On Climate Change in the Southwestern U.S.

Scientists, Land Managers Grapple with Effects of Climate Change on Southwest Wildlife and Habitat

Photo credit: USFWS

Scientists and land managers gathered in Austin August 10-12, 2009,  to address the effects of a changing climate on habitat and wildlife in coastal areas, riparian areas, and the southern plains.  This workshop was sponsored by the Southwest and Southeast Regions of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service), in collaboration with the Central Region of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Some of the top climate scientists in the world, along with highly respected natural resources managers, presented climate change information and stimulated discussion to help identify ways to reduce the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife resources.

Posters were presented at the 2009 Workshop. Photo credit: USFWS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Climate Change Information
U.S. Geological Survey Climate Change

Workshop Presentations

August 10 - 12, 2009, Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas. Co-sponsored by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Regions 2 and U.S. Geological Survey’s Central and Western Regions

Climate Change: The Western Gulf Coast and Southern Plains Changing landscapes for fish and wildlife resources August 10-12, 2009 Sheraton Austin Hotel
Workshop Agenda
Topic	Presentations	Titles
Tuesday
Registration –
Plenary Session, Moderator Joy Nicholopoulos, U.S Fish & Wildlife Service
Introduction: Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Regional Director, Region 2
Opening Remarks: Dr. Stanley Ponce, USGS, Regional Director, Central Region
The Climate of Change: Texas' Landscapes, Now and To Come, Ross Melinchuk, Deputy Executive Director for Natural Resources, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Keynote Speaker:Global and Regional Climate Change, Dr. Virginia Van Sickle-Burkett, USGS Chief Scientist for Global Change Research.
Break
Mitigation Strategies for Offsetting and Reducing Greenhouse Gases.Moderator: Jennifer Sanchez, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Dr. Robert Harriss, Houston Advanced Research Center. The Conundrum of Carbon-Nitrogen Connections for the Ecological Management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.		The Conundrum of Carbon-Nitrogen Connections for the Ecological Management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Dr. Joseph D. White, Baylor University. Carbon Sequestration and Fire Management: Conflict of Interest or Opportunity?		Carbon Sequestration and Fire Management: Conflict of Interest or Opportunity?
Darrin Unruh, US Fish & Wildlife Service. Planting the Next Generation.		Planting the Next Generation.
Panel Discussion – Questions and Answers
Climate Change: A Three-Stage Journey, Dr. Chip Groat, Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy; Director, Energy and Earth Resources Graduate Program; John A. and Katherine G. Jackson, Chair, Energy and Mineral Resources Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Benjamin Tuggle. Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards		Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards
World Café: Critical Issues and Information: Today and Tomorrow Moderator: James Hocker & Dr. Lynne Carter, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program		World Café: Critical Issues and Information: Today and Tomorrow
Break
Plenary Session - Moderator: Tom Doyle, U.S. Geological Survey
Dr. George Ward, University of Texas. Climate Change Impacts on Water Supply: Is There a Problem?		Climate Change Impacts on Water Supply: Is There a Problem?
Mark Kaib, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Fire and Climate		Fire and Climate
Wednesday
Plenary Session - Moderator: Dr. Bill Ulhein, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Dr. Bill Ulhein, U.S. Fish and Wildife Service. Opening remarks.		Opening remarks and Introduction to Session Speakers.
Dr. Jim Gibeaut, Harte Institute. Coastal Habitats and Sea Level Rise.		Coastal Habitats and Sea Level Rise.
Dr. Tom Doyle, U. S. Geological Survey. Sea-level Rise and Different Modeling Approaches to Assess Change.
Bart Wickel and Mark Briggs, World Wildlife Fund. Climate Change Adaptation of Freshwater Ecosystems.		Climate Change Adaptation of Freshwater Ecosystems.
Break
Adaptation Strategies – Moderator: Kelly McDowell, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Barry Wilson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Adaptation Strategies for Conserving Bird Populations in Marshes and Coastal Forests of the Western Gulf Coast.
Dr. Wendy Gordon, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Grasslands and Climate Change.		Grasslands and Climate Change.
Luke Bell, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Direct and Indirect Impacts of Climate Change on a Grassland Area Sensitive Species.		Direct and Indirect Impacts of Climate Change on a Grassland Area Sensitive Species.
Tom Stehn and Dawn Whitehead, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Whooping Cranes - Conservation Needs to Survive Global Warming.		Whooping Cranes - Conservation Needs to Survive Global Warming.
Panel Discussion – Questions and Answers
Lunch - on your own –
World Café: Climate Adaptation: Strategies and Chellenges Moderator: James Hocker & Dr. Lynne Carter, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program		Climate Adaptation: Strategies and Chellenges
Break
Plenary Session - Moderator: Chris Best, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
John O’Leary, Massachussettes Department of Fish and Game. Wildlife Vulnerability Assessments and Climate Change – Approaches for Setting Priorities.		Wildlife Vulnerability Assessments and Climate Change – Approaches for Setting Priorities.
Closing Remarks Moderator: Dr. Benjamin Tuggle
Dr. Stanley Ponce, U.S. Geological Survey, Central Region, Regional Director
Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2, Regional Director
Adjourn

In August of 2008, the Service's Southwest and California - Nevada Regions, the USGS's Central and Western Regions -- in collaboration with the University of Arizona -- sponsored a workshop on the effects of climate change on arid and semi-arid ecosystems.