Lynn Helbrecht Climate Change Coordinator Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

1. Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change at WDFW Lynn Helbrecht Climate Change Coordinator Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

2. Earth is heating up Time for talking is over Got to do something Lynn Helbrecht Climate Change Coordinator Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

3. FOR TODAY -- TWO TOPICS: • A (brief!) overview of WDFW’s approach to addressing climate change. • Lessons learned in the last 3 years

4. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change EDUCATION Building our capacity to respond COLLABORATION With agencies, tribes, conservation partners SCIENCE Assessing the vulnerability of fish, wildlife and their habitat to climate change INTEGRATION integrating adaptation into core work

5. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change WDFW lead a stakeholder advisory group to develop recommendations for fish, wildlife and plants for the Washington State Integrated Climate response Strategy. Prepared in response to 2009 state legislation – the Climate Leadership Act

6. Washington’s Climate Change Response Strategy Table of Contents Integrated State Climate Change Response Strategy released March, 2012

7. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change EDUCATION Building our capacity to respond COLLABORATION With agencies, tribes and conservation partners SCIENCE Assessing the vulnerability of fish, wildlife and their habitat to climate change INTEGRATION Identifying adaptation opportunities and integrating to our core work

8. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change SCIENCE Assessing the vulnerability of fish, wildlife and their habitat to climate change EDUCATION Building our capacity to respond COLLABORATION With agencies, tribes and conservation partners INTEGRATION Identifying adaptation opportunities and integrating into our core work

9. Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems August Mean Surface Air Temperature and Maximum Stream Temperature 2040s medium (A1B) Historical (1970-1999) * Projections are compared with 1970-1999 average Mantua et al. 2009

10. Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment

11. Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems August Mean Surface Air Temperature and Maximum Stream Temperature 2040s medium (A1B) Historical (1970-1999) * Projections are compared with 1970-1999 average Mantua et al. 2009

12. Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems August Mean Surface Air Temperature and Maximum Stream Temperature 2040s medium (A1B) Historical (1970-1999) * Projections are compared with 1970-1999 average Mantua et al. 2009

13. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change COLLABORATION With agencies, tribes and conservation partners SCIENCE Assessing the vulnerability of fish, wildlife and their habitat to climate change EDUCATION Building our capacity to respond INTEGRATION Identifying adaptation opportunities and integrating into our core work

14. How will climate change affect WDFW? • Acquisition of new lands for habitat • Restoration projects – will our investment continue to provide expected benefits over time? • Technical Assistance and Grants– are we providing appropriate guidance for marine and riparian areas? • Species management and recovery for climate sensitive species. • Permitting – are we adequately considering the risk of increased flows? • Infrastructure; culverts, roads, hatcheries, stream crossings.

15. PART II – WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

16. Lesson #1 Identify “Climate Sensitive” decisions first, THEN figure out what science or other tools are needed to inform those decisions.

17. Salmon, Climate Change and WDFW – a Pilot Workshop in the Skagit Basin”February 27-28, 2013

18. GOALS: • Identify WDFW decisions and activities in the Skagit that are vulnerable to climate change. • Identify science needs, policy implications and preliminary adaptation options to make those activities more resilient. Six Wall Charts/Small Groups: • Harvest Management • Fish Passage • Habitat Restoration • Habitat Acquisition • Hatcheries • Hydraulic Permit Approvals

19. HARVEST MANAGEMENT

20. HARVEST MANAGEMENT

21. Lesson #2 The “inquiry” – asking the climate question is a critical step. Providing guidance and tools to do this in a structured, systematic manner is key. Identifying and documenting “why” a decision, project, species or habitat is climate sensitive, rather than a relative ranking or absolute score.

22. Lesson #3: Climate change data has to be presented in the context of existing stressors

23. Lesson #4: Successful adaptation to climate change means doing more of what we already do (selectively), NOT a wholesale new approach • . Climate change information should help us target existing efforts. Possibly also to bring more support to efforts that will increase resilience.

24. For example, WDFW and its partners spend millions of dollars restoring salmon habitat in Washington. How could we use a climate change lens to target those resources? Slide credit: Tim Beechie, NW Fisheries Science Center

25. Salmon Restoration and Climate Adaptation Slide credit: Tim Beechie, NW Fisheries Science Center

26. WDFW: responding to the challenge of climate change EDUCATION Building our capacity to respond COLLABORATION With agencies, tribes and conservation partners SCIENCE Assessing the vulnerability of fish, wildlife and their habitat to climate change INTEGRATION Identifying adaptation opportunities and integrating to our core work

27. Lynn Helbrecht Climate Change Coordinator WDFW 902-2238 Lynn.helbrecht@dfw.wa.gov