Nisqually River Delta – Humans and Nature Benefiting Together
The Nisqually River Delta contains a rich mosaic of different coastal habitat types. The Delta also provides many ecosystem services, or benefits that wildlife or ecosystems provide to people. Based on feedback from local stakeholders, we found that three ecosystem services (recreational birdwatching, soil carbon accumulation, and fishery production) are priorities for the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and surrounding communities. We assessed these ecosystem services by quantifying them and modeling how change in coastal habitats from sea level rise (SLR) or management activities like restoration could affect services in the future. This talk will provide the results of our study, including factors that influence birdwatching activity, juvenile Chinook salmon growth, and carbon storage in tidal marsh. The talk will also describe examples of how considering ecosystem services can support climate adaptation planning and adaptive management.
Speaker: Kristin B. Byrd, Ph.D.
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/kristin-byrd
Dr. Kristin Byrd is a Research Physical Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Moffett Field, CA, located in San Francisco Bay. She studies coastal landscapes with field data, satellite data, and mapping. Her background is in plant ecology, geospatial analysis, and outreach. Dr. Byrd’s research addresses a range of topics including private land conservation, carbon sequestration in tidal marshes, drought resilience in agriculture, and sustainability of ecosystem services (the benefits that ecosystems provide to people). Dr. Byrd and USGS colleagues recently completed an Ecosystem Services Assessment for the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from U.C. Berkeley, an M.A. in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Cornell University.