NAACB Conference

June 23-28, 2024

The 2024 North American Congress for Conservation Biology Conference will be hosted in Vancouver BC, Canada.

RRC scientists will be presenting a 120-minute session, titled “The next frontier for climate change refugia: Bridging the science to implementation gap.” The symposium consists of sharing the theoretical and technical advancements in climate refugia conservation, that will eventually be published in Conservation Science and Practice. Talks will cover North American regions examining topics from microrefugia to forest planning.

TWS Conference

NOVEMBER 5-9, 2023

Hosted in Louisville, KY, scientists from the RRC network presented various talks at The Wildlife Society’s 2023 conference. Members of the team presented from Monday to Wednesday on a range of subjects focused on collaborating to address threat of climate change to biodiversity.

The presentations kicked off strong on Monday, with presentations on saving montane pollinators, bridging traditional and scientific ideas, communicating science through art and acting on scientific knowledge, and working on conservation efforts in a changing world through diverse collaboration.

RRC colleagues continued their stride on Tuesday with topics on wildlife management dealing with invasive species, the need for time-dependent policies, the understanding of future effects of global climate change, and the challenges and tools for conservation.

On Wednesday, RRC scientists gave their final day of presentations on northern bog lemmings and climate modelling and how resource availability shapes population dynamics of snowshoe hares.

The diverse range of discussions from this conference reflects the RRC Team’s continued dedication to collaboration in conservation work.

ESA Conference

August 6-11, 2023

The Ecological Society of America’s August 2023 conference took place in Portland, OR, where ecologists and environmental scientists and students gathered to engage in sharing the latest research and application in the field. Members of the RRC team participated, hosted multiple symposia, and gave several different presentations, covering topics from the divergence of sagebrush biomes to democratizing science. The team discussed the significance of climate change refugia modeling and conservation for resource management practices, as well as advocated for more diversity and inclusion in the ecological and environmental sciences.

CLCP climate resilience workshop

January 10, 2023

The California Landscape Conservation Partnership hosted a virtual workshop on January 10, 2023 about climate-adapted refugia applications. You can read more on the Southern California page!

North American Congress for Conservation Biology Symposium

July 16 - 21, 2022

Hosted in Reno, NV by the North American Congress for Conservation Biology. RRC members presented workshop called “Integrating refugia into conservation planning and prioritization in a changed world”.

RRC Co-Founder Toni Lyn Morelli presented at a USGS Meeting on December 7th, 2021 about “Climate Change Refugia for Landscape Conservation”

NE NPS Refugia Conservation Workshop

September 22, 2021

On September 22, 2021, scientists and managers from the National Park Service and elsewhere met to discuss the climate change refugia mapping in the Northeastern U.S. This was the final workshop in a collaboration between NPS and USGS, with funding from Natural Resource Preservation Program. The meeting objective was s were set in place to develop a preliminary short list of species and ecosystems to focus refugia identification and conservation for the Northeastern Region of the National Park Service. More information available about these meetings can be found here: (NE NPS Climate Change Refugia Conservation Workshop)

Climate Change Refugia for the Mojave Workshop

December 9, 2020

The Conserving Climate Change Refugia for the Mojave Ecosystem workshop was held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, using funding from the Southwest Climate and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers (SW and NE CASCs). The objectives of this workshop were to bring together natural resource managers and researchers to 1) learn about current work in the Mojave ecoregion related to climate adaptation, 2) prioritize focal species/ecosystems for climate change refugia conservation/funding, and 3) identify research gaps, all in service of operationalizing climate change adaptation strategies in the Mojave ecoregion. It was an informational and interactive workshop that brought together researchers and resource managers to present ideas on how to move forward with this project. For more information about the workshop, check out the Mojave webpage here.

North American Congress for Conservation Biology Symposium

July 26- 31, 2020

RRC members Jennifer Cartwright (USGS), Diana Stralberg (U. Alberta), and Toni Lyn Morelli (USGS) organized a session on “Innovative approaches for identifying and managing climate-change refugia,” at the 2020 North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB) Symposium. This session presented an overview of cutting-edge approaches and conceptual advances in refugia science across North America, in ecosystems from mountain peaks to desert wetlands to old-growth forests, and in habitats for amphibians, ungulates, migratory birds, and anadromous fish, to name a few. It highlighted applications to a variety of conservation problems, supporting the use of nature-based solutions to help preserve biodiversity, ecological integrity, and ecosystem services in a changing climate. It was an exciting, well-attended session that covered a range of the latest refugia science and management, with highlights from the recent Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment special issue. Presentations are now posted at the AdaptWest site.

NE NPS Climate

Change Refugia

Conservation

Workshop

March 16 and 19, 2020

On March 16 and 19, 2020, scientists and managers from the National Park Service and elsewhere met to discuss the research and management of climate change refugia in the Northeastern U.S. These workshops were a result of a collaboration between NPS and USGS, with funding from Natural Resource Preservation Program. The meetings were set in place to develop a preliminary short list of species and ecosystems to focus refugia identification and conservation for the Northeastern Region of the National Park Service. More information available about these meetings can be found here: (NE NPS Climate Change Refugia Conservation Workshop)

SW RRC

Sierra

Nevada

MEETING 1

November 8 2019

On Friday, November 8, 2019, scientists and managers met in Yosemite National Park in California to discuss the research and management of refugia for the Sierra Nevada. This was the first meeting of the Southwest Refugia Research Coalition (RRC), a partnership among Toni Lyn Morelli and the Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Aaron Ramirez at Reed College, and a myriad of partners. The goal of the SW RRC is to bring together natural resource managers and scientists from across the region who are interested in managing climate change refugia as a tactic for conserving species and other resources in the face of climate change. Through a process of real-time voting and discussion at this workshop, a short list of ecosystems, species and actions related to each of these areas were created to determine where to start refugia identification and conservation in the Sierra Nevada region.

More information on the information discussed at the Sierra Nevada workshop can be found here.

NE CSC's

Regional

Science

Meeting

(2018-2019)

There's so much great research being done in the spruce-fir forests of the northeastern U.S., an ecosystem that contributes disproportionately to the diversity of the region (think moose, snowshoe hare, martens, blackpoll warblers, etc.).  Now recognizing that the whole is stronger than its parts, people who focus on birds, mammals, trees, etc. are coming together every year to share updates. This meeting serves as a place to share research, updates and build upon each other’s work.

From this starting point, we are considering how this research can inform management and conservation.  For example, we met with managers from New Hampshire and Vermont state agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and private landowners to discuss how existing and potential maps and other decision tools could aid wildlife habitat conservation.  We also recently met with the Wildlife Conservation Society staff in the Adirondacks to discuss what climate and forest models might be helpful to New York moose management.

Next steps will be to continue working with stakeholders at the state and regional scale, as well as bringing in other researchers who are modeling this system. Ultimately, we hope to use the climate change refugia conservation cycle (Morelli 2017) to create a climate change refugia management strategy for spruce-fir specialists in the northeastern U.S., considering existing mapping efforts and local expertise.

National

Adaptation

Forum

Madison WI

April 23, 2019

Managing Landscapes for Adaptive Capacity: Tools and Strategies for Identifying, Conserving and Connecting Climate Refugia

In this session, speakers will present the cutting edge in our ability to identify, manage, and connect climate change refugia to maximize landscape-level adaptive capacity. The session will provide information on a suite of emerging techniques and foster a conversation about the role of climate-change refugia in adapting our management of ecosystems as a response to changing environmental conditions. Speakers from federal and state agencies, academia, and the non-profit sector will present examples from the U.S. and Canada of how climate-change refugia are being integrated into regional planning. The goal of the session is to help build connections between researchers, planners, land managers, and others interested in conserving adaptive capacity across broad landscapes.

Opening talk: "Success stories of on-the-ground climate change refugia conservation" will be given by Toni Lyn Morelli. Other RRC’s will be speaking including Diana Stralberg, and Meg Krawchuk.

https://www.nationaladaptationforum.org/program/tuesday/concurrent-session-2/managing-landscapes-adaptive-capacity-tools-and-strategies-identifying-conserving-and-connecting

Of Pools

and People 

workshop

Ashland, MA

October 25, 2018

The Of Pools and People workshop held in Ashland, MA, on October 25, 2018, was organized by Aram Calhoun (University of Maine) and the rest of the NSF-funded collaboration (more at vernalpools.me - check out their vernal pool comic and coloring book)!   

The workshop's objectives were to present and discuss recent research on vernal pool science and management and to identify actionable items to better inform upcoming and ongoing conservation actions. Toni Lyn Morelli and Jen Cartwright (both of USGS and the RRC) were 2 of the invited speakers.

The aim of Of Pools and People is to enhance understanding of the connections between landowner concerns, municipal planning, conservation activities, and the ecology of vernal pools. The team consists of natural and social scientists from the University of Maine, Clark University, and Bowdoin College that are embarking on a multi-year research project concerning Maine’s small natural features—vernal pools.

Refugia

Workshop:

Frontiers

issue

Berkeley, CA

October 17th - October 19th 2018

This meeting was held to bring together the content for climate change refugia special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment and create a schedule. This main goal of this issue is to synthesize where the sub-field of climate change refugia—areas buffered from contemporary climate change that enable persistence of physical, ecological, and socio-cultural resources—is at present and where it is headed in the 21st century. Recent advances are making refugia identification more realistic and relevant by considering many other components of global change biology including hydrologic change, disturbance (fire, drought, pests/pathogens), population demographics and genetics, interspecies interactions, dispersal and migration, and adaptive responses to changing environmental conditions. The special issue will present a comprehensive overview of these “version 2.0” approaches to refugia research, conservation, and management. This in-person workshop was held from 8:00 am on Wednesday October 17 through 4:00 pm on Friday October 19 at the University of California Berkeley. 

Timeline Created

• October to January -> Work on individual papers and intro paper contributions

• December 16th -> An update meeting

• January 11th -> Update meeting number 2

• February 1st -> Send submissions to Toni Lyn & Cameron (or to everyone for feedback)

• February 22nd -> Revisions will be sent back to authors

• February 28th -> Submit!

• May- August -> Respond to reviews

• November – December -> Publication

ESA Refugia

Session

August 9, 2018  

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Abstract for the ESA’s oral session:

The concept of climate refugia has a long history in the field of paleontology, where areas of relatively stable climate have been seen as safe havens for species during past episodes of climate change. Recently, this concept has been updated to focus on its application to managing species and ecosystems in the face of anthropogenic climate change. 

For refugia identification to be more realistic and relevant, many other components of climate change ecology must also be considered, including hydrologic changes, disturbances (e.g., fire, drought, pests/pathogens), population demographics and genetics, interspecies interactions, dispersal/migration patterns, and adaptive responses to changing environmental conditions. In this session, speakers will present the cutting edge in our ability to detect, understand, and manage climate change refugia.

Presenters will focus on novel statistical, climatological, and geographic tools, including new methods for modeling habitat suitability and vulnerability to climate change, use of remote sensing data to map areas resistant to disturbance, and the integration of biophysical and ecological data. In addition, they will explore the application of the refugia concept to the management and conservation of key species in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. As a whole, the session will provide information on a suite of emerging techniques and foster an advanced conversation about the role of climate change refugia in adapting our management of ecosystems as a response to changing environmental conditions.

OOS 35: "The Science of Resistance: Climate Change Refugia in the Face of Heat, Droughts, Floods, Fires, and Forest Pests" 
 

Acadia

National

Park

Incorporating Climate Change Refugia into Climate Adaptation in the Acadia National Park Region

June 8, 2018

Objectives:

1.     Bring together local natural resource managers to continue dialogue about climate change adaptation in the Acadia National Park region.

2.     Derive a list of candidate species to pilot a regional climate change refugia management strategy for the Acadia National Park region.

Summary: 

This meeting kicked off a new research project organized under a research fellowship funded by The American Association for the Advancement of Science, Acadia National Park, and Schoodic Institute’s Second Century Stewardship Fellowship project. The goals of the project are to work with regional conservation partners to incorporate climate change refugia into regional management and climate change adaptation plans, and to link climate science and natural resource management more effectively through active stakeholder engagement and knowledge co-production. To this end, we met with stakeholders in Winter Harbor Maine on June 8, 2018 to discuss how climate change refugia can be used in local management, identify local and regional data sources for the project, and to derive a list of species for which climate change refugia modeling would be most fruitful. The meeting drew nearly 25 participants from multiple agencies, including local land trusts and conservation non-profits, Acadia National Park, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. After developing the climate change refugia maps for the focal species identified at this first meeting, we will continue to work with partners to

1. Refine and validate the model outputs

2. Interpret and understand the data products.

3. Identify ways to incorporate climate change refugia concepts into on the ground management and conservation actions.

Cold-water

stream

refugia

Meeting

April 17, 2018

The cold-water streams expert workgroup, led by MassWildlife and affiliated with Mass ECAN (Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network), moved forward with methods to identify cold-water streams most resistant to climate change.  To this end, a workgroup meeting was held 12-1:30 pm et on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.  It was a success with nearly 20 participants across multiple agencies.

Agenda:

• Climate (current and future): Temperature, Rainfall, Snowpack

• Topography: DEM, complexity

• Forest aspects: biomass, structure, composition, forest loss

• Landscape features: current and future landcover map, connectedness, ecological integrity

• Ecological and species assessments: climate stressor index; Bicknells thrush, hare, moose, blackpoll warbler, and Blackburnian warbler landscape capability and climate refugia maps; Refugia Research Coalition (opportunity for refugia identification, mapping, and management strategies)

• Occupancy and Abundance data: hares and carnivores

• SWAP information

Boreal

Refugia

Meeting

February 28 – March 1, 2018  

Climate-change refugia in Boreal North America: what, where, and for how long?

Objectives:

1.      To develop and formalize a boreal refugia framework and synthesis.

2.      To initiate a multi-author review paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Summary:

We hosted 30 boreal scientists for a facilitated workshop on climate-change refugia potential in the North American boreal forest region. The workshop was preceded by a one-hour phone conference with the group, as well as several planning meetings among the organizing committee. To make the workshop more productive, we developed a discussion paper and drafted a refugia framework that was circulated to participants in advance. Day one of the workshop began with presentations setting the conservation, management, and climate data contexts for refugia identification, and was followed by a presentation of the draft framework and workshop objectives. We then spent most of the day presenting and discussing the science behind various types of refugia, facilitated by a series of presentations mirroring the draft framework, and followed by a wrap-up discussion and brainstorming session. This first day helped to develop a common foundation among participants, and we began to agree upon some overarching principles, but it was clear at the end of the day that we had managed to pull apart the draft framework without agreeing on how to put it back together again. Even among the organizing committee, which debriefed for an hour following the workshop, there was no real consensus. We did, however, come up with a plan forward.

Objectives:

• Build connections between regional scientists and managers

• Provide updates on year 1 activities and products

• Learn about new refugia science and management opportunities

• Determine future directions of the RRC

       More details and meeting agenda

Desired Outcomes & Products:

• New connections between regional scientists and managers in attendance

• Recorded symposium of new climate refugia science & management

• Co-developed plan for quantitative analysis & synthesis product

• Co-developed strategies for providing best available science to regional managers

• Plan for RRC in 2018