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May 17th, 2012Webinar examining the effects of climate change on rare plants available
A recorded webinar presented by Steve Schoenig, an environmental program manager with the California Department of Fish and Game, is now available.
The presentation, titled “Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Rare Plants,” is the first in a series of webinars highlighting CA LCC-supported projects. It was originally presented May 10.
Schoenig and his team recently completed an analysis of over 150 of the state’s rare plant species using the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index. The results identified which of California’s rare plant species may be most sensitive to climate change.
To view the webinar, visit https://mmancusa.webex.com/mmancusa/ldr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=46341372&rKey=498d8adf181ad2f5 (note: the webinar begins at the 11 minute mark on the recording).
To view the slide presentation, click here (file unavailable).
The next webinar in the series is noon, May 24 and will feature Nadav Nur, PRBO Conservation Science. His topic is “Vulnerability Analysis and Monitoring Program for Detecting Changes in San Francisco Bay Tidal Marsh Bird Populations Resulting from Climate Change.” To join the webinar, visit https://mmancusa.webex.com/mmancusa/j.php?ED=182645417&UID=0&PW=NOGU5NzAzZTlj&RT=MiM0.
If requested, enter your name and email address. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: californialcc and click “join.”
To join the teleconference, dial toll-free1-866-737-4154 Passcode: 2872670
If you have questions about the webinar, contact Rebecca Fris at 916-278-9415.
April 30th, 2012
CA LCC reviews projects to help natural resource managers
More than 90 pre-proposals were reviewed by the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative this month as the partnership began the process of selecting science projects to fund in 2012.
“What stood out in this set of proposals was the diversity,” says Rebecca Fris, CA LCC science coordinator. “There were proposals addressing fire issues and forest management and some that addressed marine and coastal issues. This is the first time we have seen that many from those areas, and I think it shows that more people understand what the CA LCC can do, how it adds value and how it can help support the type of science natural resource managers need.”
The CA LCC has from $500,000 to $800,000 this year to support the development of science-based tools and products that will help enhance the conservation efforts of natural resource managers throughout the state. Five to eight projects will be funded, and final awards will be announced in late June.
April 30th, 2012
Results of CA LCC-funded projects for birds, fish presented at conference
Emerson Parcel Tidal Marsh in California
Three CA LCC-funded projects were presented at the US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology annual symposium in Newport, Rhode Island in April.
Nadav Nur, a quantitative ecologist with PRBO Conservation Science, presented “Population Modeling Tools to Achieve Long-term Viability of Tidal Marsh Birds in the Context of Climate Change.”
Rebecca M. Quiñones, a graduate student of Professor Peter Moyle at the University of California-Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, presented “The Effects of Climate Change on California’s Inland Fishes: Tools for Adaptation.”
Ryan Harrigan, a post-doctoral student of Professor Tom Smith at the UCLA Center for Tropical Research, presented "Maximizing Evolutionary Potential under Climate Change in Southern California Protected Areas."
Nur’s presentation highlights concerns over (more...)
April 10th, 2012
CA LCC supports USGS workshop on fog
Fog off the California coast
More than 30 people attended a U.S. Geological Survey workshop on fog funded by the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative April 3-5.
The U.S. Geological Survey hosted natural resource managers and an international team of scientists in Menlo Park, CA, for the first Pacific Coastal Fog Workshop, which examined advective fog, a major modifier of climactic conditions along the California coast.
“The importance of fog to ecological communities on the coastline is significant because it not only provides moisture, but also affects the amount of sunlight received on the ground,” says Alicia Torregrosa, a physical scientist with the USGS Western Geographic Science Center in Menlo Park.
The workshop brought together (more...)
April 3rd, 2012
CA LCC request for science projects to fund draws interest
The California Landscape Conservation Cooperative received nearly 100 responses to its call for pre-proposals for science projects to help natural resource managers enhance their management of native fish, marine and wildlife populations.
The CA LCC has between $500,000 and $800,000 this year to support science (more...)
April 10th, 2012Job plan includes the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives were identified as a vehicle to help protect jobs and the economy from the risks associated with climate change during an international meeting of Western States and Canadian Provinces this past March (http://www.pacificcoastcollaborative.org/Pages/ThirdAnnualLeadersForum.aspx).
During the GLOBE Conference on Business and the Environment in Vancouver, Canada, members of the Pacific Coast Collaborative, which included leaders from California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, issued their 2012 West Coast Action Plan on Jobs, which included a commitment to create up to a million clean-economy jobs on the West coast within the next 10 years.
Leaders promised to leverage climate science and research to help achieve better job outcomes for communities. They also promised to “encourage sharing of scientific research underway at universities, research centers, and governmental agencies and coordinate identification of priority research topics to support decision-making and minimize overlap and duplication of effort, including the Regional Climate Science Centers, Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments, and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.”
“I was thrilled when I saw (more...)
March 19th, 2012CA LCC helps resource managers
Don Brubaker, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manager, discusses restoration efforts at the San Pablo Bay Refuge.
Natural resource managers have a tough job conserving wildlife, and their work is made even more difficult by the impacts of climate change and other landscape-scale stressors.
But they are getting a hand from the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative, a partnership that supports the development of science-based products resource managers can use to enhance their on-the-ground conservation efforts.
“The people who are out there managing resources are very much in need of the latest technical information to do their job,” says Rebecca Fris, CA LCC science coordinator. “They are trying to manage the resources of today for a very different future. They want to know what is going to happen to the resources they are managing and what the potential impact could be on species and their habitats.”
Since 2010, the CA LCC has funded more than 25 climate science-based projects (more...)
March 19th, 2012CA LCC seeks science projects to fund
For the third year in a row, the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative will fund science projects designed to help natural resource managers enhance their management of native fish, marine and wildlife populations.
The CA LCC sent out a call for pre-proposals March 12 and expects to fund five to eight projects. The partnership has between $500,000 and $800,000 this year to support science that meets the goals and priorities of the partnership, says Rebecca Fris, CA LCC science coordinator.
Projects must address (more...)
Steering Committee Member Receives Award
Ellie Cohen, Steering Committee MemberA California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Steering Committee member received the Bay Nature Institute's Local Hero Award in January.
Ellie Cohen, president and CEO of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science (PRBO), received the award presented annually by the Bay Nature Institute to honors individuals making outstanding contributions to the understanding and stewardship of the natural world of the Bay Area.
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Diana Craig, Regional Wildlife Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
Diana Craig, Regional Wildlife EcologistOver my 21 years as a U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist, I have been fortunate to work with the Institute for Bird Populations on various projects, beginning with MAPS stations on the Tahoe National Forest.
In 2008, as Regional Wildlife Ecologist for the USFS’s Pacific Southwest Region, we began an extremely valuable partnership to develop a Sierra Nevada Forests monitoring strategy for a new management indicator species, the Black-backed Woodpecker.
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Sac State Hosted First Public Workshop on President’s Climate Change Strategy
Sacramento State hosted the first public information workshop on the Obama Administration’s new draft national strategy to respond to climate change impact on fish, wildlife and plants Tuesday, Jan. 31.
The workshop was one of five to be held in different U.S. cities during the public comment period in January and February. A tribal consultation session was held at the same location Monday, Jan. 30.
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Visualizing the San Francisco Bay Under Sea Level Rise
A new online tool for resource managers
When you picture San Francisco Bay 100 years from now, what do you imagine? Scientific models project a rise in sea level of two to five feet in the Bay by 2110. What will this mean for the unique habitats that fringe the bay’s shoreline? And for the species that inhabit them, like the endangered California Clapper Rail, salt marsh harvest mouse and other plant and animal species that depend on the tidal marshes of San Francisco Bay?
To help address these questions and plan future wetland restoration, the CA LCC funded PRBO Conservation Science to produce an interactive website where habitat managers and agency planners can visualize future tidal marshlands – under a range of sea level scenarios – throughout San Francisco Bay. You can explore this powerful new conservation tool at www.prbo.org/sfbayslr. To learn about some of the most important findings of that work see the article in PRBO’s summer Observer issue, now available on their website.
CA LCC launched its Open House at Sac State!
What a successful event!We were pleased that more than 85 people came to extend congratulations on our move to Sac State and meet new partners of the CA LCC on June 3rd, 2011. Twenty-three CA LCC projects offered presentations through posters or live demonstrations during the reception. See who was there:
CA LCC Funds 13 Projects
The California LCC has funded an additional 4 projects as identified by the project review team and approved by the Interim Steering Committee.
We are pleased to announce 2011 CA LCC funding for 13 projects totaling $1,200,420.40. Per our 2011 priorities, these projects cover a range of habitats and resource issues and will provide information and tools to support natural resource managers working at broad scales to incorporate landscape level stressors into their work. The Interim Steering Committee approved the funding for these 13 projects from a pool of 39 proposals that were reviewed by a diverse team. The approved projects leverage their funding by 200% with partners contributions.
9 Projects Funded
CA LCC Awards More Than $831,000 for Climate Science Projects in California (file unavailable)
CA LCC Receives 170 Project Ideas!
The CA LCC is excited to have the opportunity to fund $850,000 in projects for 2011. We received 170 pre-proposal submissions requesting nearly $14 million dollars! Pre-proposals are currently being reviewed and scored against the CA LCC evaluation criteria. Those who best meet the CA LCC project priorities and criteria will be invited to submit full proposals. Applicants should receive results during the week of March 7th . Given the large response, we will be following up on some of the great ideas we received looking for other resources and partnerships to continue discussion on some of these projects. Check back here for updates and progress reports.
Information available from Southern California Workshops.
Over 150 people participated in two Southern California workshops that brought in partners from coastal and southern California through the northern part of Mexico. Click here for meeting summary information.
The purpose of these workshops were to educate participants on the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative and its progress to date, to engage participants in helping define the scientific needs for future collaborative efforts and to provide opportunities to build partnerships among conservation managers and scientists. Breakout sessions allowed participants to provide more specific feedback to help focus the efforts of the CA LCC. Both workshops had very active and productive discussions that are now being synthesized to help focus the next steps for the CA LCC.
Recent CA LCC Events
Bay Area Open Space Council Workshop: Climate Change Research: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation, Open Space Acquisition and Land Management.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Presentations, Blog, Pictures
DFG Climate Change Work Group Workshop: “Bridging the Gap: Downscaling Climate Models to Inform Management Actions”.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Webcast Now Available
See Video on Facebook
Press Release (PDF)
New Science Climate Center
Secretary Salazar Launches New Southwest Climate Science Center
Phase II is Coming Soon!
Phase II of the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC) is getting underway! It will include partners from the Central Coast, southern California and northern Mexico. Keep looking here for more information about a Phase II kick off workshop to be held in Southern or Central California in late January 2011.
Phase I of the process has focused on bringing partners together from the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, and the Northern and Central Sierra Nevada. Phase II will bring partners together to finalize the organization and interests of all members of the CA LCC community.
CA LCC Funds 11 Projects for over $900,000
Eleven projects, ranging from creation of a web-based interactive mapping tool for managers working on tidal marsh conservation, to creating realistic climate change scenarios for Central Valley waterfowl habitats, were approved for funding by the CA LCC Interim Steering Committee. Funds were awarded to CA LCC partner organizations and will involve numerous additional conservation groups.
Press Release 09/10/2010 (PDF)