Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperatives:

1. Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: The Big Picture Approach to Science and Management

2. LCC Background What are LCCs? • Self-directed partnerships that: • Provide science and support for conservation and sustainable resource management; • Address landscape-scale stressors, i.e., climate change; • Bring together resource managers within an ecoregion to identify shared conservation goals; • Bring together resource managers and scientists to identify and address information gaps;

3. LCC Background Who makes up LCC partnerships? • Federal and state/provincial agencies • Tribal/First Nations and local governments • Non-governmental organizations • Universities, others

4. LCC Background Why LCCs? Some conservation challenges are too “Big” to be solved by any one entity. • Geographic “Big” – Landscape-scale stressors and processes cross jurisdictional boundaries. • Conceptual “Big” – Science questions associated with management problems are multi-disciplinary in nature. • Effort “Big” – Implementation costs are high; coordination allows leveraging of funds but increases bureaucratic overhead.

5. LCC Background What do LCCs do? Science to Inform Management • Assess landscape condition and vulnerabilities • Coordinate monitoring • Facilitate conservation planning • Deliver information to stakeholders • Develop analytical and decision-making tools • Facilitate formation of adaptation strategies

6. LCC Background

7. LCC Background

8. Arctic LCC For more info: arcticlcc.org

9. Strategic Plan Areas of Emphasis Arctic LCC • Describeand Forecast Ecosystem Change • Terrestrial Observation Network • Interdisciplinary Climate Response Research: Link physical processes/biological response • Model Ecosystem Response to Climate • Data Integration and Management • Spatial Data • Provide Information to Meet Near-term Management Needs

10. Monitoring Change Arctic LCC Long-term monitoring of climate, hydrology, soils/permafrost, and vegetation in representative watersheds.

11. Interdisciplinary Research Arctic LCC Explicit investigation of linkages between climate change, physical processes, and biological response. Approved for 2013-2014 Starts: • Response of an Arctic Freshwater Ecosystem to Climate and Land-use Change • Biological Responses to Increasing Water Temperatures in Lakes of the Barrow/Atqasuk Focus Watershed: An Interdisciplinary Bioenergetics and Contaminants Study Tentatively Approved, Need Funding Partners for 2014 Starts: • Climate Change Effects on Wetlands, Invertebrates and Shorebirds • How Will Marine Food Webs in the Coastal Arctic Respond to Increased Runoff Associated With Permafrost Melt?

12. Interdisciplinary Research Arctic LCC Explicit investigation of linkages between climate change, physical processes, and biological response. Approved for 2013-2014 Starts: • Response of an Arctic Freshwater Ecosystem to Climate and Land-use Change • Biological Responses to Increasing Water Temperatures in Lakes of the Barrow/Atqasuk Focus Watershed: An Interdisciplinary Bioenergetics and Contaminants Study Tentatively Approved, Need Funding Partners for 2014 Starts: • Climate Change Effects on Wetlands, Invertebrates and Shorebirds • How Will Marine Food Webs in the Coastal Arctic Respond to Increased Runoff Associated With Permafrost Melt?

13. Strategic Plan Areas of Emphasis Arctic LCC • Data Integration and Management • Spatial Data • Provide Information to Meet Near-term Management Needs

14. Western Alaska LCC

15. Western Alaska LCC Emerging Science Strategy INITIAL Ideas for a long-term science strategy • Rotate every two-years between Coastal, Freshwater and Terrestrial Systems themes • Plan focus for each theme 6-12 months in advance • Always ask for “cross-system” projects • (linkages from changes in physical drivers to biological / ecological / human impacts) • All projects must be completed within four years of theme “start”.

16. Western Alaska LCC FY2012 –13: Coastal Systems • Changes in Coastal Storms & their Impacts • Coastal Hazards Workshop (w/ AOOS, Ak CSC),=> report w/ priority info needs on AOOS website • Inventory of coastal projects (AOOS website) • Integrated suite of projects (RFP) (WALCC website) • spatially detailed projections of storm surge inundation on Yukon Delta coast region of important migratory waterfowl breeding, • Results used to assess storm impacts on specific breeding waterfowl & project future impacts under scenario(s) of relative sea level rise.

17. Western Alaska LCC Emerging Science Strategy INITIAL Ideas for a long-term science strategy • Rotate every two-years between Coastal, Freshwater and Terrestrial Systems themes • Plan focus for each theme 6-12 months in advance • Always ask for “cross-system” projects • (linkages from changes in physical drivers to biological / ecological / human impacts) • All projects must be completed within four years of theme “start”.

18. Western Alaska LCC Emerging Science Strategy INITIAL Ideas for a long-term science strategy • Rotate every two-years between Coastal, Freshwater and Terrestrial Systems themes • Plan focus for each theme 6-12 months in advance • Always ask for “cross-system” projects • (linkages from changes in physical drivers to biological / ecological / human impacts) • All projects must be completed within four years of theme “start”.

19. Western Alaska LCC Emerging Science Strategy INITIAL Ideas for a long-term science strategy • Rotate every two-years between Coastal, Freshwater and Terrestrial Systems themes • Plan for each theme 6-12 months in advance • Always ask for “cross-system” projects • (linkages from changes in physical drivers to biological / ecological / human impacts) • All projects must be completed within four years of theme “start”.

20. Western Alaska LCC FY2014 –15: Freshwater Systems • Topic: Changes in Stream & Lake Temperatures and their Impacts • Details being developed, Sept. RFP • Major components: • Recommendations from recent statewide workshop on Stream and Lake Temperature • Projects investigating potential Impacts

21. Northwest Boreal LCC

22. Northwest Boreal LCC • NWB LCC was initiated in 2011 • International partnership • Over 20 participating organizations • Alaska • Yukon Territory • British Columbia • Northwest Territories

23. Northwest Boreal LCC InformationNeedsAssessment • Science and management Information Needs Assessment • Informal questionnaire • Priority biological and cultural resources • Management Framing Workshop • Focusing on users’ needs

24. Northwest Boreal LCC DriversofChange • Drivers of change in boreal ecosystems • Wildfire • Invasive species • Insect disturbance • Permafrost dynamics • Vegetation composition change • Land-use change • Impacts on biological and cultural resources

25. Northwest Boreal LCC Categories of Activity • Baseline data • Assessments/syntheses • Coordinated monitoring • Understanding relationships • Projecting future states • Adaptation framework and best management practices

26. Northwest Boreal LCC Example Information Needs • Improved geo-spatial data layers, specifically as they relate to habitat maps (vegetation, soils, permafrost) • Anthropogenic footprint (current and projected) • Projections of future forest disturbance regimes (fire, insect pest outbreaks) and impacts on priority resources • Climate-change related impacts on subsistence/rural communities • Products/data that span the US-Canadian border

27. Northwest Boreal LCC www.nwblcc.org

28. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC

29. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Strategic Science Planning • Focus on landscape level stressors: • Climate Variability and Change • Commercial Fisheries • Marine Shipping • Invasive/Introduced Species • Contaminants and Pollutants • Ocean Acidification

30. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Marine Shipping • Increased vessel traffic through Aleutians & Bering Strait increase with loss of ice • Real-time, archived vessel tracking AIS (Automatic Identification System) data • Increased risk of oil or other spills, ballast water invasives, or rat “spills” Halpren et al 2008

31. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Climate Variability & Change • Changing sea ice has major implications for region • Several large-scale investments with partners (e.g., SNAP, NOAA, AOOS) to assess vulnerability of species to sea-ice loss • A climate vulnerability workshop with Alaska Climate Science Center

32. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Invasive, Introduced Species • Alaska Maritime Refuge - Removing introduced species with terrestrial mammal focus • Aquatic invasives = risk for fisheries and subsistence resources • Focus on prevention and early detection of introduction through education

33. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Pollutants & Contaminants • Threats from global transport in atmosphere and marine waters as well as “bio-transport” by species migrating from lower latitudes • Used defense sites Includes marine debris • Community health & subsistence harvest • Marine debris ingestion and plastics toxicology • Marine debris inventory • Evaluating the effectiveness of remediation efforts at former defense sites; UAA using fish/birds as bio-indicators for contaminants distribution

34. Aleutian Bering Sea Islands LCC Help us continue our effort to develop our strategic science plan ABSILCC.ORG

35. North Pacific LCC New Website: www.nplcc.org

36. LCC Coordination Together, Alaska and northwest Canada LCCs can: • Jointly address state- or region-wide information needs

37. LCC Coordination Together, Alaska and northwest Canada LCCs can: • Jointly address state- or region-wide information needs • Serve as a forum for learning and information exchange

38. LCC Coordination Together, Alaska and northwest Canada LCCs can: • Jointly address state- or region-wide information needs • Serve as a forum for learning and information exchange • At multiple levels • Facilitate communication and collaboration • Among agencies/organizations • Across disciplines • Across jurisdictional boundaries

39. Cross - LCC Collaboration IntegratedEcosystemModel

40. Cross - LCC Collaboration IntegratedEcosystemModel Downscaled GCM Data ALFRESCO GIPL-1 Soil Thermal Properties Moss & Organics Fire Severity Veg. canopy Soil moisture Burned area Vegetation type DOS-TEM

41. Cross - LCC Collaboration Integrated Ecosystem Model Examples of Anticipated Products • Climate • Historical and projected temperature, precipitation • Disturbance • Historical and projected area burned • Susceptibility to thermokarst • Landcover and Vegetation • Projected treeline • Projected distribution of vegetation types through time • Ecosystem Dynamics • Carbon fluxes, net primary productivity, carbon released by fire • Soil Properties • Permafrost distribution, active layer thickness

42. LCC Contacts • Aleutian and Bering Sea IslandsDoug Burn – Coordinator (douglas_burn@fws.gov)Aaron Poe - Science Coordinator (aaron_poe@fws.gov) • ArcticGreg Balogh - Coordinator (greg_balogh@fws.gov )Philip Martin - Science Coordinator (philip_martin@fws.gov) • North PacificJohn Mankowski– Coordinator (john_mankowski@fws.gov)Mary Mahaffy - Science Coordinator (mary_mahaffy@fws.gov) • Northwestern Interior ForestJohn DeLapp – Coordinator (john_delapp@fws.gov)Amanda Robertson - Science Coordinator (amanda_robertson@fws.gov) • Western AlaskaKaren Murphy – Coordinator (karen_murphy@fws.gov)Joel Reynolds - Science Coordinator (joel_reynolds@fws.gov)