SOUTHEAST ALASKA PARKS

Post-Workshop Brainstorming Session:

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

March 15, 2012

Climate Change Planning in Alaska’s National Parks

Common Issues

TEK in planning Co-management Invasive management Cooperation at local level Budget issues Value-based management

How to make hard decisions? Values are changing—need a transparent decision

process.

Important Management Actions

Assess the need for fire and flood plans

Mitigate natural degraded habitat Increased collaboration between

tribes and government Refer to climate change when

making plans Emergency op plans for fire,

glaciers, fjords, … Proactively protect, e.g.,

roads/trails away from sensitive spots

Reduce cost by more energy-efficient utilities/opportunities

Revitalize programs to cover recreation shoulder seasons

Community forums

Vulnerability assessments for culturally-sensitive sites

Monitor stream flow, forest health, glacier positions/mass, land cover change

Risk assessment for glacial outburst floods, emergency planning

Conduct culturally-sensitive subsistence harvest surveys to ensure access

Raise awareness at a local level of climate change impacts

Adjust regulations to address sub needs, seasons, bag limits

Evaluate capacity to adjust to changing demands

Possible Products

Reportpros

Includes all details on process, results, scientific background, narratives, and discussion

Can be peer-reviewed; “official” Can also be made available on line

cons Too long and unwieldy for many

audiences Expensive to produce (full color

printing, binding, etc.

Possible Products

Posterpros

Includes some details on process, results, scientific background, narratives, and discussion

Highly portable Many venues for presentation; wide

range of audiences Can also be made available on line

cons Too brief to convey the full depth of

the process and results Can’t fully convey narratives Risk of misinterpretation

Possible Products

Video/Youtubepros

Can be made available on line Appealing and accessible to a wide

range of audiences; compelling Excellent format for narratives

cons Risk of misinterpretation May be considered less “official” or

“serious” Difficult to include all information and

background

Possible Products

CurriculumTrainingsCommunity meetingsWorkshopsAudio/podcastOther?

Links to SNAP products

Maps, graphs, and charts of climate projections

By region or by parkTemperature, precipitation,

season length, thaw, freeze, other?

Projected Winter Temperatures

2010’s

2050’s 2090’s

Projected Length of Unfrozen Season

2010’s

2050’s 2090’s

Links to public education topics

PDO education poorly informed public Strong impacts on perception of climate change

Links to public education topics

Ocean Acidification Public knowledge? Effects on tipping points

http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/climate/docs/sea-level.pdf

Links to public education topics

Storms Important in workshop process Uncertain Important Effects on tipping points

Surveys

Audiences?Questions to ask?Information gaps?Ways to use the results?NPS limits on surveys

Other groups that can do this?

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

Shorter snowand iceseason

Glaciersdiminish

Glacialoutwash

affect aquaticproductivity

Glacial lakesand glacially

dammedlakes fail,

causing flashfloods

Culturalresources are

exposed assnow and ice

recede

CRYOSPHERIC EFFECTSAv

erag

e R

ating

0

5

10

15

20

25

Harbor sealsmove or decline

Increasedambient soundaffects marine

mammals

Caribou andreindeer healthmay be affected

Fire andvegetation

changes mayincrease moose

habitat

Climate changedecouples birth

timing,hindering

moose calfsurvival

Reduced snowcover reduces

survival ofsmall mammals

3 - very important

2 - medium importance

1 - sl ightly important

0 - not important

BIOSPHERIC EFFECTS - wildlife: mammals

Missing Links

TourismFishing industryLogging industryMore communities

Understanding of culture and values

Place-based education