Program

Conservation Management and Climate Change in Southern California

Habitat Conservation Plan Workshop

May 22, 2012, 8 am-4:00 pm

UCR Palm Desert Center

75080 Frank Sinatra Drive

Palm Desert, CA 92211

Co-sponsored by

UCR Center for Conservation Biology

UC Cooperative Extension, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Objectives:

Land managers are increasingly aware of the potential impacts of climate change on species and ecosystem processes and are asked to develop management plans with a minimum of information to support their plans. Conservation researchers in southern California are studying climate change impacts on biota and ecosystems, but much of this is available either in scientific publications that do not reach managers, or is research in progress. The objectives of this workshop will be to extend scientific information on climate change implications for local conservation to managers and regulators; to learn from regional land managers what their climate change management plans are; to discuss ways that recent scientific findings can be incorporated into monitoring, data management, and land management plans, and to keep current and future managers abreast of recent findings through outreach programs.

8:00 am registration, coffee and continental breakfast

Introduction to climate change science

9:00 Michael Allen (UCR): Long-term nature of HCP’s and need to manage for climate change impacts

9:15 Robert Allen: Climate Change Scenarios in Southern California

Species responses to climate change in southern California

9:45 Kristine Preston, Lori Hargrove, J. Rotenberry, M. Allen (UCR): Elevational shifts in butterfly and bird species in southern California

10:10 Cameron Barrows (UCR): Shifts in desert animals and plants under climate change

10:35-10:50 break

10:50 Sarah Kimball (UCI): Shifts in annuals under climate change in the Sonoran Desert

11:15 Louis Santiago (UCR): Responses of shrubs to climate change-type drought where the desert meets the chaparral

11:40 Matt Brooks (USGS): Invasive species and climate change in southern California

12:05-12:50 Lunch (provided)

Ecosystem responses to climate change in southern California

12:50 Erin Conlisk and Helen Regan (UCR): Post-fire management under climate change: robustness of models for management

1:15 Darrell Jenerette and Michael Allen (UCR): HCPs and C sequestration

1:40 Debra Hughson (NPS): Changes in hydrologic regime with climate change and policy implications

2:10-2:25 break

2:25 Panel Discussion (Chris McDonald, panel moderator, UCCE):

How are managers currently addressing climate change in their plans?

Presentations by National Park Service (Josh Hoines), Desert Managers Group (Russell Scofield), Bureau of Land Management (Fred Edwards), US Forest Service (Deborah Finch), others.

3:20 General discussion

What can managers do about climate impacts that are occurring now?
What are the information gaps?
How can information gaps be addressed?
How do we educate future land managers about management issues related to climate change?
Other issues?

4:00 Adjourn

Organizers:

Edith Allen, UCR, edith.allen@ucr.edu

Christopher McDonald, UCCE, cjmcdonald@ucdavis.edu

Cameron Barrows, UCR cbarrows@ucr.edu

Thomas Scott, UCB/UCR, thomas.scott@ucr.edu

Michael Allen, UCR, michael.allen@ucr.edu

Cost: early registration $55 until May 4, $75 after May 4