Science Investments
Discovering Species - Just a Click Away
Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation or BISON is the only system of its kind; a unique, web-based Federal resource for finding species in the U. S. and territories. Its size is unprecedented, offering more than 100 million mapped records of nearly every living species nationwide and growing. And the vast majority of the records are specific locations, not just county or state records.
National Fish, Wildlife, & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy
The purpose of the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is to inspire and enable natural resource administrators, elected officials, and other decision makers to take action to adapt to a changing climate. Adaptation actions are vital to sustaining the nation’s ecosystems and natural resources — as well as the human uses and values that the natural world provides.
Forestlands Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warblers
Combing through habitat literature and conducting two years of surveys for the presence of Golden-winged Warblers at forest stands, the AMJV and partners developed best management practices for providing breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers through timber harvesting.
Dettmers, Randy
I work on conservation planning (biological foundation and landscape design) for birds of conservation concern, with a focus on landbirds, as well as designing and implementing monitoring programs to track population status of such species and evaluate the success of conservation actions for these species.
Organization
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceCommunity Engagement on Climate Response Decisions – The COAST Model
In this session of the Security and Sustainability Forum, Sam Merrill, professor at the Muske School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, and president of Catalysis Adaptation Partners will demonstrate COAST (COastal Adaptation to Sea level rise Tool)
Data Needs Assessment
The Data Needs Assessment research project was undertaken to review the variety of resources on conservation planning to provide packages of products, data, and identified data gaps to improve conservation planning in the Appalachian LCC. A suite of core conservation planning products and data from principal investigators at Clemson University are now available to the Cooperative.
Species and Habitat Vulnerability Assessments of Appalachian Species and Habitats
Future climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies will be dependent on the best available projections of how the regional climate will change and on estimates of the impacts those changes will have on the region’s natural and cultural resources. Thus understanding the vulnerability of various species and habitats within the Appalachian LCC to climate change is of critical importance.
Freshwater Mussels of the Powell River, Virginia and Tennessee: Abundance and Distribution in a Biodiversity Hotspot
Historically, the Powell River had a diverse freshwater mussel fauna of 46 species. Various surveys conducted over the past century have recorded a decline in mussel densities and diversity throughout much of the river, due to historical and on-going anthropogenic impacts. In 2008 and 2009, random timed-search, systematic search, and quadrat sampling of 21 sites were completed to document species richness, relative abundance, density, and size-class structure of resident mussel populations. We recorded 19 species from 18 sites, including 5 endangered species during quadrat sampling efforts. he mussel fauna of the lower Powell River continues to represent one of the most diverse in the United States. Outside of the Powell River, only 2 or 3 populations remain for most of the listed species extant in the river. Given these qualities, the Powell River deserves recognition as a location for focused conservation efforts to protect its diverse mussel assemblage.
Species and Habitat Vulnerability Assessments of Appalachian Species and Habitats
Future climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies will be dependent on the best available projections of how the regional climate will change and the impacts those changes will have on the region’s natural and cultural resources. Understanding the vulnerability of various species and habitats to climate change within the Appalachian LCC is of critical importance for making effective conservation decisions. The AppLCC funded a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment research project that addresses several factors: 1) how the Cooperative should acquire information about the climate vulnerability of Appalachian species and habitats to develop vulnerability assessments for a suite of key species and habitats to share with partners; 2) compilation of known vulnerability assessments of species and habitats, and 3) new climate change vulnerability assessments of selected species and habitats in the AppLCC region.
Assessing Future Energy Development Across the Appalachians
Assessing Future Energy Development across the Appalachian LCC used models that combined data on energy development trends and identified where these may intersect with important natural resource and ecosystem services to give a more comprehensive picture of what potential energy development could look like in the Appalachians. Ultimately this information is intended to support dialogue and conservation on how to effectively avoid, minimize, and offset impacts from energy development to important natural areas and the valuable services they provide.
A Stream Classification System for the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Unifying state-based stream classifications into a single consistent system, principal investigators at The Nature Conservancy developed a hierarchical classification system and map for stream and river systems for the Appalachian LCC that represents the region’s natural flowing-water aquatic habitats. This river classification information is needed to develop and implement instream flow standards and management recommendations so that environmental flows can become integral to all water management decisions from the onset.
Environmental Flows from Water Withdrawals in the Marcellus Shale Region
The Appalachian LCC collaborated with Cornell University to study the environmental impacts of water withdrawals in the Central Appalachian region. The rivers and streams of the Central Appalachians are home to more than 200 species of fish and other aquatic life. They also provide a reliable source of drinking water, recreational opportunities and associated economic benefits to people living in large cities and surrounding communities. This research looks at how the region’s surface freshwater supply – and the health of natural systems delivering this resource – have been impacted and may be altered in the coming years under increasing water withdrawals. It focuses on the Marcellus Shale region in the Central Appalachians, including portions of NY, PA, OH, MD, WV and VA.
Golden-winged Warbler Habitat: Best Management Practices
The goal of this BMP is to present management prescriptions to forest managers interested in providing breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers through management actions associated with timber harvesting. We provide a science-based approach in an adaptive management framework to understanding breeding habitat use of Golden-winged Warblers across a range of timber harvest prescriptions in Pennsylvania and Maryland. This document is intended for use by state and private foresters, biologists, and other land managers. We anticipate that this BMP is the first document in a series that will address management of other early successional habitat used by Golden-winged Warblers including old fields, reclaimed strip mines, scrub oak barrens, and aspen cuts.
US Fish and WIldlife Service NCTC Climate Change - Climate Change Resources
The NCTC Climate Change Resource Library provides selected citations to peer-reviewed journal articles, documents, books, theses, presentations, and Websites on the effect of climate change on North American fish, wildlife and habitats.
Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit
The new Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators is an updated and expanded version of the award-winning (2001 Public Relations Society of America Bronze Anvil Award for Interactive Communications and 2002 Telly Award) and very popular (over 40,000 kits distributed in all 50 states and the U.S. territories and over a dozen countries across the world) Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Teachers and Interpreters first published in 2001.
Climate Change Information Toolkit
Here are some tools for communicating about climate change impacts and the Fish and Wildlife Service's strategic response.
Scanning the Conservation Horizon
A new guide released by the National Wildlife Federation and partners offers conservationists and resource managers a way to understand the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems and will support efforts to safeguard these valuable natural resources.
SAVS: A System for Assessing Vulnerability of Species
RMRS has developed a System for Assessing Vulnerability of Species (SAVS) that quantifies the relative impact of expected climate change effects for terrestrial vertebrate species.
EPA Accepts First GHG Reporting Data - Agency launches electronic GHG reporting tool
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching a new tool to allow 28 industrial sectors to submit their 2010 greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution data electronically. Prior to being finalized, more than1,000 stakeholders, including industry associations, states and NGOs tested the electronic GHG Reporting Tool (e-GGRT) to ensure clarity and user-friendliness.
SAMAB - Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere
The SAMAB program is a public/private partnership promoting the environmental health and stewardship of natural, economic, and cultural resources in the Southern Appalachians. Data is available from the Western North Carolina Vitality Index: http://www.wncvitalityindex.org /download
