). He got interested in doing what he does through the Boy Scouts, growing up going camping, mountain climbing, and canoeing. Read More >> 
  • Brendan Moran is a PhD candidate with David Boutt at UMass Amherst in Geosciences.  While gaining expertise in South American regional groundwater systems, he will also be examining precipitation and drought in the Northeast.  He grew up in Concord, Massachusetts.  He’s had a passion for science, weather/climate and the natural world from a young age, and his high school earth science teacher’s interest in geoscience really set him on the path to become a geoscientist. Read More >>  
  • Chloe Thompson is a student in Kristin Stinson’s lab working on invasive plant ecology at UMass Amherst.  Outside her research in the invasive plant world, amphibians -especially frogs- are her main interest. She has worked in the environmental consulting field and as a vernal pool monitor volunteer.  With this experience, she saw a wide range of success in conservation plans and implementation and would like to narrow this gap in strategy and efficiency. Read More >>  
  • Emily Whitaker is a Master’s candidate advised by Hilary Dugan at University of Wisconsin- Madison. Her childhood visiting lakes and beaches got her interested in pursuing a degree in limnology. She is originally from Hopewell, NJ.  She’s an avid hiker, kayaker, and enjoys reading!  Read More >>  

 

Recent Publications by the NE CASC 

 

————EVENTS———————

Forest Adaptation Planning and Practices New Dates     Online course for forest and natural resource managers with a focus on New England and New York.  February 19-April 2. Registration is through February 11. Read More >> 

Talk Climate Institute Workshop     Learn new ways to have conversations about climate change that build respect and understanding. Discover your own personal climate story, and learn how to use it as a tool to inspire solutions. Full and partial scholarships are also available, with priority given to people of color and Indigenous people. March 25-26, Duluth, MN. Read More >> 

National Tribal Public Health Summit     Proposals for presentations are being accepted that highlight evidence-based, best, wise, or promising practices developed in and for Tribal communities. May 13-15, 2019 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.  Read More >>  

Correlated Extremes Workshop     Call for abstracts is now open through February 11.  Seeking a blend of perspectives, including but not limited to agencies and academia.  Ecological and land management perspectives will help strengthen both workshops/conferences.  May 28-31 Columbia University.  Read More >> 

Managed Retreat Conference    Call for abstracts is now open through February 11.  Seeking a blend of perspectives, including but not limited to agencies and academia.  Ecological and land management perspectives will help strengthen both workshops/conferences. June 19-21, Columbia University.  Read More >> 

 

————FEATURED RESOURCE———————

Climate Change Pressures in the 21st Century    This story map shows projected changes in three important metrics that influence plant growth and survival: growing degree days, plant hardiness zones, and heat zones. The resource also includes links to additional online maps for two scenarios of potential change (RCPs 4.5 and 8.5), and four different time periods. More information is available in the full report.  Read More >> 

 

————OTHER NEWS——————

USGS Women in Science Video     Last summer a publication featuring women in STEM fields throughout the country included a biographical sketch of NE CASC’s Toni Lyn Morelli, research ecologist, and Mary Ratnaswamy, the former federal director of NE CASC.  Now, Toni Lyn is featured in a video about STEM and related careers in USGS, to be used for recruitment into STEM careers.  View the Video >>

NE CASC Communication Intern Reflects on the Udall Scholarship     Mike Crowley, a senior at UMass Amherst, received the national honors from the national Udall Scholarship last year.  He joined other awardees at a workshop in Tucson, Arizona and shared his impressions on the program.  Read More >> 

Making Record Precipitation and Drought a Part of the Climate Conversation     Affiliated researchers Michael Rawlins and David Boutt from UMass Amherst explain how recent anomalous rains links to climate change and the relevance for local communities and businesses.  Read More >> 

Climate Refugia: Safe Havens for Vulnerable Species     USGS Research Ecologist at NE CASC Toni Lyn Morelli is working to identify and protect stable areas where vulnerable species might thrive. Read More >>  

Menominee Forest Management and Climate Change     Orion magazine features the NE CASC PI Chris Caldwell from the College of Menominee Nation. Read More >> 

What Residents of New England Can Expect with Climate Change     Climate change is expected to hit the Northeast pretty hard, affecting crops, ski resorts and fisheries on the coast. NEPR compiled their reports on inland floods in New Hampshire, to a Connecticut forest, to a salt marsh north of Boston where there's an invasive plant that just won't quit. Read More >> 

 

————RESOURCES——————

Regional Climate Impacts and Outlook         The December summaries for the Northeast, Midwest and Gulf of Maine are available through the Drought Portal.  Read More >> 

Video Highlights Science-Based Forestry in a Changing Climate     A new video featuring the partnership between American Forests and NIACS highlights work that both organizations are doing to prepare forests for future climates, and showcases the climate change adaptation work of partners on the ground, such as the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. View the Video >> 

Cuarta Evaluación Nacional del Clima     NCA4 Report in Brief is also available in Spanish. This translation enables Spanish-speaking audiences to be better informed of current and projected climate impacts, risks, and adaptation strategies. SE CASC University Assistant Director Aranzazu Lascurain was part of the team of Spanish translation editors.  Read More >> 

GLIFWC Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment     The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission conducted a climate change vulnerability assessment for key species within the Ceded Territories in MN, WI, and MI. The first version of the report features 16 species, including ogaa (walleye), waabooz (snowshoe hare), and manoomin (wild rice). An expanded Version 2 will be released in 2019, which will include 60 priority species.  Read More >> 

CAKE Highlight:  Indiana Dunes Climate Change Adaptation Plan     Adaptation options assembled in this plan range from resisting impacts to embracing an evolution in habitats that results in a suite of ecosystem functions that are better suited to future conditions. Read More >> 

CAKE Highlight: Climate Change Adaptation Certification Tool     A 3-step tool for rapid implementation of climate savvy planning goals and policies will enable community services, infrastructure, ecosystems and economies to better anticipate and respond to the effects of climate change.  Read More >> 

Delaware River Basin Study    A project that aims to understand the impact of future climate and land use change on hydrology, flooding, and forest fragmentation for the Delaware River Basin. Read More >> 

Climate Podcast     This New Climate, a new podcast that explores the innovations that are being developed to transform the world in the face of climate change, launched in November. The first six-episode series investigates some of the toughest climate challenges of our times and tells the stories of the projects and people who are grappling with them.  Read More >> 

New Adaptation Demonstration Project     The Wayne National Forest has completed the Adaptation Workbook on the Sunny Oaks project.  Read More >> 

 

————OPPORTUNITIES——————

Job Opportunity: The Sierra Club     The Sierra Club is hiring a Massachusetts Chapter Director, based in Boston.  Read More >>

Job Opportunity: The Wilderness Society     Alaska State Director. Deadline is February 10. Read More >>  

Fellowship Opportunity: Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research     2019 Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program offering nine full-time, twelve-week positions. Deadline is February 22. Read More >> 

Fellowship Opportunity:  2019 Science to Action Fellowship    This opportunity is open to graduate students (who are students for the entire fellowship year) at any of the CASC Consortium Institutions and Michigan State University. Statements of Interest are due by February 8.  Read More >> 

Call for Nominations: Expert Working Groups     Fellows to serve as experts for two new Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) initiatives: an assessment of invasive alien species, and the IPBES expert group dedicated to scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Federal employees are encouraged to contact NCASC researcher Sarah Weiskopf at sweiskopf@usgs.gov for more information on the U.S. government application process. The deadline to apply is February 15. Read More >> 

Funding Opportunity:  Environmental Justice Small Grants     For community-based organizations for projects that help residents of underserved communities understand and address local environmental and public health issues. Applications are due February 15. Read More >>    

Funding Opportunity: North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants     To increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, bird watching, family farming, and cattle ranching. First cycle grants are due February 22.  Read More >>  

 

————WEBINARS—————————

Wednesday, February 6 at 3pm  (CST)

Michigan State University

Getting Forest Management and Land Use Carbon Accounting Right for HWP's

George Berghorn, and Elaine Oneil

To register, visit: https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zSEs3JY2Qhe3L49KINKNrg

 

Wednesday, February 13 at 12pm EST

Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center

Incorporating climate and land use change to improve wildlife management capacity

Bill DeLuca, UMass Amherst

To join, visit: https://necsc.umass.edu/webinars/ne-casc-capstone-project-incorporating-climate-and-land-use-change-improve-wildlife

 

Wednesday, February 13 at 12pm EST 

Indiana University Bloomington

Prepared for Environmental Change Webinar: Using Greenspace and Vegetation as an Adaptation Strategy

To register, visit: https://iu.zoom.us/meeting/register/64077552b23d42f17c24e00bf0acd2b8 

 

Thursday, February 21, 10am EST 

Southeast CASC

The Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy: What to expect this year

Rua Mordecai, South Atlantic Blueprint 

To join, dial conference line -866-720-8724, Meeting passcode 2917595555