NW CASC Partnering on Project Examining Relationship Between Fish & Wildlife Health, Disease and Climate Change Across North America

Written by

A mule deer on a yellow grassy slope turns to look at the camera
Mule Deer
Source: Ryan Hagerty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public Domain

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is part of a one-year project led by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), in partnership with the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Center Network, to understand and prepare for emerging challenges related to fish and wildlife health, disease, and climate change across North America.

The objectives of this national-scale project are to review and synthesize existing information on the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife health and disease. Project partners will then use this information to highlight gaps in our current understanding of the problem and identify  unique areas of concern.

“Climate change will continue to have significant effects on the health of fish and wildlife,” says Olivia LeDee, Deputy Director of the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. “Understanding future disease risk across the country is crucial for preparing for and potentially warding off serious threats to important natural resources.”

Bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in the Flathead River, Glacier National Park, Montana
Source: Jonny Armstrong

Shifts in temperature and precipitation can increase the physiological stress of wildlife, while changes in the timing of life cycle events (known as phenology) can increase the exposure of wildlife to threatening pathogens. Simultaneously, changes in climate can increase the risk of disease transmission by affecting the range and distribution of diseases and the emergence or altered survival of pathogens. The resulting impacts on the reproduction and survival of some wildlife species could have broad implications, potentially posing challenges to recreationally and commercially harvested fish and wildlife populations, threatened and endangered species, and human communities.

This project will provide much needed information to resource managers who are responsible for anticipating and responding to these future threats. The synthesis piece of the project is currently underway and project researchers are now putting plans in motion to hold a workshop in early 2020 that will bring together scientific experts and resource managers from federal, state, and tribal organizations. The workshop will provide a venue for scientists and stakeholders to come together to deepen their understanding of the problems at hand and collaboratively develop plans for moving forward. The resulting synthesis information will be made available in an online, searchable database.

This project is being undertaken as a joint effort between the national and eight regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers and the National Wildlife Health Center. “The impacts of climate change and the transmission of pathogens do not adhere to state or regional boundaries,” said Erik Hofmeister, Research Virologist with the NWHC and research lead on this project. “This national-scale, collaborative approach will allow us to take a more comprehensive look at the current research and shed light on emerging high priority wildlife health threats across the country.”

Learn more about this effort and track project products as they become available.

Funding Opportunity: NW CASC Seeks Fellowship Applications from Graduate Students & Postdocs at Oregon State University

Written by

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) invites proposals for its 2019-2020 Research Fellowship Program from graduate students and postdoctoral scientists at Oregon State University (2019-20 Fellows have already been selected from University of Washington, Boise State University, University of Montana, Washington State University, and Western Washington University).

The NW CASC Fellowship Program provides both support for research related to climate adaptation in Northwest natural and cultural resource management and instruction of funded Fellows in the principles and practices of co-producing decision-relevant (“actionable”) science. Funding will be available to support research performed during the 2019-2020 academic year, beginning Winter 2020. The deadline for submitting proposals is November 25, 2019.

 Learn More & Apply

Person standing on a mountain at sunset
South Sister Mountain, Oregon
Source: Derek Sears, Unsplash, Public Domain

NW CASC Welcomes Oregon State University as New Consortium Member

Written by

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) is pleased to welcome Oregon State University (OSU) as our new University Consortium member, joining Boise State University, University of Montana, University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University. As part of the federal-university partnership that makes up the NW CASC, our University Consortium enables the Department of the Interior and Northwest natural and cultural resource managers to leverage the research capacity, expertise and infrastructure of public agencies and universities across the region to support science-based resource management in the face of ongoing change.

Oregon State University brings expertise in forestry, freshwater ecology and habitat restoration, wildlife and coastal resource management, and management strategy modeling. Oregon State University also brings a network of partners that will expand the NW CASC’s impact in promoting regional resilience in a changing climate. Dr. Selina Heppell will lead Oregon State University’s partnership with NW CASC.

Learn about our federal-university partnership

Sunlight filters through fog and trees in an Oregon forest
Sunlight filters a forest on Bald Mountain, Oregon
Source: Dale Nibbe, Unsplash, Public Domain

Upcoming Crosscut Panel Event with NW CASC University Director Amy Snover

Written by

The Rising: Facing the Existential Threat of Climate Upheaval

On Thursday, October 24th, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center University Director Amy Snover will join other climate scientists, tribal representatives and journalists in discussing climate change and adaptation in the Northwest during a Crosscut Talks event on The Rising: Facing the Existential Threat of Climate Upheaval. This live event will be recorded for release as a podcast in December 2019.

The focus of this discussion is climate adaptation, sea-level rise, managed retreats and the social and cultural implications of these issues. Presenters will discuss the challenges facing coastal communities, ongoing efforts to adapt to those challenges, and what lessons society can take from Indigenous resilience efforts. This event will focus on issues in the Northwest, but will also include a broader conversation about this moment in environmental planning.

Panelists:
Michael Chang | Climate Adaptation Specialist, Makah Tribe
Amy Snover | Director, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group & University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Paul Chiyokten Wagner | Environmental Activist

Learn More and Buy Tickets Here 

NW CASC Heading to 10th Annual Northwest Climate Conference

Written by

Bridge and city view
Bridge and city view
Source: Doyle Lewis, Bonneville Power Administration

The National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) will be participating in the 10th Annual Northwest Climate Conference this week (October 8-10) in Portland, Oregon. The Northwest Climate Conference brings together a diverse community of practitioners, scientists, tribal communities and decision-makers advancing climate resilience across the Northwest. The conference offers an opportunity share knowledge, ideas and best practices related to climate change science, impacts and adaptation in the Northwest. Topics include drought, wildfire, extreme events, coastal flooding, human health, ecosystem health and resilience planning.

If you’re attending, don’t miss presentations from our NW CASC community of Fellows, researchers and staff! You can also view the complete schedule here.

Wednesday, October 9th

The Influence of Climate Change on the Distributions of Native and Nonnative Trout Species Across Montana
Who: Donovan Bell, Clint Muhlfeld, Robert Al-Chokhachy David Schmetterling, Diane Whited, Ryan Kovach, Andrew Whiteley
What: Talk
When: 10:35 AM

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Engineered Log Jam Projects at Improving Salmon Habitat
Who: Caroline Walls, James Helfield
What: Talk
When: 10:35 AM

The Climate Sensitivity of Water Quality in the Pacific Northwest: Linking Anticipated Shifts in Hydrologic Regime to Riverine Nitrogen Sources in Puget Sound Watersheds
Who: Elizabeth Elmstrom, Gordon Holtgrieve, Karrin Leazer, Andrew Schauer
What: Talk
When: 10:55 AM

Non-native Introgression from Rainbow Trout Alters Seasonal Growth and Migratory Patterns of Native Westslope Cutthroat Trout in Three Wild Populations
Who: Jeffrey Strait, Lisa Eby, Ryan Kovach, Clint Muhlfeld, Matt Boyer, Stephen Amish, Gordon Luikart
What: Talk
When: 10:55 AM

Tribal Climate Camp: Tribes Engaging Tribes to Achieve their Climate Programming Goals
Who: Chas Jones
What: Talk
When: 1:05 PM

Understanding Climate Change Impacts on the Nutrition and Cultural Benefits of the Makah Tribe’s Traditional Seafood Species
Who: Laura K. Nelson
What: Talk
When: 1:25 PM

Developing an Occupancy-based Monitoring Framework for Wolverines in the Cascades
Who: Robbie Emmet
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Satellite Based Vegetation Optical Depth Data Detects Plant Water Status and its Sensitivity to Supply and Atmospheric Drivers of Drought
Who: Drew Lyons
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Moist Mixed-Conifer Seedling Hydraulic Performance Following Short-Interval Wildfire
Who: Katherine Swensen
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Is Climate Change Increasing Predation on Hoary Marmots in North Cascades National Park
Who: Logan Whiles
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Mechanisms for Integrating Water Resource Management into Biophysical Models
Who: Kendra Kaiser
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 AM

How Can Floodplain Restoration Lower Stream Temperatures and Improve Salmon Habitat in the Stillaguamish River basin, WA?
Who: Ashley Bagley
What: Poster
When: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Thursday, October 10th

How Post-fire Weather Variability Affects the Balance Between Sagebrush, Exotic Annual Grasses, and Perennial Grasses and What it Means for Climate Change
Who: Cara Applestein, Matthew Germino, Trevor Caughlin
What: Talk
When: 10:45 AM

Coupled Ecohydrology and Plant Hydraulics Modeling Predicts Ponderosa Pine Seedling Mortality and Lower Treeline in the Inland Northwest
Who: Solomon Dobrowski, Marco Maneta, Zack Holden, Caelan Simeone
What: Talk
When: 1:05 PM

Meet the NW CASC’s 2019-2020 Research Fellows!

Written by

We are pleased to welcome the NW CASC’s 2019-2020 Research Fellows as they kick off their  Fellowship activities this fall. These nine Fellows represent each of our consortium universities.

Throughout their Fellowship year, each Fellow will conduct research in close collaboration with regional natural resource managers and decision-makers to produce relevant science on climate change impacts and adaptation actions. Fellows will also receive training in actionable science principles through participation in monthly cohort calls, a winter seminar course on The Theory & Practice of Connecting Knowledge to Action and other skills-building activities. We are thrilled to have these new Fellows on our NW CASC team, helping advance our mission to deliver science to help fish, wildlife, water, land and people adapt to a changing climate.

See a Summary of the New Fellows & their Research

2019-2020 NW CASC Fellow Logan Whiles from Washington State University

NW CASC Research Provides New Datasets on Streamflow Permanence in Northwest

Written by

What does increasing drought mean for the Northwest streams that provide critical habitat for our region’s fish and wildlife? As the climate changes, which streams will continue to flow year-round and which will dry up? Natural resource managers use information about streamflow permanence, or the extent to which streams maintain flowing surface water, to make decisions about managing streams and the fish and wildlife that depend on them.

Streams are classified based on whether they flow year-round (perennial) or for only part of the year (intermittent and ephemeral). These classifications are important because perennial streams receive special regulatory protections for providing critical fish and wildlife habitat. However, many existing stream classifications are inaccurate and outdated, lacking consideration of how land use change has already altered streamflow or of how climate change is likely to impact streamflow.

To address this knowledge gap, the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) funded researchers to develop new streamflow permanence information at regional scales that account for year-to-year variations in climatic conditions. The goal of this research was to improve land managers’ ability to identify headwater streams resilient to drought conditions, enabling them to focus limited resources on watersheds that provide critical habitat for threatened aquatic species.

This research paired existing streamflow permanence observations (about 25,000) from federal and state agencies across the Pacific Northwest with modeling to allow analysis of streamflow permanence at a regional scale, resulting in the PRObability of Streamflow PERmanence (PROSPER) model. The PROSPER model includes publicly available regional datasets, models and maps of where perennial streams are located across the Pacific Northwest and how they respond to year-to-year variation in climate conditions such as annual snow and rainfall. It provides streamflow permanence information for the Northwest at an unprecedented spatial scale (30 m channel segments) and temporal resolution (annual). PROSPER model predictions of streamflow permanence are now publicly available through the USGS StreamStats platform, and a recently published paper introduces the PROSPER model and demonstrates its use by analyzing streamflow permanence in three Northwest river basins.

Throughout this project, researchers engaged representatives from tribal, state, federal and non-governmental institutions across the Northwest to gather feedback on project objectives, methods, products and data delivery. Engaging managers throughout the project helps ensure that the products can be used to help managers better understand drought vulnerability and focus limited conservation resources on watersheds that provide crucial habitat for fish and wildlife.

Read the Paper

Check out the Streamflow Permanence Observations

Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA
Source: Jachan DeVol, Unsplash, Public Domain

NW CASC Researchers Join Fish & Wildlife Professionals at The Wildlife Society & American Fisheries Society Joint Conference

Written by


Are you attending The Wildlife Society & American Fisheries Society 2019 Joint Annual Conference? If so, be sure to check out presentations from the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and from across the Climate Adaptation Science Center network! This year’s conference will be held in Reno, Nevada on September 29th – October 3rd. The conference will bring together fish and wildlife professionals from every state in the country and from countries around the world, representing federal agencies with a wildlife nexus, major universities, prominent NGOs and private industry with a vested interest in fish, wildlife and natural resources management. This conference will provide the opportunities to network with other fish and wildlife professionals, create new partnerships and build collaborative approaches to help solve pressing wildlife conservation issues.

The NW CASC staff and Fellows will be presenting on NW CASC-supported work throughout the week. If you’ll be joining this conference, be sure to check out our presentations below, as well as presentations from across the CASC network!

Monday, September 30th

Climate Adaptation Science in the Pacific Northwest: Building a Collaborative Network for Responding to Climate Change
Contributors: Elizabeth Glenn (Northwest CASC), Nicole DeCrappeo (Northwest CASC), Charles Jones, Amy Snover (Northwest CASC), Meade Krosby (Northwest CASC)
When: 2:10 – 02:30 pm
Where: Reno-Sparks CC, RSCC, F3

Developing an Occupancy-Based Monitoring Framework for Wolverines in the Cascades
Contributors: Robert Emmet (Northwest CASC fellow), Robert Long, Beth Gardner
When: 2:10 – 02:30 pm
Where: Reno-Sparks CC, RSCC, F10

Thursday, October 3rd

Non-Native Introgression Alters Seasonal Growth and Migratory Patterns of Native Salmonids in Three Wild Populations
Contributor: Jeffrey Strait (Northwest CASC Fellow), Lisa Eby, Ryan Kovach, Clint Muhlfeld, Matthew C. Boyer, Stephen Amish, Gordon Luikart
When: 4:20 – 4:40 pm
Where: Reno-Sparks CC, RSCC, A2

Register for NW CASC’s Fall Webinar Series: Amplifying Actionable Science through Intentional, Integrated & Creative Communications

Written by

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting its next skills-building webinar series focused on the role of communication in the co-production of actionable science. This series will offer strategies for integrating communication approaches across the life cycle of co-production efforts, provide lessons for successfully working with the media to increase the reach and impact of science, and highlight creative products used to communicate collaborative research.

 

NW CASC Fellow Ashley Bagley Awarded Washington Sea Grant State Fellowship

Written by

Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) Fellow Ashley Bagley has been selected for the the 2019-2020 Washington Sea Grant (WSG) State Fellowship (formerly the Marc Hershman Marine Policy Fellowship). The WSG State Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for soon-to-graduate or recently graduated students engaged in studies pertaining to ocean and coastal policy issues. This one-year fellowship places highly motivated and qualified individuals with marine and coastal host offices throughout Washington, providing fellows with a unique perspective on building marine policy and allowing them to share their academic expertise with the host offices.

“As a WSG State Fellow with Long Live the Kings, Ashley will work on the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project which is focused on determining why certain species of juvenile salmon and steelhead are dying as they migrate through the Salish Sea. Ashley’s main goals are to communicate findings, incorporate results and tools into management decisions as appropriate, and plan and implement research to address research gaps and to test solutions. Ashley is excited to branch out beyond freshwater to support salmon recovery efforts in the Salish Sea.” – Washington Sea Grant

Congratulations, Ashley!

Learn More about the WSG State Fellowship