Integrating Climate Change Research and Planning to Inform Wildlife Conservation in the Boreal Forests of the Northeastern U.S.

Northeastern boreal forests are an important habitat type for many wildlife species, including migratory birds and moose. These animals play vital roles in the boreal forest ecosystem, are a source of pleasure for bird and wildlife watchers, and contribute to tourism revenue for many communities. However, moose and migratory birds are thought to be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, in New York’s Adirondack Park system, five species of boreal birds have shown occupancy declines of 15% or more. Meanwhile, moose are threatened by winter ticks that thrive in warmer climates and spread disease. A 2018 New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) report found that there...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, Birds, Birds, Birds, CASC, All tags... Climate Change, Completed, Forests, Forests, Landscapes, Landscapes, Mammals, Mammals, National CASC, National CASC, National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, Projects by Region, Science Tools for Managers, Science Tools for Managers, State of the Science, State of the Science, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags

Ecosystem Dynamics and Fate of Warm Permafrost after Tundra Wildfire and Lake Drainage on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) encompasses the southernmost, warmest parts of the arctic tundra biome and is renowned for its high biological productivity and large subsistence-based human population. Ice-rich permafrost currently is widespread and strongly influences terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including local topography, vegetation, soil hydrology, and the water balance of lakes. Ground temperatures are near the freezing point, however, and recent projections indicate that the YKD is poised for widespread loss of permafrost by the end of this century. This has implications for the region’s extensive and heretofore stable terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Tundra wildfire is a common ecological “pulse” disturbance...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, AK-00, Academics & scientific researchers, Academics & scientific researchers, Conservation NGOs, All tags... DRAINAGE, DRAINAGE, Data Acquisition and Development, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, Federal resource managers, Federal resource managers, Hunters & anglers, Interested public, Interested public, LAKES, LAKES, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Large mammals, MODELS, MODELS, Map, Monitoring, PERMAFROST, PERMAFROST, PERMAFROST MELT, PERMAFROST MELT, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Regional & county planners, Report, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, State agencies, State agencies, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, Tribes, VEGETATION, VEGETATION, VEGETATION COVER, VEGETATION COVER, Vulnerability Assessment, WILDFIRES, WILDFIRES, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, environment, environment, onGoing, Fewer tags

Estimating moose abundance at varying snow cover levels

Lack of complete snow cover for the past 3 winters in southwestern Alaska has forced agencies to postpone moose surveys due to the likelihood of underestimating the population/lack of comparability to previous surveys. Poor snow conditions lower the sightability of moose, yet, for most regions of Alaska, the variation in moose sightability during suboptimal conditions has not yet been quantified. Because scientists are predicting less snowfall in this region over the long term, we initiated research to estimate sightability correction factors (SCF_c) using radiocollared animals to apply to abundance estimates obtained via the GeoSpatial Population Estimator (GSPE) method. The Project Goal is to develop a model that...

Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2016, Academics & scientific researchers, Academics & scientific researchers, CALIBRATION/VALIDATION, CALIBRATION/VALIDATION, All tags... DEER/MOOSE, DEER/MOOSE, Data Acquisition and Development, Data Acquisition and Development, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Decision Support, Federal resource managers, Federal resource managers, Hunters & anglers, Informing Conservation Delivery, Informing Conservation Delivery, Interested public, Interested public, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Large mammals, Methodology/Protocol, Monitoring, Monitoring, Policy makers & regulators, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Publication, Regional & county planners, Regional & county planners, Report, Report, SNOW COVER, SNOW COVER, STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS, STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS, State agencies, State agencies, Tribes, Tribes, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, biota, biota, onGoing, Fewer tags

Climate Change Impacts to Migratory Birds: Development of a Climate-informed Integrated Population Model

Migratory birds play a crucial role in many ecosystems (e.g. as pollinators and insect regulators) and are also valued by many bird watchers throughout the country and world. Effective conservation of migratory birds depends on a clear understanding of how environmental factors affect key demographic rates (e.g., survival and reproduction). This informational need is especially pressing in the context of climate change. Climate change is expected to affect migratory bird habitat and populations in multiple ways, and a mechanistic understanding of how demographic rates are related to climate variables will help land and resource managers to better anticipate and manage these changes. The Institute for Bird Populations...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, Birds, Birds, Birds, CASC, All tags... Climate Change, Completed, National CASC, National CASC, National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, Projects by Region, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags