ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES PROJECTS

Work Group Actions - Near Term

Develop Proposal for Workshop Funding. This workshop would target on-the-ground ecologists (e.g., those applying principles on the ground), regional planners/ecosystem managers, conservation organizations, and interested scientists. The goal of the workshop would be to identify the "nearer" term (20-30 yr) problems that managers face in terms of climate impacts to a variety of ecosystems, especially with the co-impacts/constraints imposed by land use change and the urban wildland interface, despite the increased difficulty of forecasting at this time scale compared to longer time scales. This would allow identification of scientific gaps in observation and research that could be addressed by the scientific community. Agency and NGO managers and scientists would identify and prioritize vulnerabilities (species, processes, etc.) and the relative advantages, disadvantages, risks, costs, etc. associated with adaptation, mitigation, or doing nothing. Broad representation among mountain ecosystems, management mandates/organizations, and positions along the urban-to-high elevation gradient would be desirable. For further information, contact Jeremy Littell (jlittell@u.washington.edu) or Jeff Hicke (jhicke@uidaho.edu).

Develop a White Paper. The Work Group intent is to define a strategy for integrating research from management problems and applications across to the research community and back, such that research involves managers from the ground up and the results are applied in an adaptive management context with ongoing monitoring. The paper could focus on something like how the nature of the processes most vulnerable/sensitive to climate change defies classical hierarchical sampling techniques and some solutions to that problem. It could also focus on the strength of the alignment between (1) what managers want and need to know and (2) what scientists are studying. This would, in effect, be a paper to define our identity, purpose, and goals in a more rigorous scientific venue (Bioscience was suggested). For further information, contact Jeremy Littell (jlittell@u.washington.edu) or Jeff Hicke (jhicke@uidaho.edu).