A 450-year-old valley oak tree in Calaveras County, California. Photo: Jon Myatt/USFWS
Science Applications
Our Region—with its diversity of ecosystems, species, and landscapes—faces complex and difficult natural resource challenges. The Region also offers some of the best examples of strategic, collaborative and science-driven conservation occurring today in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin. The Science Applications program supports the development of decision critical science and forward looking conservation strategies by working closely with State and other partners in support of common conservation goals. Our main areas of focus are described below.
At-Risk Species Support
The ultimate goal of at-risk species conservation is to preclude the need to list species through proactive voluntary conservation, rooted in the best available science and strategic investments. The Service accomplishes this by engaging private and public partners to build trust, develop common objectives and analyses that are science-based, promote working lands, and, ultimately, conserve our wildlife heritage. We work with species experts and managers to identify best available science and support the integration of science into decisions in order to provide the greatest possible conservation benefit.
Landscape Conservation
The need for strategic, collaborative conservation on a landscape scale is increasingly important. Working with partners to collaboratively solve complex problems and helping deliver on-the-ground conservation are key tenets of ours, and is the driving force of the Science Applications Program. We serve as partners in collaborations that seek to enhance conservation at landscape-scales, are cross-jurisdictional, and produce conservation outcomes that are strategic and scientifically based. Through these partnerships, we help generate conservation goals and objectives and produce conservation outcomes that are more durable and effective because they have broad ownership and support.
Data Management
As an agency with a science-based mission, the Service utilizes data in many of the conservation and natural resources decisions we make internally and in collaboration with partners. As existing technologies mature and as new technologies are developed, the amount of data that is acquired by the Service and our partners has increased exponentially. The Science Application Program supports the Service in integrating advancements in collecting, maintaining, and curating these data for their effective use in future management decisions.
Science-Planning and Development of Shared Science Priorities
Science Applications is taking a lead role in working with our fellow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service natural resources programs and with state fish and wildlife agencies in our Region to identify and target capacity towards shared science and information needs. Because funding and staff capacity is always limited, it is key that we anticipate future research needs, prioritize those needs, and address the most decision-critical and timely information needs. In this manner, we will be able to work with partners to leverage capacity from multiple sources and maximize the positive impact we have on trust species and the landscapes in which they reside.
Contact Us
Larry Rabin- Assistant Regional Director / larry_rabin@fws.gov
Claudia Mengelt- California Science Coordinator / claudia_mengelt@fws.gov
Debra Schlafmann- California Landscapes Coordinator / debra_schlafmann@fws.gov
John Tull- Nevada Science Coordinator / john_tull@fws.gov
Katherine Powelson- Science Support Coordinator / katherine_powelson@fws.gov
Matt Baun- Klamath Collaborative Coordinator / matt_baun@fws.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Science Information Quality Homepage
Scientific Code of Professional Conduct for the Service - 212 FW 7
Peer Review of Region 8 Scientific Information
WORKING WITH PARTNERS
Keeping the West Wild: Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors
Secretarial Order 3362 (S.O. 3362) seeks to improve habitat quality, western big game winter range, and priority migration corridors for antelope, elk, and mule deer as identified by state wildlife agencies. Science Applications serves as a liaison to California and Nevada for S.O. 3362 and supports coordination activities to identify and facilitate funding opportunities for research and conservation actions that will improve habitat quality and permeability within the state-identified priority corridors.
Secretarial Order 3362
California Landscape Conservation Partnership
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service participates in the State-led California Landscape Conservation Partnership (CA LCP). The CALCP is an alliance of land managers and scientists from public and private entities and Tribes and is committed to solving natural resource challenges that are too large or complex for any single entity to tackle alone. The CA LCP focuses on climate change with the goal of fostering healthy landscapes and communities for all Californians.
Climate Commons
Streamlining Refuge Data Sharing for Endangered, and Threatened Species
Science Applications is working with California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , National Wildlife Refuge staff to develop a streamlined process for data submission from National Wildlife Refuges to the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) . Currently, survey data from National Wildlife Refuges are underrepresented in the CNDDB, making it difficult to assess the overall contribution of NWRs to the biodiversity in California.
Explore the California Natural Diversity Database
Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan
Science Application staff are providing critical support to the development of the Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan. This ambitious effort identifies the most pressing restoration and monitoring actions in the Klamath Basin at both a basin-wide and sub-basin scale. The plan, when finished, will incorporate input from nearly two dozen stakeholders on how best to employ an adaptive management approach to restoration in the Klamath Basin.
Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan
OTHER RESOURCES
Climate Change
Changing climate is accelerating threats to our wildlife and natural systems like habitat loss and water scarcity, making it all the more important that we work together to conserve America's natural heritage for the future.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Climate Change Homepage
Pacific Southwest Region Climate Change Homepage
National Conservation Training Center Climate Change Learning Center
The Climate Change Learning Center provides information about training, workshops, and webinars relating to climate change that are available to employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners. It also provides links to a wide range of resources can help you build your knowledge of climate science, climate change, and resource management strategies being developed and implemented to deal with the changing conditions brought on by climate change. Go to:
NCTC Climate Change Learning Center
ClimateWizard
ClimateWizard is a web-based program that enables technical and non-technical audiences to access leading climate change information and visualize the impacts anywhere on Earth. With ClimateWizard you can: view historic temperature and rainfall maps for anywhere in the world, view state-of-the-art future predictions of temperature and rainfall around the world, and view and download climate change maps in a few easy steps. Go to: http://www.climatewizard.org/
Cal-Adapt
A product of California’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program, Cal-Adapt is a web-based climate adaptation planning tool that allows the user to identify potential climate change risks in specific geographic areas throughout the state. Users can either query by location, or click on an interactive map to explore what climate impacts are projected to occur in their area of interest at: http://cal-adapt.org/
The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
CAKE is an innovative community website for people working to manage the natural environment in the face of climate change. CAKE includes case studies of on-the-ground adaptation efforts, a virtual library of resources to support your work, a community forum with an expert advice column, a directory of individuals and organizations rich with adaptation knowledge, and a tools section full of useful online resources for adaptation planning and implementation go to: http://www.cakex.org/
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Science Institute
California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Science Institute is part of a new state initiative to expand and enhance CDFW’s scientific capacity and to provide the public with opportunities to see and learn about the important science they do in support of the mission of CDFW.
Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management
USFWS's Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management provides high quality peer reviewed articles on the practical application and integration of science into conservation and management of native North American fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. It is a great example of how science is being used and developed within the Service.
