taking action

a progress report | 2014
Across the country, 

government agencies, 

partners and 

stakeholders are taking 

action to prepare for and 

respond to the impacts 

of a changing climate 

on the nation’s valuable 

natural resources and 

the people who depend 

on them.

On the cover

Girl with binoculars: George Andrejko/Arizona 

Game and Fish Department

Monarch butterflies: Gene Nieminen/USFWS

Fish: R. Wilson

Sitka blacktailed deer: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS
Executive Summary 2

Introduction 3

Goal 1 8

Conserve habitat to support healthy 

fish, wildlife, and plant populations 

and ecosystem functions in a changing 

climate

Strategy 1.1 8

Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan 8

Central Appalachians Essential Forests 9

and Key Connectors 

Strategy 1.2 10

Landscape Scale Conservation in the 10

White-Moose

Protecting Coldwater Fish in Minnesota 11

Strategy 1.3 12

Improving Salmon Habitat on the 12

Upper Quinault River

Snapshot: Saving Hotter and Dryer 13

Ciénaga Habitat

Albemarle-Pamlico Adaptation Project 13

Snapshot: Partners for Fish and Wildlife 14 

Program in the Mountain Prairie Region

Strategy 1.4 14

Taunton Mill River Restoration 14

Snapshot: Promoting Aquatic 15

Connectivity and Fish Passage

Restoring Access to Salmon Habitats 15

Goal 2 16

Manage species and habitats to 

protect ecosystem functions and provide 

sustainable cultural, subsistence, 

recreational, and commercial use in a 

changing climate

Strategy 2.1 16

Managing Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout 17

under Climate Change

Strategy 2.2 17

Assessing Brook Trout Vulnerability to 17 

Inform Management in Wisconsin

Snapshot: Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit 18 

Adaptive Management

Planting Future Forests in Northern 19 

Minnesota

Snapshot: Climate Change and 20

Assisted Migration

Strategy 2.3 20

Northwestern Tribal Forest Improvement 20

Snapshot: Sagebrush Conservation for 21 

Greater Sage-Grouse

Goal 3 22

Enhance capacity for effective 

management in a changing climate

Strategy 3.1 22

Online Climate Courses for Natural 23 

Resource Managers

Snapshot: Planning for Climate Change 23

on the National Wildlife Refuge System

Snapshot: Interpreting Climate Change 24

Strategy 3.2 24

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives 24

Snapshot: Pacific Islands Climate 25

Change Cooperative

Traditional Gathering Calendar 26

Snapshot: North Cascadia 26

Strategy 3.3 27

Executive Order 13653 27

Strategy 3.4 27

Climate Change and the State Wildlife 27 

Grants

Goal 4 28

Support adaptive management in a 

changing climate through integrated 

observation and monitoring and use of 

decision support tools.

Strategy 4.1 29

Developing Baseline Data to Respond 29

to Coastal Change

Strategy 4.2 30

Gulf Coast Climate Vulnerability 30

Snapshot: Sea Turtle Vulnerability 31 

Assessment

Vulnerability Assessment of California 31 

Vegetative Communities

Alternative Futures for Florida Keys 32

Goal 5 33

Increase knowledge and information on 

impacts and responses of fish, wildlife, 

and plants to a changing climate

Strategy 5.1 33

Climate Science Centers and the 34

NCCWSC

Regional Integrated Sciences and 34 

Assessments

USDA Regional Climate Hubs 34

Strategy 5.2 35

Studying Coral Adaptations 35

Strategy 5.3 35

Pacific Coast Sea-Level Rise Modeling 36

Modeling for Virginia’s Wildlife 36

Action Plan

Habitat Modeling for Wintering 37

Black Ducks

Birds of the North Pacific 38

Goal 6 39

Increase awareness and motivate 

action to safeguard fish, wildlife, and 

plants in a changing climate

Strategy 6.1 39

Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate 39

Change Project

Strategy 6.2 40

National Climate Change Wayside Project 40

Maine Fishermen’s Climate Roundtable 41

Engaging Youth with Climate Change 42

Strategy 6.3 42

Snapshot: Climate-Smart Conservation 42

Goal 7 47

Reduce non-climate stressors to help 

fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems 

adapt to a changing climate

Strategy 7.1 43

Snapshot: Bureau of Land Management 44 

(BLM) Regional Mitigation Strategy

Strategy 7.2 44

Promoting Healthy Watersheds 44

Strategy 7.3 45

Strengthening Resiliency in Sierra 45 

Nevada Meadows

Snapshot: Vessel Discharge Standards 46

to Reduce Invasive Species

Heightened Awareness for Emerging 46 

Pathogens

Strategy 7.4 47

Snapshot: Bycatch Reduction 47

Engineering Program (BREP)

Summary & Conclusion 47

Appendix. All submitted case studies 49

usfws
2 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

The Strategy was informed and shaped by the early efforts of federal and state 

agencies, local governments, and conservation partners to help prepare for and 

respond to the impacts of climate change. 

This Progress Report highlights examples 

of the growing effort by government and 

nongovernmental partners to prepare for 

and respond to the impacts of climate 

change on natural resources. These 

efforts are consistent with the recommendations of the Strategy.

Across the country, the agencies responsible for managing fish, wildlife, and 

plants are working with partners and 

stakeholders to take concrete steps to 

address the impacts and future threats of 

climate change. For this Progress Report, 

almost 100 case studies were submitted, 

representing partnerships with over 350 

individual federal, tribal, and state agencies, departments, non-governmental 

organizations, private businesses and 

landowners. This Progress Report 

Executive Summary

describes 50 of these projects that 

demonstrate implementation of a variety 

of actions recommended by the Strategy.1

The projects are highly collaborative, 

have an emphasis on action over planning, reflect all levels of government, 

cover a wide geographic range, and 

respond to a diversity of climate impacts.

The examples highlighted in this report 

are not a comprehensive accounting of 

what has been accomplished, but rather 

illustrate the diversity of projects, scales 

of planning, and partnerships that can 

and are being be utilized to respond to 

the impacts of climate change. The case 

studies also demonstrate how climate 

change impacts can be integrated into 

conservation planning. The Strategy 

recommended over 100 actions that were 

organized into 23 strategies under seven 

major goals. This Progress Report identifies activity in all seven of the goals.

1 See Appendix for full list of submitted case studies 

and further information.

The majority of the climate change 

adaptation projects were reported under 

Goals 4 and 5, suggesting that many 

agencies are already working to “Increase 

Knowledge and Information” and to 

“Support Adaptive Management.” These 

projects include efforts to understand 

the impacts of climate change and to 

complete climate change vulnerability 

assessments for species and habitats. 

Over the next three to five years this 

information will be increasingly integrated into on-the-ground conservation 

and management efforts.

Fewer projects were reported under Goal 

6: “Increase Awareness and Motivate 

Action.” This represents a large opportunity for agencies that interact with 

the public and industry groups to better 

communicate with and engage constituents in understanding and encouraging 

action to combat the causes and consequences climate change.

The diverse adaptation work highlighted 

in this report is part of a larger collective 

effort by a wide range of partners to safeguard the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, 

and the communities and economies that 

depend on them in a changing climate. 

Although there are critical actions being 

taken now, there is still much more to 

be done to address the challenging tasks 

ahead. The success of climate adaptation 

relies on continuing action by federal, 

tribal, state, and local governments and 

many partners. In particular, this will 

include building the skills, resources, 

tools, and capacity to implement the 

plans and recommendations that result 

from many of the ongoing efforts. A 

successful response to this challenge 

must also include increased engagement and coordination from agencies, 

managers and partners at all levels.

The National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate 

Adaptation Strategy (NFWPCAS or Strategy) is a call 

to action that outlines seven key steps needed to 

safeguard the nation’s valuable living natural resources 

in a changing climate. Produced by a coalition of 

federal, state, and tribal agencies with input from many 

partners, the Strategy is designed to inspire and enable 

natural resource managers and other decision-makers 

to take action to anticipate and adapt to a changing 

climate. 
Introduction | 3

Introduction

Fish, wildlife, and plants are integral parts of 

ecosystems that provide jobs, food, fiber, clean 

water, storm protection, health benefits, recreation, 

and many other important services that support 

people, communities, and economies across the 

nation. Observed changes in the climate are already 

impacting these valuable resources and systems. 

Faced with a future climate that will be unlike that 

of the recent past, the nation needs to act now to 

reduce the impacts of climate change on its valuable 

natural resources, resource-dependent communities, 

and businesses. Preparing for and addressing 

these changes in the near term will increase the 

effectiveness and efficiency of actions to reduce 

negative impacts and take advantage of potential 

benefits from a changing climate.

Awide variety of adaptation  projects aimed at reducing threats 

and building resiliency for fish, wildlife, 

and plants are already underway, ranging 

from the national to the local scale. This 

Progress Report highlights some important examples of the growing effort 

by government and nongovernmental 

partners to prepare for and respond to 

climate impacts on natural resources. 

The case studies in this report describe 

activities that are already taking place, are 

consistent with the Strategy, and could 

be replicated across appropriate ecosystems and landscapes. To improve upon 

the success of these adaptation actions, 

researchers, land managers and others 

need to complete additional research, 

incorporate new knowledge into 

management plans and actions, expand 

mitigation efforts, and promote collaborative landscape scale solutions.
4 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Background

In 2009, Congress recognized the need 

for a government-wide climate adaptation strategy for fish, wildlife, plants, and 

ecosystems. Congress asked the Council 

on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and 

the Department of the Interior (DOI) to 

develop a national strategy to “assist fish, 

wildlife, plants, and related ecological 

processes in becoming more resilient, 

adapting to, and surviving the impacts 

of climate change.”2 The National Fish, 

Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation 

Strategy (NFWPCAS or Strategy) 

was released in March 2013 and was 

developed by a partnership of federal, 

state, and tribal plants, fish, and wildlife conservation agencies. This effort 

was led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (FWS), the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), 

and the New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation (on behalf 

of states more broadly).

The Strategy is a call to action, laying out 

key recommendations for a collective 

response to climate change. The purpose 

of the Strategy is to inspire and enable 

natural resource administrators, elected 

officials, and other decision makers to 

take action to conserve our valuable 

natural resources, thus benefiting people 

who depend on these resources. It places 

priority on addressing impacts for which 

there is enough information to recommend sensible actions that can be taken 

or initiated over the next five to ten years 

in the context of climate change projections through the end of the century.

2 2010 Appropriations Bill for the Department of the 

Interior and Related Agencies.

Reporting on Progress

According to the most recent NCA 

and IPCC reports, adaptation planning 

is occurring in the public and private 

sectors and at all levels of government. 

However, the IPCC noted that “most 

assessments of adaptation have been 

restricted to impacts, vulnerability, 

and adaptation planning, with very 

few assessing the processes of implementation or the effects of adaptation 

actions.” This Progress Report presented 

here begins to do this by documenting 

the range of adaptation actions already 

underway that align with the Strategy’s 

recommendations to help safeguard 

our nation’s natural resources and the 

communities and economies that depend 

on them.

The intent of this report is to provide 

examples of how the Strategy is being 

implemented through collaborative 

adaptation projects on the ground; to 

demonstrate to both conservation practitioners and public decision makers the 

strong role they can play in adaptation; 

and to inspire and encourage stakeholders, 

managers, and the public to join the effort.

While many of the activities described 

here were initiated by proactive agencies and managers before the Strategy 

was developed, all are consistent with 

the Strategy and illustrate the innovative 

and collaborative ways in which agencies and partners can work together to 

advance the adaptation efforts recommended by the Strategy. Many of the 

projects described in this report were 

not conceived as climate adaptation 

projects but are the result of a conscious 

Recent Developments

The current Administration has put 

a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for climate adaptation. The 

President’s Climate Action Plan,3

released in the summer of 2013, and 

the November 2013 Executive Order 

13653, Preparing the United States for 

the Impacts of Climate Change4 identify some of these opportunities. In May 

2014, the U.S. Global Change Research 

Program released the Third National 

Climate Assessment (NCA),5 the authoritative and comprehensive report on 

climate change and its impacts in the 

United States. The report concludes 

that evidence of climate change already 

appears in every region and that impacts 

are visible in every state across the 

nation. Another strong call for adaptation comes from the Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth 

Assessment Report documenting global 

climate change Impacts, Adaptation, and 

Vulnerability, also released in 2014.6

3 See President’s Climate Action Plan, 

<www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/

president27sclimateactionplan.pdf>

4 See Executive Order 13653, <www.whitehouse.

gov/the-press-office/2013/11/01/executive-orderpreparing-united-states-impacts-climate-change>

5 Melillo, Jerry M., Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and Gary 

W. Yohe, Eds., 2014: Climate Change Impacts in the 

United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. 

U.S. Global Change Research Program, 841 pp. 

doi:10.7930/J0Z31WJ2.

6 IPCC, 2014: Summary for policymakers. In: Climate 

Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. 

Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution 

of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report 

of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

[Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. 

Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. 

Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, 

S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White 

(eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United 

Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1-32.
Introduction | 5

describes 50 of the projects that demonstrate implementation of a variety of 

actions recommended by the Strategy.7

The projects highlighted here are highly 

collaborative, have an emphasis on 

action over planning, reflect all levels of 

government, cover a wide geographic 

range, and respond to a diversity of 

climate impacts (i.e., drought, coastal 

inundation, increased stream temperatures, etc.).These examples illustrate 

what various levels of government with 

primary authority and responsibility for 

the living natural resources of the United 

States can do to improve natural resource 

resilience to the impacts of climate 

change. We hope that this Progress 

Report will encourage further collaboration and investment in these types of 

activities.

7 See Appendix for full list of submitted case studies 

and further information.

application of climate considerations 

into ongoing programs. A key message 

of the Strategy is that climate change can 

and should be a factor in a wide range of 

natural resource management contexts, 

and that both “adding a climate lens” to 

ongoing programs and designing intentionally climate-oriented projects are 

important, for effective natural resource 

management in a changing climate.

Development and 

Overview

The Strategy called for the formation 

of a coordinating body with representation from federal, state, and tribal 

governments to meet semi-annually to 

promote and evaluate implementation of 

the Strategy and to report on progress. 

The NFWPCAS Joint Implementation 

Working Group (JIWG) was formed in 

the fall of 2013, and has supervised the 

production of this first Progress Report. 

The JIWG is led by FWS, NOAA, the 

Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife 

Commission, and the California 

Department of Fish and Wildlife (on 

behalf of states more broadly).

In early 2014, the JIWG asked federal, 

state, and tribal agencies as well as 

non-governmental stakeholders to 

share examples of climate adaptation 

projects that achieve the recommendations of the Strategy. The JIWG received 

almost 100 case studies representing 

partnership with over 350 individual 

agencies, departments, non-governmental organizations, private businesses 

and landowners. This Progress Report 

Octopus or squid larva as seen under the 

microscope, collected in bongo nets.

matt wilson & jay clark/noaa, nmfs, apoc

The case studies presented in this report 

are organized around the seven goals and 

23 strategies of the NFWPCAS. Some 

of the projects were initiated before the 

release of the Strategy, while some are 

more recent. The case studies do not 

represent a comprehensive accounting 

of the wide variety of climate adaptation 

activities happening across the country, 

but instead seek to highlight the range of 

actions that can be and are being taken.
6 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

locations of selected case studies
Taking Action: A progress report | 7

Stars indicate the relative geographic locations of the included case studies. 

Larger stars indicate projects over larger regional landscapes. 22 national-level projects 

are not included.
8 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

 Goal 1 

Conserve habitat to support healthy 

fish, wildlife, and plant populations 

and ecosystem functions in a changing 

climate.

The loss and degradation of habitat is the leading 

threat to most species. Consequently, reducing this 

existing stressor is also expected to increase the 

resilience of species to current and future climate 

change. Even for those species not currently stressed 

by habitat loss, conserving a large and diverse amount 

of habitats will provide more opportunities for species 

to shift into new areas suitable for their needs as the 

climate changes in the future. Federal, state, tribal, 

and non-governmental groups are involved in many 

habitat conservation projects all across the country, 

including conservation planning, habitat protection, 

habitat restoration, and restoring connectivity.

Strategy 1.1: Identify areas for an 

ecologically-connected network of 

terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, 

and marine conservation areas 

that are likely to be resilient to 

climate change and to support a 

broad range of fish, wildlife, and 

plants under changed conditions.

The habitat conservation planning projects highlighted in this section identify 

those areas that will continue to provide 

important habitat and or biological 

connections in an era of climate change. 

Some projects are holistic in nature, 

factoring in all major stressors, while 

others are focused on identifying specific 

areas that will be resilient to climate 

changes.

Yakima River Basin 

Integrated Plan

The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is 

a 30-year, $3.8 billion plan to restore 

ecological integrity and provide assurances for water needs for agriculture in 

the face of on-going climate change in 

the Yakima River Basin. This river basin, 

located in Washington State, is a tributary of the Columbia River. Five drought 

years in the past 15 years have severely 

impacted the multi-billion dollar agriculture sector and depleted the river’s 

salmon and steelhead populations. This 

has caused the Yakama Nation and the 

local irrigators to join together along 

with local, state, and federal governments 

and conservation organizations to design 

and implement a basin-wide climate 

adaptation strategy that secures a future 

for fish, farms, and families in the Basin.

Tom Ring Photo
Goal 1 | 9

The plan lays out seven key elements 

to help protect, mitigate, and enhance 

habitat; provide increased operational 

flexibility to manage in-stream flows to 

meet ecological objectives; and improve 

the reliability of the water supply for irrigation, municipal supply, and domestic 

uses. The first phase of the three phase 

project will be complete by 2025 and 

includes purchase of 50,000 acres of 

forested lands and management for 

restoration and conservation of watershed values, fish passages at Cle Elum 

Reservoir, Cle Elum pool raise, and the 

Kachess to Keechelus conveyance pipeline, $100 million in salmon restoration 

projects throughout the basin, and water 

conservation that will save 85,000 acrefeet of water primarily for in-stream 

flow improvements. The target outcome 

of this plan is stable water supplies to 

support recovery of salmon and steelhead 

populations and to ensure the existing 

agricultural water supplies at 70% of 

their allotted amounts during drought 

conditions.

Partners 

» Yakama Nation

» Kittitas Reclamation District

» Kennewick Irrigation District

» Roza Irrigation District

» Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District

» Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District

» Washington Department of Ecology

» Washington Department of Fish 

and Wildlife

» U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

» American Rivers

» Trout Unlimited

» The Wilderness Society

» Benton, Kittitas, and Yakima County

» NOAA National Marine Fisheries

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

» U.S. Forest Service

» Washington Department of Natural 

Resources

» Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife 

Recovery Board

» 12 Local communities

» 12 Local businesses

» 3 Local recreation organizations

Central Appalachians 

Essential Forests and Key 

Connectors

This project aims to protect the ultimate 

drivers of biodiversity by focusing on 

the factors that underpin species richness and the long-term persistence of 

species and habitats across a landscape. 

This involves mapping and evaluating 

key geophysical settings and landscape characteristics such as intactness 

and connectivity in the landscape that 

buffer against harmful climate impacts. 

By doing this, researchers were able to 

identify the most resilient places within 

the Central Appalachian Forests that 

can serve as climate change strongholds 

at both the landscape and local scale. 

Through this resiliency approach, the 

Central Appalachians Whole System 

Program (including U.S. Forest Service 

lands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, 

West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and 

Tennessee) has developed a vision for the 

long-term conservation success of the 

region where land managers can assess 

threats and impacts and provide for 

investment prioritization—even in the 

face of climate change uncertainty.

The Central Appalachians Whole System 

Program has used this approach to 

design an Essential Forests, Streams and 

Key Connectors map to form a conservation vision of a dynamic landscape of 

connected, functional forests and rivers. 

This map is being used to give a coarse 

filter context for how a particular place 

or project fits into the larger landscape, 

its relative role for protecting current 

biodiversity, and its relative role for 

ensuring future adaption in the face of 

The Yakima River Basin seen from upper 

Yakima Canyon.

“Based on GIS analysis of the northwest tribes, the Yakama Nation is 

at the highest risk for the region’s climate change because more than 

80% of the land is below 4,000 feet.”

—Phil Rigdon, Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources
10 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

climate change. Additionally, the Central 

Appalachians Program actively uses resiliency science at the local and landscape 

level to shape and drive conservation investment within the region. The 

ultimate conservation outcome of the 

Central Appalachians Whole System 

Program is to conserve a dynamic, functional, connected network of resilient 

forests and streams. Partners across the 

region are currently working to share 

this vision of a connected, resilient 

landscape.8

Partners

» Appalachian Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative

» Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture

» The Nature Conservancy

» U.S. Forest Service

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

8 <www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/

northamerica/areas/centralappalachians/overview/

index.htm>

Strategy 1.2: Secure appropriate 

conservation status to complete 

an ecologically-connected network 

of public and private conservation 

areas that will be resilient to 

climate change and support a 

broad range of species under 

changed conditions.

Several climate change informed habitat 

protection projects are highlighted here. 

For example, the White Mountains 

to Moosehead Lake Program in New 

Hampshire and Maine is working to 

conserve 61,000 acres of forest lands and 

providing resilient habitat and regional 

connectivity. In another example, 

Minnesota is leading and funding an 

effort to protect key lakes that can serve 

as refugia for coldwater fishes in a period 

of climate change.

Landscape 

Scale Conservation 

in the White-Moose

The White Mountains to Moosehead 

Lake Program is a cross-sector collaboration to help preserve and strengthen 

the integrity of habitat connections at a 

broad landscape scale, strategically and 

deliberately integrate climate adaptation, and protect the nature-based assets 

(working forests and recreation) that 

underlie local economies across western 

Maine and eastern New Hampshire.

The White Mountains to Moosehead 

Lake region—spanning 2.7 million acres 

from northern New Hampshire, through 

western Maine to Moosehead Lake—is 

among the most ecologically significant, 

large landscapes in the Northeast. The 

region provides a connective corridor 

of contiguous, climate-resilient habitat 

between the White Mountain National 

Forest and more than two million 

acres of contiguous conservation lands 

extending from Moosehead Lake north 

to the Canadian border.

Draft map of central Appalacian landscape.

Crocker Mountain, Carrabassett Valley, Maine
Goal 1 | 11

The region is notable for its exceptionally productive large blocks of working 

forest, famed waterways that support 

wild native Eastern brook trout and 

endangered Atlantic salmon, important wetland complexes, and some of 

New England’s most dramatic high 

elevation ridgelines and mountain 

peaks. The Nature Conservancy, Trout 

Unlimited, The Wilderness Society, and 

the Appalachian Mountain Club have 

identified the White-Moose region as a 

top climate adaptation landscape that will 

provide a critical refuge for native fish 

and wildlife as the climate warms and 

species ranges shifts.

Over the past two decades, conservation 

partners, donors, and local communities have worked together to protect the 

lands and waters this region needs to 

thrive. To date, more than 250,000 acres 

were protected in the White Mountains 

to Moosehead Lake program area via a 

combination of fees and conservation 

easements as well as the establishment of 

public land reserves.

The White Mountains to Moosehead 

Lake Program was formed to better align 

organizational strengths, raise public 

awareness to the importance of land 

conservation in a changing climate, and 

leverage public and private funding to 

protect multiple resources for the benefit 

of natural and human communities.

Partners

» Appalachian Mountain Club

» Appalachian Trail Conservancy

» High Peaks Alliance

» Mahoosucs Initiative

» Mahoosuc Land Trust

» Maine Audubon

» Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust

» Northern Forest Center

» Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust

» State of Maine

» State of New Hampshire

» Town of Carrabassett Valley

» The Trust for Public Land

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

» U.S. Forest Service

» National Park Service

» U.S. Navy

» The Wilderness Society

Protecting Coldwater 

Fish in Minnesota

Coldwater fish such as cisco, lake 

whitefish, and lake trout require 

cold, well-oxygenated water and, in 

Minnesota, primarily live in deep lakes 

with high water quality. This requirement 

makes them especially vulnerable to two 

of the greatest threats for Minnesota 

lakes—eutrophication and climate 

warming.

Cisco and lake whitefish live in the 

cold waters of many Minnesota lakes. 

Unfortunately, oxygen concentrations 

in bottom waters decline throughout 

the summer in many deep lakes. As the 

upper layers of the lake warm, these 

coldwater fish can experience a “squeeze” 

as they move up in the water column to 

avoid low oxygen concentrations in the 

deep water only to encounter the warm 

surface waters. In some summers, the 

squeeze is so great that some will die 

as they get forced into lethally warm 

temperatures.

The Minnesota Department of 

Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries 

Research Unit, in conjunction with the 

University of Minnesota, have identified 176 “refuge” lakes in north and 

central Minnesota that are deep and 

clear enough to sustain cisco, even after 

projected climate warming. Maintaining 

the water quality in these lakes is critical 

for them to function as refugia. The DNR 

is starting to protect the water quality 

in these important lakes, partnering 

with other state agencies, local units of 

Lake trout and other coldwater fish will benefit 

from the protection of private forest lands in 

the watersheds of refuge lakes.

Eric Engbretson
12 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

government, and lake associations. These 

strategies primarily focus on keeping 

forested lands intact in the watersheds of 

these lakes to protect their water quality. 

Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry 

is actively using Clean Water Legacy 

funding to protect private forest lands in 

the watersheds of refuge lakes.9

Partners

» Minnesota Board of Water and Soil 

Resources

» Minnesota Department of Natural 

Resources

» Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

» The University of Minnesota

Strategy 1.3: Restore habitat 

features where necessary and 

practicable to maintain ecosystem 

function and resiliency to climate 

change.

Restoration can be a critical part of 

promoting ecosystem resilience and 

facilitating adaptation as well as a critical 

response to many environmental threats. 

For example, private landowners in New 

Mexico have increased the water level 

of a natural spring by over a foot by 

restoring the surrounding ecosystem. 

The projects shared here cover the small, 

private landowner scale all the way up to 

regional restoration efforts.

9 <www.dnr.state.mn.us/tullibeelake.html>

Improving Salmon 

Habitat on the Upper 

Quinault River

The glacier-fed Quinault River on 

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula once 

supported hundreds of thousands of 

salmon that spawned and thrived in cool, 

gravel-bottomed streams flowing through 

deep forests and open glades. A century 

of clearcut logging and mismanagement of the river corridor have resulted 

in a significant loss of salmon habitat 

and what remains is a shallow, braided 

river channel. The glacier from which 

the Quinault River originates has melted 

and almost disappeared. Salmon populations have declined precipitously. Higher 

water temperatures and reduced streamflows associated with climate change 

is expected to be a significant added 

stressor for salmon.

The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) has 

responded to declining salmon populations by re-creating habitat diversity 

and increasing resilience that will allow 

ecosystems to support stronger runs of 

salmon and adapt to changing climate 

regimes. Since 2008, the QIN has 

installed 23 engineered log jams on the 

upper Quinault River to protect remnant 

spawning habitat, stabilize streams and 

reduce erosion and siltation. Floodplains 

and log jams are being created using 

native tree species to anchor soils, 

shade deep pools and eventually add 

habitat complexity to flowing waters. 

Early evidence indicates the project is 

successfully improving salmon habitat 

and repairing habitat-forming processes 

in the upper Quinault River. The biological processes—including the return of 

more visible and resilient salmon runs—

will follow.

Up to 27 engineered logjams are scheduled to be built in the Upper Quinault 

River in 2014–15. Approximately 400 

logjams will be needed over a 12-mile 

reach of the river. This is a long-term 

restoration project that will continue 

in adaptive phases, as funding allows, 

through several decades.

Partners 

» Quinault Indian Nation

» Grays Harbor County

» Jefferson County

» Multiple private landowners

» The Nature Conservancy

» Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund

» University of Washington

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

» U.S. Forest Service

» U.S. Geological Survey

» U.S. National Park Service

» Washington Department of Natural 

Resources

» Washington Salmon Recovery Funding 

Board

» Wild Salmon Center

Carefully engineered log jams built from locally 

sourced materials are placed in the Quinault 

River to re-establish natural processes that 

create good habitat for salmon and other fish 

and wildlife.
Goal 1 | 13

Snapshot

Saving Hotter and Dryer 

Ciénaga Habitat

Pitchfork Ranch is an historic cattle ranch 

in Grant County, New Mexico where the 

owners have been encouraging restoration, introducing at risk species, and 

pursuing climate adaptation strategies. 

The ranch is primarily rolling Chihuahuan 

grassland, one of the most biologically diverse arid regions in the world. 

The ranch also contains rare spring-fed 

ecosystems, including a unique ciénaga 

or perennial spring.

Extreme flood and drought cycles, eradication of beaver, sheep and corporate 

cattle overstocking in the late 1880s, 

and the absence of fire have dramatically 

altered the area’s natural water balance. 

The overarching goal of management of 

the ranch is to repair the habitat using 

“flood-n-flow” based restoration practices 

and accompanying sediment deposition to 

restore the ciénaga and surrounding land 

toward its pre-settlement condition.

Through habitat restoration, the owners 

have raised the base level of the spring 

over 11 inches. They intend to continue 

capturing sediment and further expand 

the riparian zone for wildlife that may 

struggle to find water due to the impacts 

of climate change. Water retention has 

been achieved via ongoing installation of 

over 200 grade control structures that 

captured more than 30,000 tons of sediment, helping the ciénaga to be reclaimed 

and restoring the connection between 

surface and groundwater. Restored spring 

function has shortened the dry period on 

the ranch, which provides a vital stopover 

for migratory birds since this habitat has 

become the only available water source 

for 35-miles in any direction.

Albemarle-Pamlico 

Adaptation Project

Since 2008, the Albemarle-Pamlico 

Climate Change Adaptation Project has 

been addressing the needs and vulnerability of coastal wetlands in northeastern 

North Carolina that have arisen due 

to climate change and changes in land 

use. The three major approaches that 

are being developed, implemented, and 

taken to scale are hydrologic restoration, 

wetland plant community restoration, 

and oyster reef restoration.

North Carolina’s Albemarle-Pamlico 

Peninsula epitomizes the critical importance and fragility of coastal natural 

communities where water and land meet. 

The low, flat peninsula forms a diverse, 

lush landscape of swamp forest, pocosins, 

marsh, blackwater creeks, and rivers. The 

area supports amazing biological diversity, from oysters and waterfowl to marsh 

grasses and fire-dependent pine pocosins. More than 540,000 acres are under 

conservation ownership in this region. 

An ever increasing rate of relative sealevel rise in North Carolina, threatens 

to inundate these conservation lands. 

The peninsula’s ecosystems are being 

profoundly altered by increased shoreline 

erosion, saltwater intrusion, an existing 

ditch network, and disintegration of the 

region’s peat soils.

The goal of the Albemarle-Pamlico 

Climate Change Adaptation Project is to 

ensure that ecosystems remain vibrant 

in the face of their inevitable alteration by climate change and sea-level 

rise. To date, the project has: established 

1900 linear feet of oyster reef habitat 

and seven acres of oyster sanctuary; 

protected 11 miles of shoreline along the 

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge 

(NWR); completed a 65,000 acre water 

management capability plan for the Dare 

County Bombing Range and part of 

Alligator River NWR; controlled invasive Phragmites on 11.5 acres; planted 

20,000 flood-tolerant trees in a 40 acre 

experimental area; and tested herbaceous 

marsh seeding techniques on a 0.5 acre 

area.

Partners 

» The Nature Conservancy

» U.S. Air Force

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

» U.S. Navy

Marl breakwater provides oyster habitat and 

shoreline protection of marsh at Swanquarter 

NWR.

C. Pickens/The Nature Conservancy
14 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Snapshot

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in the Mountain Prairie region

From March 2013 to present, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) in the 

Mountain Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has restored or enhanced 37 

miles of river and stream habitat to benefit high priority native fishes stressed by climate 

change. These projects also benefit many riparian obligate species such as the greater 

sage-grouse and many amphibians. In addition, the PFW program has restored, created 

or enhanced 4,555 acres of wetlands to benefit suites of high priority migratory birds, the 

imperiled Dakota Skipper, the boreal toad, and many other wetland dependent species that 

have been impacted by climate change. An additional 81,474 upland acres have also been 

restored and/or enhanced benefiting suites of grassland dependent birds, sagebrush obligate species, grizzly bear and other key species identified as part of the Mountain Prairie 

region climate change adaptation strategy.

Strategy 1.4: Conserve, 

restore, and as appropriate 

and practicable, establish 

new ecological connections 

among conservation areas to 

facilitate fish, wildlife, and plant 

migration, range shifts, and other 

transitions.

A number of ongoing habitat connectivity projects focus on restoring 

connectivity in freshwater stream and 

river habitats by removing or replacing 

man-made features or modifications 

that are impeding fish passage. Climate 

change has made some of these projects even more critical because in many 

instances, the very structures that impede 

fish passage to colder waters are also 

creating flooding and erosion issues 

for local people and communities due 

to more intense rainfall events that are 

increasing in frequency.

Taunton Mill River 

Restoration

The Taunton River watershed in 

Massachusetts hosts one of the largest 

runs of river herring (blueback herring 

and alewife) in the Northeast region. 

River herring runs are declining in many 

other rivers throughout their range. 

Water quality, climate change, climate 

variability, and dams have been identified as threats to river herring. Removing 

dams is the first step in promoting resilience to the threat of climate change by 

allowing river herring to reach critical 

upstream spawning habitat, alleviating 

some of the existing stress on these 

species from habitat fragmentation and 

other pressures.

Dam removal has many environmental 

benefits, including improved water 

quality, restoration of natural sediment and nutrient transport regimes, 

aquatic habitat improvement, aquatic 

species passage, creation of wetlands, and 

increased floodplain connectivity.

(Top) The Whittenton Dam blocked fish 

passage along the Mill River for over 100 

years. The obsolete dam almost failed during 

storms in 2005, leading officials to declare 

a state of emergency. (Bottom) The dam was 

removed and the floodplain restored in 2013.
Goal 1 | 15

The main goals of this project are to 

remove three dams along the Mill 

River, a tributary to the Taunton River 

mainstem and provide fish passage at 

the fourth dam in order to: 1) restore 

riverine processes and ecosystem functions, such as flood storage, 2) improve 

passage for river herring and American 

eel, and 3) improve the resiliency of 

surrounding communities by eliminating 

the risk of dam failure. So far, Hopewell 

Mills and Whittenton Dams have been 

removed and a fishway has been installed 

at Morey’s Bridge Dam. The final dam 

removal is scheduled for 2015.

Partners

» American Rivers

» City of Taunton, MA

» Massachusetts Audubon Society

» Massachusetts Division of Ecological 

Restoration

» Massachusetts Division of Marine 

Fisheries

» Massachusetts Environmental Trust

» National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

» Save The Bay/Restore America’s 

Estuaries

» Southeastern Regional Planning and 

Economic Development District

» The Nature Conservancy

» Taunton River Watershed Alliance

» USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Snapshot

Promoting Aquatic Connectivity and Fish Passage

The goal of The National Fish Passage Program is to prevent future fish passage barriers and 

aquatic fragmentation by preventing improper structures from being built after flood disasters. The incorporation of aquatic connectivity and fish passage principles into flood disaster 

community planning and government recovery efforts post flooding is a means to promote 

future flood resiliency across the country. These actions will protect financial investments, 

increase safety and protect streams, rivers, roads, homes and businesses from significant damage, all while restoring and protecting habitat, aquatic connectivity, and reducing 

sedimentation.

Aquatic connectivity will enable species movements to track with climate change within their 

habitats, and also provide benefits to local communities by restoring natural function to 

riverine systems increasing their resiliency to flood events. Outdated or improperly-sized road 

stream crossings that cannot withstand flooding are causing increased hazards to human 

health and safety as well as significant, sometimes repeated, replacement costs.

Since the flooding brought on by Hurricane Irene in August 2011 in Vermont, the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service has been working with federal response agencies and the Vermont Fish 

and Wildlife Department to promote aquatic connectivity and barrier removal as a means 

to improve future flood resiliency. Across the country, FEMA and other partners are being 

engaged to develop national standards for post-flood aquatic connectivity that could be 

adopted across agencies.

Restoring Access to 

Salmon Habitats

For centuries, Moose Creek in south 

central Alaska was a flourishing salmon 

stream. However, in 1923, this essential fish habitat was drastically changed 

when a railroad spur was constructed 

up Moose Creek for a coal mine. This 

construction straightened and realigned 

much of the creek as a means to increase 

the space available for railroad operations 

and resulted in the creation of several 

waterfalls. The largest fall was completely 

impassable to spawning salmon, and the 

others were challenging barriers that only 

the strongest salmon could overcome.

Salmon have always been central to the 

way of life of the Ahtna people, including 

members of Chickaloon Native Village, 

who continue to use this traditional food 

source for sustenance. As temperatures 

rise, waters will warm, causing a decline 

in suitable habitat for these coldwater 

fish. The Chickaloon Native Village, in 

collaboration with other agencies and the 

local community, restored fish passage 

and improved habitat on Moose Creek 

for anadromous fish, particularly salmon, 

over a 3-year period.

Nearly half a mile of stream was 

realigned into its original, pre-railroad 

curvature which bypassed several waterfalls including the complete barrier 

to fish passage. Logjams were built to 

increase habitat options and provide 

stream bank protections. Anadromous 

fish like salmon now have access to more 

than five miles of upstream habitats for 

spawning and rearing. More than 200 

adult Chinook salmon were counted 

upstream of the previous waterfall barrier 

immediately after the restoration actions. 

Salmon have restored access to ancestral spawning and rearing habitats that 

were blocked for many decades, which 

provides increased space and suitable 

habitat to help salmon maintain resilience to climate change.10

Partners 

» Chickaloon Native Village

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

10 <www.chickaloon.org/departments/environmentalstewardship/moose-creek>

Cathy Bozek
16 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

 Goal 2

Manage species and habitats to protect 

ecosystem functions and provide 

sustainable cultural, subsistence, 

recreational, and commercial use in a 

changing climate.

Fish and wildlife conservation in the United States is 

largely the responsibility of a network of state, tribal, 

and federal management agencies that have the 

authority to manage species on behalf of the American 

public. Many agencies are actively considering 

climate change and what it means to their respective 

management mandates, and many have been or are 

in the process of updating their various conservation 

plans to include climate change and the necessary 

adaptation actions needed to help species and their 

respective habitats in the face of climate change.

Strategy 2.1: Update current or 

develop new species, habitat, 

and land and water management 

plans, programs and practices 

to consider climate change and 

support adaptation.

Many of the plans that guide current 

conservation efforts need to be updated 

to consider the added threat of climate 

change. The case study described here is 

the development of a planning framework to prioritize conservation actions 

to reintroduce Yellowstone cutthroat 

trout into streams that may be resilient to 

climate change. This framework will be 

incorporated into Yellowstone cutthroat 

management plans within its historic 

range.

State Wildlife Action Plans

In 2005, State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) were developed 

in every U.S. state and territory. These plans represent a 

national blueprint for the conservation of the full array of fish 

and wildlife, which was an historic first. The plans assess 

the health of each state’s wildlife and habitats, identify the 

problems they face, and outline the actions that are needed 

to conserve them over the long term. Congress charged each 

state and territory with developing a plan in order to receive 

funds through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) 

Program. SWG is the only federal program totally dedicated to 

preventing wildlife from becoming endangered by conserving 

Species of Greatest Conservation Need before they become 

too rare or costly to restore.

Congress requires states to review and revise their SWAPs 

at least every ten years, with the first deadline coming up in 

October 2015. Most states are currently in the process of 

conducting this required update and many are incorporating 

climate change as a threat for the first time. This presents 

an opportunity to incorporate the results of vulnerability 

assessments as well as adaptation strategies into the 

long-term vision for conservation in the states. The updated 

plans can address how the likely impacts of climate change 

will interact with existing threats to the Species of Greatest 

Conservation Need and their respective habitats and the 

actions necessary to address those threats. For more 

information, go to <www.teaming.com/swap.overview>.
Goal 2 | 17

Managing Yellowstone 

Cutthroat Trout under 

Climate Change

Due to historic impacts of non-native 

fish, water diversion, and water management, genetically pure Yellowstone 

cutthroat trout occupy less than 28% of 

their historical range in Idaho, Wyoming, 

Utah, Nevada, and Montana. In addition to current threats, anticipated 

changes in global and regional climate 

are likely to considerably alter existing 

thermal and hydrologic regimes. The 

growing concern for native coldwater fish 

such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout in a 

changing climate stems from their relatively narrow thermal tolerances and the 

influences of climate-related attributes 

such as temperatures and stream flows on 

life-history patterns. Furthermore, recent 

research suggests that changing climatic 

conditions are likely to favor non-native 

species over Yellowstone cutthroat 

trout, thus increasing threats to extant 

populations.

A critical step in ensuring the long-term 

persistence of Yellowstone cutthroat trout 

across its historic range is the development of a comprehensive conservation 

strategy that encompasses existing data 

regarding species distribution and status, 

current limiting factors, and the potential threats from climate change. Within 

this framework it is becoming increasingly important to identify and prioritize 

population-specific restoration and 

management actions (particularly given 

the limited amount of resources available) and to evaluate these actions for 

their value as potential climate adaptation strategies.

State and federal partners along with 

collaborators have developed criteria 

and a framework for prioritizing populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout with 

respect to risk from climate change. This 

framework will be applied with population-specific ranking of limiting factors 

and climate risks to identify and prioritize conservation actions to enhance 

resilience under a changing climate, as 

well as areas for identifying potential 

reintroduction of Yellowstone cutthroat 

trout into historically occupied streams 

that are likely more resilient to regional 

changes in climate.

Partners

» National Park Service

» Great Northern Landscape 

Conservation Cooperative

» Trout Unlimited

» U.S. Geological Survey, Northern 

Rockies Science Center

» Wildlife Conservation Society

» Western Native Trout Initiative

» Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Multistate 

Working Group

Strategy 2.2: Develop and apply 

species-specific management 

approaches to address critical 

climate change impacts where 

necessary.

In some cases, the impacts of climate 

change will need to be addressed with 

innovative management techniques that 

will be vital in developing climate adaptation approaches. Using vulnerability 

assessments to design new management 

actions will be a key part of this effort.11

Assessing Brook Trout 

Vulnerability to Inform 

Management in Wisconsin

Expected climatic changes in air temperature, precipitation, and water cycle 

patterns across the Upper Midwest 

and Great Lakes region may threaten 

the viability of inland trout resources. 

A vulnerability assessment was developed to understand how these expected 

changes may impact thermal conditions 

and trout populations in streams across 

the state of Wisconsin.

Partners developed watershed-scale 

models and downscaled climate projections for Wisconsin that were used to 

project mid-21st century climate impacts 

on water temperature and fish distribution, and to assess the vulnerability 

of 13 fish species in streams to future 

changes in climate. This vulnerability 

11 Vulnerability assessments (VAs) are an integral part 

of preparing to deal with the impacts of climate change. 

Developing the methods and resources for conducting 

VAs and examples of actual applications are covered 

under Goal 4. Using the results of VAs to inform and 

guide management activities is covered here in Goal 

2. Several research and modeling projects that include 

elements of assessing vulnerability are also described 

in Goal 5.

Two Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

Fish Eye Guy Photography
18 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

assessment became a critical component 

of a regional planning process for the 

Driftless Area in Wisconsin,12 in which 

adaptation strategies are being developed 

to lessen the impacts of climate change 

on coldwater fishes, particularly brook 

trout.

The Driftless Area regional planning 

process is ongoing and the vulnerability 

assessment has been used to identify Driftless Area brook trout streams 

that are: (1) at risk of being lost due 

to projected changes in climate: (2) in 

need of adaptation measures to enhance 

resiliency to climate impacts; and/or (3) 

are thermal refugia and are therefore 

prioritized for protection. Regional and 

statewide models suitable for assessing 

climate impacts on thermal conditions 

and fish distributions in streams have 

been completed and are available in an 

interactive website.13

12 Driftless Area Master Planning website: <dnr.

wi.gov/topic/lands/masterplanning/driftlessstreams>

13 All Regional Model Results and Vulnerabilities are 

accessible in an interactive format at: <wimcloud.usgs.

gov/apps/FishVisDev/FishVis.html>

Partners

» Wisconsin Department of Natural 

Resources

» Michigan Department of Natural 

Resources

» Michigan State University

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

» U.S. Geological Survey

“Brook trout and other coldwater 

species are projected to 

suffer major losses in stream 

habitat with climate warming, 

although the amount lost varies 

substantially based on which 

global climate model is used.”

—John Lyons, Wisconsin Department of

Natural Resources

Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit 

Adaptive Management

Sea-level rise and storm surges pose 

management challenges for ecosystem 

sustainability in the Florida Keys and 

Florida Coasts. The Lower Keys marsh 

rabbit, which is identified in Florida’s 

Wildlife Action Plan as a Species of 

Greatest Conservation Need, inhabits 

two distinct but interrelated wetland 

systems, one coastal and the other 

freshwater.

Partners are engaged in a collaborative project to model metapopulation 

dynamics of the Lower Keys marsh rabbit 

across the Keys, test assumptions, and 

quantify the impacts of habitat loss and 

fragmentation, non-native predators, sealevel rise, and storm surge on the rabbit 

and its environment. The partners also 

plan to implement an adaptive management program to enhance resiliency and 

population persistence.

Brook trout spawning male, Florence Lake, 

Langlade County, a small trout lake in northcentral Wisconsin, October 18, 2001.

Lower Keys marsh rabbit

John Lyons/Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Craig Faulhaber
Goal 2 | 19

The project has applied models to a longterm data set to infer rabbit population 

dynamics, including important factors 

pertaining to dispersal ability and population turnover as a function of patch 

configuration, size and proximity to 

the shore. The project has also demonstrated that there is a higher probability 

of extinctions in coastal areas relative to 

nearby freshwater systems. These results 

will generate estimates of optimal actions 

to inform management decisions for 

protecting the Lower Keys marsh rabbit 

and this important ecosystem.

Partners

» Florida International University

» Institute for Regional Conservation

» U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent 

Wildlife Research Center

» U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast 

Climate Science Center

» University of Louisiana, Lafayette

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida 

Keys National Wildlife Refuges 

Complex

Planting Future Forests 

in Northern Minnesota

Northern forests in the Great Lakes region 

are entering an era of compromised conditions due to climate change. Harvesting 

practices over the past century have 

converted the forests to more low diversity, even-aged stands of trees, leaving 

forests vulnerable to emerging stressors. 

Forest-dependent wildlife, most notably 

migratory songbirds, have experienced 

associated declines.

Traditionally, restoration goals have 

focused almost entirely on reintroducing 

historically abundant boreal conifers into 

the landscape. Recent research shows that 

warmer, drier conditions over the coming 

decades are likely to undermine these 

current restoration efforts. This project 

focuses on new climate informed strategies that favor diverse suites of tree species 

best suited to thrive under changing 

climate conditions through an adaptation 

forestry approach, or a combination of 

management and planting that increases 

complexity.

Adaptation forestry departs significantly 

from previous restoration efforts. The 

strategy is based on current and future 

modeled range maps for trees and emphasizes within-range plantings of tree species 

anticipated to thrive under warmer, drier 

conditions. Species of emphasis are all 

native, but are uncommon due to the 

legacy of past harvesting practices, past 

climate conditions, and dispersal limitations. Although suited to new conditions, 

without management intervention these 

species are unlikely to realize the full 

extent of their ranges as the rate of climate 

change outpaces their ability to disperse.

In October 2012, partners began implementing adaptation forestry practices 

at 12 sites totaling 2,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota. A total of 88,000 

climate-adapted native trees are scheduled to be planted by November 2014, 

including red oak, bur oak, and white 

pine from two different seed sources. 

The performance of seedlings of different 

species and origin under different conditions created by contrasting silvicultural 

treatments will be compared across four 

distinct forest plant communities. The 

goal is to explicitly test the effectiveness 

of adaptation forestry for transition to 

future suites of climate-adapted species.

Partners

» The Nature Conservancy

» Conservation Partners Legacy Fund

» Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

» Lake County

» Minnesota Department of Natural 

Resources

» Minnesota Forest Resources Council

» Northern Institute of Applied Climate 

Science

» Sustainable Forests Education 

Cooperative

» Saint Louis County

» University of Minnesota, Duluth

» University of Wisconsin, Madison

» U.S. Forest Service

» Wildlife Conservation Society

Forest Ecologist Mark White installs a mesh 

cage around a newly planted oak seedling to 

protect it from deer browsing.

Nancy A. Johnson Photography
20 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Snapshot

Climate Change and Assisted Migration

Under the current rate of climate change, many landscapes in the U.S. may experience 

climates that are incompatible with current vegetation by the end of the century. One potential adaptation strategy in such circumstances is assisted migration, also known as managed 

relocation, which is defined as the intentional movement of species in response to climate 

change. Although researchers have proposed frameworks and guidelines on how to apply 

assisted migration to native species, no consensus exists on implementation in the U.S. 

because of ecological and economic concerns and lack of supporting research.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Research and Development group is compiling a database on 

native plant transfer guidelines, climate change, and assisted migration. The database 

identifies knowledge gaps and provides a central foundation for collaboration in generating 

research questions, conducting studies, transferring and acquiring data, expanding studies to 

key species and geographic regions, and guiding native plant transfer.

The database connects pieces of information from peer-review journal articles to decisionsupport tools, providing managers with the ability to understand assisted migration options. 

This research has and will continue to provide current information to land managers, policymakers and the general public on adaptive strategies that maintain resilient and functional 

native plant ecosystems across landscapes as the climate changes.14

14 For more information: <www.rngr.net/publications/assisted-migration>, <www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/

pubs/43883>, <www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/44260>, <www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/45634>

Strategy 2.3: Conserve genetic 

diversity by protecting diverse 

populations and genetic material 

across the full range of species 

occurrences.

High genetic diversity in a population 

increases the probability of a species 

having an adaptive capacity that allows 

it to respond to climate change impacts. 

It is possible to manage a population for 

high genetic diversity. As an example of 

this type of work, the Quinault Indian 

Nation (QIN) is selectively propagating 

disease-tolerant Douglas-fir on their land 

to prevent the spread of a disease that 

will thrive with warmer temperatures. 

These types of projects ensure that populations of these species in the future will 

have the greatest possibility of survival.

Northwestern Tribal 

Forest Improvement

Climate change will likely bring warmer, 

wetter weather to the Pacific Northwest—

ideal conditions for the spread of forest 

pathogens. Located on Washington’s 

Olympic Peninsula, the QIN is selectively 

propagating and replanting diseasetolerant Washington Coast Douglas-fir 

to ensure healthy forests and resilient 

ecosystems exist well into the future.

The Swiss needle cast (SNC) epidemic in 

Douglas-fir forests of the coastal Pacific 

Northwest is unprecedented and intensifying. SNC is caused by a windborne 

fungal pathogen that causes Douglas-fir 

trees to prematurely shed needles. The 

disease reduces tree volume growth by 

20–50%. The epidemic is associated with 

monocultures of Douglas-fir and the 

onset of warmer weather with associated 

Steve Hillebrand/usfws
Goal 2 | 21

fog and drizzle, milder winters and 

earlier springs—weather patterns typical 

in long-term climate change scenarios.

Approximately 5% of the Reservation’s 

forest is already infected with SNC. 

Because the QIN and other tribes are 

restricted by reservation boundaries, 

their attachment to the land, and offreservation treaty rights, moving to new 

areas to accommodate climate shifts is 

not a viable option. It is therefore critical 

that the QIN begin adapting its forests to 

changing conditions.

The QIN Forestry Department has 

been selectively propagating trees for 

growth, yield and pest tolerance for 

more than 30 years. In 2012, the QIN 

began a long-term effort to propagate 

SNC-tolerant Douglas-fir to mitigate the 

effects of the disease and to sustain the 

reservation forest and tribal economy. 

Select Douglas-fir seeds have been 

harvested from coastal “seed orchards” 

Snapshot

Sagebrush Conservation for 

Greater Sage-Grouse

The greater sage-grouse is a candidate 

for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service under the Endangered Species 

Act. Greater sage-grouse are dependent 

on sagebrush-dominated habitats, using 

sagebrush itself and other native plants 

for cover and food. Once seen in great 

numbers across sagebrush landscapes 

of the West, greater sage-grouse have 

declined over the past one hundred years 

because of the loss, degradation, and 

fragmentation of sagebrush habitats 

essential for their survival.

The Institute for Applied Ecology has 

partnered with the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) to improve habitat 

for greater sage-grouse by engaging state 

and federal correctional facilities in the 

production of sagebrush plant species 

for habitat restoration. A protocol is being 

developed for working with correctional 

facilities to grow locally sourced plants. 

This project has the potential to engage 

24 correctional facilities across ten 

states throughout the range of the greater 

sage-grouse.

A pilot project to produce 10,000-20,000 

sagebrush plants annually is underway 

at the Snake River Correctional Facility 

in eastern Oregon, and the plants grown 

at this facility will be planted into a site 

recently damaged by wildfire on nearby 

BLM lands. The pilot project will inform 

the protocol and demonstrate the 

potential for this innovative approach 

to contribute to greater sage-grouse 

recovery.

and are being propagated in a nursery. 

In 2015 approximately 5,000 nurserygrown seedling plugs will be planted on 

three test sites. They will be assessed in 

succeeding years for disease tolerance. 

The most tolerant Douglas-fir families 

will be selectively bred and propagated to 

replant in reservation forests.

Partners 

» Quinault Indian Nation

» USDA Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service

» U.S. Forest Service

» Northwest Tree Improvement 

Cooperative

» Swiss Needle Cast Cooperative

» Washington Coast Douglas-fir 

Cooperative

Douglas-fir seedlings - offspring of carefully 

selected reservation trees - are transplanted 

into logged areas on the Quinault Indian 

Reservation to rebuild strong forests.
22 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

 Goal 3

Enhance capacity for effective 

management in a changing climate.

Natural resource managers are faced with the task 

of incorporating the effects of climate change into 

their existing management practices to ensure these 

management efforts are effective under changing 

climate and ecosystem conditions. This may involve 

altering the way they assess information, working with 

new partners, and learning new tools or skills. New 

information and tools become available at a rapid pace 

and can overwhelm individual managers. Enhancing 

managers’ abilities to understand and utilize these 

new tools and skills is a vital step in improving 

management of natural resources.

Strategy 3.1: Increase the climate 

change awareness and capacity 

of natural resource managers 

and other decision makers and 

enhance their professional 

abilities to design, implement, 

and evaluate fish, wildlife, and 

plant adaptation programs.

There have been tremendous strides 

made in raising the awareness of natural 

resource managers to the current and 

potential impacts of climate change. This 

includes training opportunities at both 

the national and local level as demonstrated by efforts such as the National 

Conservation Training Center’s (NCTC) 

Climate Academy, the California 

Department of Fish and Wildlife Climate 

College, and other efforts at the federal, 

state, tribal, and local levels.

Online Climate 

Courses for Natural 

Resource Managers

Natural resource managers are tasked 

with understanding climate change 

impacts and using this knowledge in 

their decision-making. A few online 

courses have been designed to foster the 

development of this understanding and 

participants can share what they have 

learned with colleagues. The courses also 

create a community of natural resource 

adaptation practitioners who will 

increase the capacity of the conservation 

community to address climate change 

impacts.
Goal 3 | 23

“Climate Academy consolidates the most current, reliable climate 

change literature and presents the research in a logical sequence, 

making it easier for natural resource professionals like myself to utilize 

when making pertinent management decisions.”

—Anna Huckabee Smith, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Climate Academy Participant

The goals of these classes are to produce 

students who are able to:

•	 Explain the scientific basis of climate 

change

•	 Understand biological impacts of 

climate change

•	 Recognize and identify methods of 

addressing uncertainty

•	 Understand Climate Change 

Vulnerability Assessments

•	Identify principles of adaptation planning and examples of adaptation action

•	 Effectively communicate climate 

change impacts to co-workers, stakeholders and management

•	Identify methods to incorporate 

climate change into their work.

Many other online courses, trainings, 

and online resources are available to help 

agencies at all levels continue to build 

capacity for managers and other staff 

around climate change, and these type 

of opportunities are likely to grow in the 

future.

Partners

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National 

Conservation Training Center

» Association of Fish and Wildlife 

Agencies

» California Department of Fish and 

Wildlife

» National Park Service

» The Wildlife Society

Snapshot

Planning for Climate Change 

on the National Wildlife 

Refuge System

Climate change is a major challenge 

to the policies, planning, and management of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System. The Refuge System is required 

to incorporate climate change considerations into planning documents such as 

Comprehensive Conservation Plans, Land 

Protection Plans and other Refuge System 

planning documents as necessary.

A new report, Planning for Climate 

Change on the National Wildlife Refuge 

System15, helps Refuge System personnel 

including refuge managers, biologists and 

planners to ascertain and address the 

relevant climate change considerations in 

these planning documents.

The report presents a comprehensive review of climate change issues 

facing the Refuge System, along with 

an overview of Refuge System climate 

change planning mandates and directives, climate vulnerability assessment, 

philosophical considerations in climate 

change planning, guidance for incorporating climate change considerations into 

Refuge System planning documents, case 

studies, and various other resources 

including more than 500 literature 

citations.

15 <www.fws.gov/refuges/vision/pdfs/

PlanningforClimateChangeontheNWRS.pdf>

Climate Academy, led by the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service’s NCTC, is 

a 5-month online national course for 

natural resource managers and conservation professionals. It is designed to cover 

the fundamentals of climate science, 

provide tools and resources for climate 

adaptation, and increase climate literacy 

and communication. The course is also 

designed to encourage networking 

among conservation professionals and 

increase collaboration on landscape-level 

climate change response planning.

Course participants are required to 

participate in webinars, read required 

texts, discuss those readings online, and 

complete a final project that considers 

how they would incorporate climate 

change into their day-to-day work. One 

participant is chosen to submit their 

project to the Wildlife Professional 

for publication in the fall edition. 

Participants receive a Certificate of 

Completion from NCTC and can receive 

Continuing Education Credits offered 

through The Wildlife Society (TWS).

At the state level, the California 

Department of Fish and Wildlife 

(CDFW) created a California-specific 

course called the CDFW Climate College. 

It follows a similar structure as the 

Climate Academy, but focuses on issues 

that are of special relevance to CDFW 

staff and partners on climate change 

science and its impacts on fish, wildlife, 

and habitats in California.
24 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Snapshot

Interpreting Climate Change 

Competency

The National Park Service (NPS) provides 

training to interpretive staff working in 

parks in order to build capacity and create 

a cohesive and consistent approach to 

agency climate change communication 

messages. The role of NPS interpreters 

and communication professionals with 

regard to climate change is a critical 

one. Engaging with staff and park visitors about the science of climate change, 

climate change effects on park resources, 

and what the NPS is doing to mitigate 

and adapt to the changes helps to 

increase knowledge of this issue, shape 

agency direction and accelerate public 

awareness.

A four-day virtual course is currently 

offered twice per year and is open to any 

communicator or interpreter in the NPS 

or partner agencies. The goal is to give 

the front line interpreter or communicator 

the necessary tools to effectively engage 

audiences in communication about 

climate change and to understand the 

NPS orientation to the issue, site-specific 

climate impacts, and audience perspectives and values on the topic, as well as 

utilize a number of appropriate techniques 

for engaging with audiences on climate 

change.16

16 <idp.eppley.org/competencies/specialist/

interpreting-climate-change>

Strategy 3.2: Facilitate a 

coordinated response to climate 

change at landscape, regional, 

national, and international 

scales across state, federal, 

and tribal natural resources 

agencies and private conservation 

organizations.

Many of the impacts of climate change 

will affect fish, wildlife, and plants 

across large landscapes. Coordinating a 

response across large regions and across 

jurisdictions will be a vital aspect of 

climate adaptation.

Landscape 

Conservation Cooperatives

Since 2009, the Department of the 

Interior has been working with a diverse 

group of federal, state, and other partners to establish a network of 22 regional 

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives 

(LCCs). The LCCs were developed to 

provide collaborative technical capacity 

for climate change adaptation and 

conservation design, and to promote 

landscape connectivity and cooperation 

across agencies and jurisdictions. Today, 

LCCs are formal partnerships between 

states, tribes, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, universities 

and other groups to coordinate activities 

and leverage resources among partners. 

They work across agencies to identify 

shared conservation and research priorities and support the use of science-based 

management tools to address landscape-scale stressors, including habitat 

fragmentation, invasive species, and 

water scarcity, all of which are accelerated 

by climate change.

LCCs are unique vehicles for facilitating 

a coordinated response to climate change 

across conservation partners, and for 

developing and implementing conservation efforts designed to match the scope 

and scale of these types of broad challenges. They use a collaborative approach 

to meet unfilled conservation needs, 

develop decision support tools, share 

data and knowledge, and facilitate and 

foster partnerships. Information derived 

through LCC projects is filling gaps in 

scientific information that may be challenging for other entities to obtain due 

to the magnitude of issues associated 

with climate change. As part of a shared 

science strategy, LCCs coordinate closely 

with the National Climate Change and 

Wildlife Science Center and the eight 

regional Climate Science Centers.

The Strategy encourages LCCs to take a 

lead role in implementation of fish and 

wildlife adaptation efforts. The LCCs 

have a diverse membership of state, 

federal, tribal and private conservation organizations, and operate at scales 

appropriate to successfully facilitate 

implementation of the Strategy through 

a collaborative process. Many ongoing 

and planned LCC projects are well 

aligned with Strategy recommendations, 

including efforts to develop landscape 

conservation design approaches, identify refugia areas for vulnerable species, 

conduct research into impacts of sea level 

rise on coastal habitats, define shared 

conservation priorities and science needs, 

and develop and implement vulnerability 

assessments and other decision-support 

tools. Most of the LCCs are already using 

the Strategy to help inform their work 

and regional priorities, and several have 

drawn upon recommended strategies and 

actions to develop their work plans and 

activities.
Goal 3 | 25

Snapshot

Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative

The Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative (PICCC) is an LCC partnership that seeks 

to understand and adapt to the critical impacts of climate change on native species, island 

ecosystems, and cultural resources in the Pacific Islands. The PICCC’s members and partners span the Pacific region, from Hawai‘i and the US affiliated islands in the Samoan, 

Mariana, and Micronesian archipelagoes.

The PICCC has funded a series of projects that are vastly improving our understanding of how 

global climate change is manifesting and to inform large-scale conservation planning and 

design. PICCC projects include:

•	 Regional climate modeling to produce climate change projections at a scale that is ecologically relevant to natural resources management on small islands.

•	 Global model showing projected coral bleaching and ocean acidification to support 

economic and coastal planning and coral reef management.

•	 Spatial and temporal modeling of sea-level rise on sites of high significance in order to 

define potential ecological and cultural impacts and support management responses.

•	 Projections of changes in the distributions of native Hawaiian plants and forest birds based 

on projected future temperature and precipitation estimates.

(Above) Coral reefs are the “rainforests of the sea.” They provide habitat for a diversity of resident 

and migratory species, food security for island communities, recreational opportunities for tourists, 

and a buffer from wave-driven erosion. Corals are threatened by warming sea-surface temperature 

and changes in ocean chemistry driven by global climate change.

Jim Maragos/usfws
26 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Traditional Gathering 

Calendar

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) 

plays a key role for future decisionmaking by natural resource managers. 

The Organized Village of Kasaan, located 

in southeast Alaska on Prince of Wales 

(POW) Island, is made up of the Craig, 

Hydaburg, Kasaan and Klawock, or POW 

Tribes. This project provides an opportunity for federally recognized tribes to 

recommend indigenous stewardship to 

management and enforcement agencies.

Sixteen knowledgeable gatherers of 

natural resources (including two middleaged and two elderly representatives from 

each community) have been interviewed 

from the four Tribal communities on 

Prince of Wales Island. Interviews will be 

used to determine how natural resources 

are gathered according to weather 

or seasonal factors and if the gathering calendar has changed over time. 

This will allow for the development of 

Fish are a vital resource in the Prince 

Wales area.

Snapshot

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership

The North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership (NCAP) is a Forest Service—National Park 

Service partnership on climate change adaptation. NCAP addresses adaptation at a large 

scale of 6 million acres, including Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, OkanoganWenatchee National Forests, North Cascades National Park Complex, and Mount Rainier 

National Park in Washington.

NCAP is working to increase awareness among park and forest staff to the projected impacts 

of climate change, to provide assistance in obtaining climate change information, to complete 

vulnerability assessments of key resources and ecological processes, and to develop local 

adaptation strategies. The USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station is leading the effort, 

and the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington serves as the primary climate 

science provider for the project.

baseline data for state and federal agencies to make sound recommendations on 

protection and potential enforcement of 

natural resources mandates. This project 

will provide collaboration, consultation 

and communication between federally 

recognized Tribes concerning gathering 

of subsistence resources.

Partners

» Tribes of Prince of Wales (POW) 

Tribal Environmental Coalition

» North Pacific Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative

» Organized Village of Kasaan

Nick Rahaim/Flickr CC

National Park Service
Goal 3 | 27

Strategy 3.3: Review existing 

federal, state and tribal legal, 

regulatory and policy frameworks 

that provide the jurisdictional 

framework for conservation of 

fish, wildlife, and plants to identify 

opportunities to improve, where 

appropriate, their usefulness to 

address climate change impacts.

Many existing legal, regulatory, and 

policy frameworks were developed at 

a time when climate change was not 

in the forefront as it is today. Work to 

identify areas that need to be improved 

to better deal with the challenges 

posed by a changing climate has begun 

under the direction of the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ).

Executive Order 

13653

On November 1st, 2013 President 

Obama signed an executive order (E.O. 

13653), to take actions to enhance 

climate preparedness and resilience 

across the federal government while 

simultaneously safeguarding our 

economy, infrastructure, environment, 

and natural resources. The E.O. established an interagency Council on Climate 

Preparedness and Resilience to coordinate a range of actions, appointed a task 

force of Tribal, State and Local leaders to 

inform the Administration’s efforts, and 

set aggressive targets to lead by example 

and modernize existing federal programs 

to better prepare the nation for the 

impacts of climate change.

In the natural resources arena, federal 

agencies have been working hard to 

complete an inventory and assessment 

of proposed and completed changes to 

make land- and water-related policies 

more effective in promoting resilience in 

the face of a changing climate.

Strategy 3.4: Optimize use of 

existing fish, wildlife, and plant 

conservation funding sources 

to design, deliver, and evaluate 

climate adaptation programs.

Incorporating climate change considerations into existing conservation funding 

programs is just beginning. For example, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 

made climate change a factor in determining the allotment of Competitive 

State Wildlife Grants.

Climate Change and 

the State Wildlife Grants

The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants 

Program (SWG) provides federal dollars 

to match state funds to support states, 

territories, and tribes in cost-effective 

conservation. In Fiscal Year 2013, the 

Landscape scale project in Colorado funded

by State Wildlife Grants.

Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish 

Restoration (WSFR) offered incentives 

to help States further integrate climate 

change adaptation planning into their 

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). 

SWG funds are used by state fish and 

wildlife agencies to develop and maintain 

their SWAPs and to implement the Plans 

for the benefit of state-identified Species 

of Greatest Conservation Need (see Box 

on SWAPs).

The Service has been working to integrate the best-available climate science 

into these grant programs to help incentivize adaptation planning at a variety of 

scales. WSFR modified the competitive 

portion of the SWG Program to provide 

incentives for states and their partners to 

incorporate climate change adaptation 

strategies for wildlife into the SWAPs. 

Some examples of the projects encouraged through this programmatic change 

include climate change vulnerability 

assessments for multiple species and 

using downscaled climate modeling for 

use at regional or landscape scales.

Due to the success of this modification in 

FY2013, WSFR has offered this subprogram again in Fiscal Year 2014.

National Park Service
28 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

 Goal 4

Support adaptive management in a 

changing climate through integrated 

observation and monitoring and use of 

decision support tools.

Due to the inherent uncertainty regarding how climate 

change will affect wildlife and natural resources, the 

Strategy recommends that the continuous learning 

principles of adaptive management be used to 

regularly monitor the response to adaptation efforts, 

evaluate their effectiveness, build knowledge and 

understanding, and improve and inform future 

management decisions. Promoting adaptive 

management responses to climate change includes 

supporting integrated observation and monitoring 

efforts as well as the use of decision support tools 

such as vulnerability assessments and scenario 

planning exercises.
Goal 4 | 29

Strategy 4.1: Support, coordinate, 

and where necessary develop 

distributed but integrated 

inventory, monitoring, 

observation, and information 

systems at multiple scales to 

detect and describe climate 

impacts on fish, wildlife, plants, 

and ecosystems.

A number of agencies are developing 

or building on monitoring programs 

to detect and describe climate impacts 

on fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems. These include the National Park 

Service’s Arctic Network Inventory and 

Monitoring Program (ARCN), NOAA’s 

Integrated Ocean Observing System 

(IOOS), and the Fish and Wildlife 

Service’s Water Resource Inventory and 

Assessment (WRIA). Large-scale, interagency efforts such as the USA National 

Phenology Network (see box below) 

and National Ecological Observatory 

Network (NEON) are bringing together 

multiple partners to help establish baselines and build an understanding of 

how plants, animals and landscapes are 

responding to climate variation and 

change.

The USA National Phenology Network

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) is a national-scale, multi-taxa science and 

monitoring initiative focused on phenology (the study of seasonal life-cycle events such as 

leafing, flowering, reproduction and migration). Timely and widely-distributed phenological 

information is critical for the management of wildlife, invasive species, and agricultural pests, 

understanding the risk and impacts of droughts and wildfires, managing risks to human health 

and welfare, including allergies, asthma, and vector-borne diseases, and for understanding 

how plants, animals and landscapes respond to environmental variation and change.

The goal of USA-NPN is to collect, synthesize, deliver and apply high-quality phenological data 

and information to address fundamental science and societal needs, and to facilitate decisionmaking relative to ecosystem services and climate change adaptation for natural resource 

management, agricultural systems, and human well-being. As a well-recognized indicator of 

climate impacts, phenology data provide critical baseline information needed to help measure 

and plan for ecological change.

Developing Baseline 

Data to Respond to 

Coastal Change

Climate change impacts, including 

coastal erosion, reduction in sea ice and 

thawing of permafrost, are impacting 

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve 

(BELA) and Cape Krusenstern National 

Monument (CAKR) along the northwestern Alaska coast. Increasing ocean 

temperatures are causing a reduction in 

the summer sea ice extent in the Chukchi 

Sea, delaying the return of winter ice 

and the coastal protection it provides the 

northwest Alaska coastline. The resulting 

increase in storm erosion, combined with 

the thawing of permafrost, has accelerated the erosion of coastal natural 

resources and cultural sites in BELA and 

CAKR.

The barrier islands supporting the 

villages of Shishmaref and Kivalina are 

also eroding, and residents are considering relocating to inland sites. These 

systems currently provide habitat for 

globally important and threatened and 

endangered bird populations, and are 

home to the northernmost extent of 

eelgrass in North America.

Several ongoing projects are intended 

to provide baseline information and an 

updated evaluation of coastal resource 

vulnerabilities in order to make prudent 

management decisions related to climate 

change impacts, increased marine traffic, 

sensitive areas, and natural and cultural 

resource protection.

National Park Service climate change 

scenario planning has been done for 

BELA and CAKR. The NPS Arctic 

Network Inventory and Monitoring 

Program (ARCN) is developing long 

term monitoring protocols for coastal 

erosion and lagoon biology, and is 

already engaged in climate monitoring. Datasets include satellite and 

aerial imagery of coastal erosion, topographic maps, and improved accuracy 

of coastal maps. Other projects include 

post breeding bird surveys in BELA and 

CAKR, lagoon water mass budgets in 

BELA, permanent marine debris monitoring sites in BELA and CAKR, and a 

coastal survey of at risk cultural sites.

Biologist in Bering Land Bridge National 

Preserve.

National Park Service
30 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Strategy 4.2: Identify, develop, and 

employ decision support tools 

for managing under uncertainty 

via dialogue with scientists, 

economists, and stakeholders.

Vulnerability assessments can help to 

identify, quantify, or evaluate the degree 

to which natural resources or species are 

likely to be affected by changing climatic 

conditions, and can inform prioritization and other management decisions. 

There are currently a large number of 

vulnerability assessments at a variety of 

scales underway all across the country, 

ranging from small, local scale projects 

to landscape- or regional- scale efforts 

involving dozens of partners (see Box on 

Vulnerability Assessment Registry). This 

report highlights vulnerability assessments at multiple scales.17

Other decision support tools such as 

scenario planning can also help managers 

plan for and facilitate adaptation of key 

species and habitats, and help identify 

where changes to the built environment 

may conflict with ecosystem needs.

17 Vulnerability assessments (VAs) are fundamental 

to climate change adaptation efforts. For examples 

of how the results of VAs are informing management 

solutions, see Goal 2. Development of VAs and 

applications for particular species and habitats are 

covered here in Goal 4.

Vulnerability Assessment Registry

Federal agencies, states, tribes, NGOs, universities, and private corporations have all 

initiated vulnerability assessments (VA) for particular species, ecosystem types, and 

specific geographies. These assessments are useful for those who produce them, but their 

data, methods, and conclusions may also be useful for others who are planning similar 

assessments, or who wish to understand vulnerability across species groups or locations.

A steering group composed of Federal, state, NGO, and other partners identified the need for 

a searchable, public registry on climate change vulnerability assessments. The goal was to 

make information about ongoing and completed VAs more readily accessible and available, so 

that resources devoted to such assessments can be most efficiently used. The registry will 

host information from both federal and non-federal partners. The registry is being developed 

by the U.S. Geological Survey and will be hosted by EcoAdapt’s Climate Adaptation Knowledge 

Exchange (CAKEx) website.

Once operational, users will be able to search for assessments by location, species of 

concern, or other endpoints, and learn what partners are involved, what methods have been 

used, whether the results were intended for specific decisions, the scale of analysis, and 

similar features—as well as who to contact for more information. While initially focused on 

fish, wildlife, and ecosystems, the steering group has encouraged expansion of the scope 

to include both cultural resources and the “built environment” (roads, dams, buildings, 

transmission lines, etc.).

Gulf Coast Climate Vulnerability

People in the Gulf Region recognize that 

coastal ecosystems powerfully influence their vibrant culture by providing 

benefits such as clean water, fish and 

wildlife habitat, recreation, storm/

flood protection and carbon sequestration. The nation’s third National Climate 

Assessment predicts that virtually 

the entire Gulf Coast will be vulnerable to sea level rise in the 21st century. 

Furthermore, unprecedented levels of 

funding will be directed toward Gulf 

Coast restoration over the coming 

decades as a result of the Deepwater 

Horizon oil spill.

Sea level rise and stronger 

storms are two climate 

change impacts likely to 

disproportionately affect the 

Gulf coast region.

David Beyer/Flickr CC
Goal 4 | 31

This collaborative project will produce 

a vulnerability assessment for the Gulf 

Coast region. When completed, the 

Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment 

(GCVA) will provide managers, planners, 

researchers, and administrators with the 

information needed to better understand 

potential impacts to coastal ecosystems 

and species from climate change, sea 

level rise, and land use change in and 

along the Gulf of Mexico.

Stakeholders across the Gulf, as well as 

the Gulf LCCs (see Box on LCCs), have 

been tapped to create a multidisciplinary 

Core Planning Team, which is guiding 

the GCVA with assistance from a climate 

expert and four Ecosystems and Species 

Expert Teams covering barrier islands 

and beaches, tidal marsh, oyster reef, and 

mangroves. Stakeholders have developed and reviewed a detailed work plan, 

identified products to be developed by 

the GCVA, and defined and mapped the 

GCVA project area.

Partners

» Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks 

Landscape Conservation Cooperative

» Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape 

Conservation Cooperative

» Gulf of Mexico Alliance

» Louisiana Coastal Protection and 

Restoration Authority

» National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

» The Nature Conservancy

» Peninsular Florida Landscape 

Conservation Cooperative

» South Atlantic Landscape 

Conservation Cooperative

» South Central Climate Science Center

» Southeast Climate Science Center

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Snapshot

Sea Turtle Vulnerability Assessment

Sea-level rise, increased storm frequency, 

and altered temperature and humidity associated with climate change may reduce 

the suitability of nesting and foraging 

habitats used by federally threatened and 

endangered species, such as the federally 

threatened loggerhead sea turtle.

The U.S. Geological Survey and the 

University of Florida are producing a vulnerability assessment of coastal habitats 

representing important nesting grounds for 

loggerhead and other endangered sea turtles (e.g. Kemp’s ridleys, green turtles, and leatherbacks) in Florida. This project will build upon work already being done to develop vulnerability 

maps under a number of current and future climate scenarios. These maps will provide 

management guidance and will serve to identify knowledge and data gaps as primary sources 

of uncertainty.

The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of 

all sea turtles.

Vulnerability 

Assessment of California 

Vegetative Communities

As stewards of the state’s diverse fish, 

wildlife, and plant resources, and the 

habitats upon which they depend, the 

California Department of Fish and 

Wildlife must understand and plan for 

the impacts of climate change. The revision of the state Wildlife Action Plan (see 

Box on SWAPs) presented an opportunity to integrate climate risks into a 

state-wide framework for conservation, 

and to ensure that work towards minimizing the negative impacts of climate 

change on California species and habitats 

is continuing. Developing conservation 

strategies that address the threats posed 

by climate change has been identified as 

a high priority for the SWAP revision, 

and climate considerations are already 

being taken into account in the revision 

process.

To more thoroughly incorporate climate 

change threats into the SWAP update, 

and to supplement the climate considerations currently taking place, it was 

determined that a state-wide, comprehensive climate change vulnerability 

analysis at the habitat-scale was needed. 

Indian paintbrush northwest of 

Castle Peak, CA.

David Rabon/usfws

Holly Gellerman/cdfw
32 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Specifically, this project is a Californiawide, climate change vulnerability 

analysis at the macro-habitat scale for 

42 different terrestrial vegetation types. 

Results of the vulnerability assessment 

will be compared with existing taxaspecific vulnerability studies to paint a 

more complete picture of vulnerabilities to projected climatic changes in the 

state, at the scale of analysis and planning 

being used for the SWAP revision.

This project will identify not only which 

species or habitats are most vulnerable 

to climatic changes, but why they are the 

most vulnerable. This information can 

help inform management actions that 

minimize or alleviate the contributing 

factors to a species or habitat’s vulnerability and increase habitat and species 

resiliency to climate risks.

The conservation community will gain 

information on the exposure, sensitivity, 

adaptive capacity, and overall vulnerability of vegetative communities across 

the entire state. This information can be 

used to guide conservation priorities, 

will inform future revision of the Wildlife 

Action Plan, and will be used to inform 

other management and planning efforts 

at the Department.

Partners

» California Department of Fish and 

Wildlife

» University of California, Davis

Alternative Futures for 

Florida Keys

Climate change is already beginning to 

impact habitats and species in the coastal 

and marine zones of south Florida. A 

scenario planning project is providing 

managers with scenario-specific actionable strategies for managing marine and 

coastal resources. The project is based 

upon input from managers and scientists 

and includes identifying a set of “alternative future scenarios” constructed by 

using impacts of climate change (sea level 

rise and increased sea surface temperature), as well as conservation (protected 

areas) and socio-economic factors 

(commercial fishing, recreational fishing 

and diving).

In the first phase, each alternative future 

scenario was examined against three 

critical habitats (mangroves, coral reefs, 

and beaches) to examine impacts to 

each habitat. The experts then examined 

the effects on three species of greatest 

conservation need from the State Wildlife 

Action Plan (spiny lobster, Goliath 

grouper, and loggerhead turtles) based on 

the anticipated changes to the habitats. 

In the final step, managers reengaged to 

determine what adaptation strategies are 

possible, what “trigger points” will activate a management response, and how to 

develop monitoring plans to know when 

a trigger point has been reached.

This project has a second phase that 

focuses on examining suites of important commercial and recreational species, 

coupling terrestrial inputs to marine and 

coastal resources, and broadening the 

spatial scale. A number of specific adaption responses will be developed.

Partners

» Florida Fish and Wildlife Research 

Institute

» Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Commission

» GeoAdaptive, Inc.

» GeoDesign Technologies, Inc.

» National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

“Developing well-informed and 

robust adaptation strategies 

is the most effective pathway 

to ensuring the long-term 

sustainability of the resources 

with which we are entrusted.”

—-Bob Glazer, Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission

Alternative futures for the Florida Keys were 

considered for the 3 locations indicated 

above.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Goal 5 | 33

Strategy 5.1: Identify knowledge 

gaps and define research 

priorities via a collaborative 

process among federal, state, 

tribal, private conservation 

organizations, and academic 

resource managers and research 

scientists.

This inclusive approach to identifying research needs is beginning to 

happen at the federal level with strong 

state and tribal partnership through 

regional collaborations like the DOI 

Climate Science Centers and Landscape 

Conservation Cooperatives (see Box 

on LCCs), NOAA’s Regional Integrated 

Science and Assessments (RISAs), and 

the new USDA Climate Hubs.

 Goal 5

Increase knowledge and information on 

impacts and responses of fish, wildlife, 

and plants to a changing climate.

Adaptation efforts within the context of climate change 

and other stressors will require detailed knowledge of 

the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants 

and ecosystems and the adaptive capacity of species. 

However, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge 

about how species and ecosystems will respond to 

climate variation and other stressors, particularly at 

scales relevant to natural resource decision-making 

and management.
34 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Climate Science 

Centers and the NCCWSC

In 2008, recognition of the likely effects 

of climate change on fish, wildlife 

and their habitats led to the establishment of eight Climate Science Centers 

(CSCs) to provide actionable science 

to assist resource managers in identifying and adapting to coming changes. 

Coordinated by the USGS National 

Climate Change and Wildlife Science 

Center (NCCWSC), the eight CSCs work 

directly with decision makers and other 

stakeholders from Federal, state, tribal, 

and other interests to identify needed 

information at the regional scale, and 

to work closely with them to tailor the 

resulting products. CSCs are joint university-based centers, often with multiple 

universities and other partners (including 

tribes, a tribal college, and other Federal 

labs).

The primary mission of CSCs is to meet 

the needs of regional decision makers 

for information about climate impacts 

and adaptation. Working with LCCs 

and other regional partners, each CSC 

develops a medium term science plan, 

and supports the implementation of that 

plan with annual funding and regional 

convening activities such as regional 

climate conferences and partner-based 

coordination activities. Complementing 

and based on these locally-focused and 

actionable activities is an emerging suite 

of multi-CSC-to-national scale activities that can synthesize information from 

multiple regions or draw more robust 

conclusions. Initial topics will include the 

effects of climate on migratory birds, the 

ecological effects of severe and extended 

drought, and improved guidance on the 

selection and use of climate projections.

The CSCs, the NCCWSC, and the 

Strategy are ideally matched. Created 

nearly simultaneously, all focus on 

impacts and adaptation, are partnership-focused, work primarily at the 

“action level” (where resource managers 

face emerging challenges), and are 

committed to using the best science to 

support managers. By building capacity 

and infrastructure for both science and 

collaboration, CSCs and the NCCWSC 

hope to foster science based adaptation 

as climate change continues.

Regional Integrated 

Sciences and 

Assessments

NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and 

Assessments (RISA) program supports 

interdisciplinary research teams that help 

expand and build the nation’s capacity 

to prepare for and adapt to climate variability and change. Since 1995, the RISA 

network has expanded to include 11 

regions.18 These teams engage public and 

private user communities to 1) advance 

understanding of policy, planning, 

and management contexts; 2) develop 

knowledge on impacts, vulnerabilities, 

and response options through interdisciplinary research and participatory 

processes; 3) innovate risk management 

products and tools to enhance the use 

of science in decision making; and 4) 

test diverse governance structures for 

managing scientific research.

RISAs are academically-based and work 

in regions to engage a diverse range of 

partners across sectors. RISAs work 

18 <cpo.noaa.gov/ClimatePrograms/

ClimateandSocietalInteractions/RISAProgram/

RISATeams.aspx>

directly with managers to understand 

how climate impacts the resources they 

manage and develop strategies for adaptive management. RISA teams use their 

understanding of different decision 

contexts to develop knowledge tailored 

to suit specific needs across different 

timescales of climate and across different 

sectors. In addition to specific projects, 

RISAs often play a capacity building 

role in the regions in which they work 

through ongoing engagement with partners and stakeholders around an issue.

USDA Regional 

Climate Hubs

The USDA Regional Hubs for Risk 

Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate 

Change (USDA Climate Hubs) provide 

science-based knowledge, practical information and program support to farmers, 

ranchers, forest landowners, and resource 

managers to support decision-making 

related to climate change impacts, such 

as drought, flooding, pests and changing 

growing seasons. This effort is accomplished by translating science findings 

into information and tools that are 

usable by land managers and their advisors (Cooperative Extension, USDA 

Service Centers, certified crop advisors, 

and others). The Climate Hubs provide 

stakeholder feedback to the science 

community allowing them to better serve 

the needs of the working land managers. 

Healthy/resilient working lands (farms, 

ranches, forests, etc.) are crucial in order 

to maintain habitat needed for fish and 

wildlife.
Goal 5 | 35

Strategy 5.2: Conduct research 

into ecological aspects of climate 

change, including likely impacts 

and the adaptive capacity of 

species, communities, and 

ecosystems, and their associated 

ecosystem services, working 

through existing partnerships or 

new collaborations as needed.

Climate change research is a very broad 

and extremely active field, and is being 

conducted all across the country and 

at many different scales. Results from 

academic research on the ecological 

responses to climate change should be 

made available to managers, for incorporation into decision support tools, and to 

inform climate change adaptation planning, delivery, and evaluation.

Studying Coral 

Adaptations

The coral reefs in and around National 

Park of American Samoa (NPSA) 

support over 975 fish species, more than 

250 coral species, and a high diversity of invertebrates. Disturbances such 

as cyclones are expected to increase 

with climate change, but the principal 

threat to coral reefs is increased nearshore water temperatures and increased 

coral disease and coral bleaching events. 

Coral reefs within NPSA and worldwide 

are expected to experience substantial 

mortality of up to 90% loss by the end of 

the century. Ocean acidification, which 

is caused by increased levels of carbon 

dioxide in the atmosphere, also weakens 

coral.

The corals in Ofu Lagoon are currently 

healthy despite experiencing multiple 

environmental stressors including 

high daily temperatures and large 

fluctuations in temperature, pH, and 

dissolved oxygen. In 2002 and 2003 when 

increased water temperatures caused 

extensive coral bleaching in the region, 

the corals in Ofu Lagoon were found to 

have experienced less bleaching than 

other nearby reefs. This unique tolerance to high temperatures and other 

stressors provides an opportunity to 

better understand coral resilience and 

the implications for the health of corals 

worldwide, to identify areas of reefs in 

Samoa that would benefit most from 

protection and conservation, and perhaps 

to use these corals to reseed areas where 

corals have been lost to climate change 

impacts.

Results of these studies will help the 

park in planning long-term management 

efforts, such as identifying new candidates for marine protected areas.

Strategy 5.3: Advance 

understanding of climate change 

impacts and species and 

ecosystem responses through 

modeling.

The use of models to project potential 

changes in weather patterns and natural 

systems has already generated a great 

deal of useful information to help us 

plan for future climate impacts, especially at large scales. A growing number 

of predictive modeling projects of all 

types and scales have been conducted by 

government agencies and stakeholder 

partners, and results are already being 

used to inform planning and decisionmaking. This is the most active area of 

research in climate adaptation. These 

models can be used for scenario planning 

and the design of management strategies.

The NPSA laboratory on the island of Ofu 

supports coral reef research. Local NPS 

interns Sui Fautua and Vano Alosio take water 

samples while assisting visiting researchers. 

national park service
36 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Pacific Coast SeaLevel Rise Modeling

Coastal areas are high risk zones for 

the impacts of global climate change. 

Projected sea-level rise (SLR) of up to 

6 ft. by 2100 is expected to alter coastal 

estuaries, resulting in loss of tidal salt 

marshes and their associated species. 

Loss of salt marsh habitats along the 

Pacific coast tidal gradient will impact 

demographic and community structure of these sensitive communities, and 

targeted restoration and triage will be 

required to save remnant areas. Rather 

than downscaling global climate models 

that are difficult to interpret at a particular site, this project is working with 

local managers and communities to 

assess parcel-scale information from the 

bottom-up.

This project is assessing the effects of 

SLR at 18 different tidal marshes located 

in California, Washington and Oregon. 

The project team measured elevation, 

accretion rate, tidal inundation, and plant 

communities and used ArcGIS models 

to create comparable datasets across the 

Pacific coast tidal gradient. Marsh SLR 

response models were developed out to 

the year 2100 in 10-year increments to 

assist decision-making by site managers. 

The project leads met often in-person 

with the land managers to help them 

understand the products and incorporate 

results into local planning documents, 

vulnerability assessments and decision 

making processes.

A final report is complete for SLR 

modeling for 12 sites across San 

Francisco Bay. Results from the modeling 

suggest that 9 sites (representing about 

95% of the total 5000 acre study area) 

would become mudflats by 2100 with 

a 4 foot sea-level rise. Three sites are 

projected to be low marsh habitat dominated by Spartina spp. by 2100. All 

upland transition, high- and mid-marsh 

habitats were projected to be lost by 2100.

Partners

» Bandon Marsh National Wildlife 

Refuge

» California State Parks and Ecological 

Reserves

» Gray’s Harbor National Wildlife 

Refuge

» Morro Bay National Estuary Program

» Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

» North Pacific Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative

» Northwest Climate Science Center

» Oregon State University

» Padilla National Estuarine Research 

Reserve

» San Diego and San Francisco Bay 

National Wildlife Refuges

» San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge

» Siletz National Wildlife Refuge

» South Slough National Estuarine 

Research Reserve

» Southwest Climate Science Center

» Tijuana Estuary National Estuarine 

Research Reserve

» University of California, Davis

» University of California, Los Angeles

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Inventory and 

Monitory Program

» U.S. Geological Survey

» U.S. Navy

» Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Modeling for Virginia’s 

Wildlife Action Plan

During 2009, the Virginia Department of 

Game and Inland Fisheries, the National 

Wildlife Federation, and the Virginia 

Conservation Network, with support 

from State Wildlife Grants and the Doris 

Duke Charitable Foundation, developed 

a strategy to safeguard Virginia’s Species 

of Greatest Conservation Need from the 

effects of climate change (see Box on 

SWAPs). This planning process involved 

scores of partners and stakeholders and 

identified ten implementation strategies. With additional support from State 

Wildlife Grants and the Doris Duke 

Charitable Foundation, Virginia was able 

to implement one of these strategies by 

developing new climate models to help 

Virginians better understand the climatic 

changes predicted for the mid-Atlantic 

region and what those changes would 

mean for wildlife and habitats.

Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge 

consists of 289 acres of salt marsh on the 

southern coast of Oregon.

David Pitkin/usfws
Goal 5 | 37

The modeling project considered dozens 

of climatic factors under two different 

green-house gas scenarios and at a finer 

geographic resolution than was previously available. The downscaled climate 

models were applied to describe how 

20 plant and animal species, associated 

with Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan, are 

likely to be impacted by climate change. 

A series of workshops were held with 

conservation partners and stakeholders 

to determine the best ways to make the 

models available to the conservation 

community.

Data resulting from this project are 

being used to update Virginia’s Wildlife 

Action Plan, which allows authors to 

discuss long-term, climate-related, 

concerns and “climate smart” actions. A 

follow-up project has been initiated to 

help Virginians understand how climate 

change is likely to impact the conservation and recreation values of currently 

conserved lands. It is hoped this effort 

will provide management agencies with 

tools to help evaluate the future value of 

existing lands and facilitate the prioritization of future land acquisitions with 

regards to climate change.

Partners

» Virginia Department of Game and 

Inland Fisheries

» Kutztown University

» National Wildlife Federation

» Virginia Conservation Network

» Virginia Tech’s Conservation 

Management Institute

“Our climate modeling has 

confirmed Virginia’s landscapes 

will change, but healthy 

populations in healthy habitats 

will have the best chance of 

adapting to changing climatic 

conditions—providing Virginia 

with an important goal for 

our next round of action plan 

implementation.”

—Chris Burkett, Virginia Department of Game

and Inland Fisheries

Habitat Modeling for 

Wintering Black Ducks

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 

been charged with increasing black 

duck habitat by 10% across the National 

Wildlife Refuge System to reach a 3-year 

population average of 100,000 wintering 

black ducks in the Chesapeake Bay 

by 2025. 19 Managing the black duck 

population at a time when land use and 

sea-level rise pose a recognized peril to 

this species and their habitats will require 

a strategic approach. The critical first step 

in this process is having a firm understanding of current black duck habitat 

utilization within the refuge system.

A bioenergetics model was used to determine the amount of energetically viable 

habitat as a function of quality prey, 

dispersal availability, and resultant food 

web interactions within the Chesapeake 

refuge system. The model produced from 

this study will demonstrate the extent to 

which sea-level rise and land-use change 

may affect black duck habitat at particular refuges. Using this information, 

refuge managers will be able to evaluate 

the effectiveness of different efforts for 

black duck habitat restoration across the 

refuge system.

19 Executive Order 13508,<www.whitehouse.gov/

the_press_office/Executive-Order-Chesapeake-BayProtection-and-Restoration>

The green heron is one of hundreds of 

Virginia’s species that will benefit from 

the climate-smart habitat actions to be 

implemented from Virginia’s next Wildlife 

Action Plan.

Wild ducks at Forsythe National Wildlife 

Refuge.

Carol Norris

Steve Droter
38 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Partners

» Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

» Black Duck Joint Venture

» Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

» Ducks Unlimited

» Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge

» James River National Wildlife Refuge

» Martin National Wildlife Refuge

» Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge

» Plum Tree National Wildlife Refuge

» Presquille National Wildlife Refuge

» Rappahannock National Wildlife 

Refuge

» University of Delaware

» U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National 

Wildlife Refuge System

» U.S. Geological Survey

Birds of the North 

Pacific

This project aggregated existing bird 

observation data and then modeled 

the distribution and abundance of 26 

species of land birds in the southern 

portion of the North Pacific LCC. 

The models are based on climate and 

modeled vegetation. Using the models, 

maps were created for the distribution and abundance of each species for 

current conditions and potential future 

conditions based on five future regional 

climate models. The bird models were 

also used to create maps of conservation 

priorities for all species and for species 

indicative of four different habitat types: 

conifer forest, oak woodlands, grasslands 

and riparian forest. A web-based decision support tool was created that can be 

used to support climate adaptation planning. The project also added one million 

new bird records from approximately 

25 studies or data sets to the Avian 

Knowledge Network (AKN) database.

Disseminating the results via online 

decision support tools, other websites, 

direct outreach to stakeholders in the 

region (e.g., webinars), and peer reviewed 

literature was also a priority. The project 

created a web based decision support 

tool where the results from the project 

can be viewed, queried and downloaded, 

including reports of model results for 

user-defined regions.20

Partners

» North Pacific Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative

» American Bird Conservancy

» Bureau of Land Management National 

Landscape Conservation System

» Klamath Bird Observatory

» Point Blue Conservation Science

20 <data.prbo.org/apps/nplcc>

Rufous Hummingbird
Goal 6 | 39

 Goal 6

Increase awareness and motivate action 

to safeguard fish, wildlife, and plants in a 

changing climate.

An informed professional community and engaged 

public is necessary to ensure successful and 

efficient adaptation action. Land managers and 

other practitioners with the responsibility to 

implement adaptation actions are only one side 

of the equation. Public awareness and engagement 

is also critical to the development and acceptance 

of adaptation actions.

Pacific Northwest 

Tribal Climate Change 

Project

American Indian and Alaska Native 

tribes face disproportionate risks from 

a changing climate. Tribes have unique 

rights, cultures, and economies that may 

be vulnerable to climate change impacts. 

For indigenous peoples, the environmental impacts of climate change and 

some of the proposed solutions threaten 

ways of life, subsistence (including access 

to healthy foods), lands rights, future 

growth, cultural survivability, and 

financial stability.

The Tribal Climate Change Project is 

a collaborative project between the 

University of Oregon Environmental 

Studies Program and the USDA Forest 

Service Pacific Northwest Research 

Station. The project focuses on understanding and communicating the impacts 

of climate change on tribal sovereignty 

and culture through research, resource 

development, and facilitation of the 

Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change 

Network.21 The project also focuses on 

understanding needs and opportunities 

for tribes in addressing climate change, 

examining the government-to-government relationship in a climate context 

and exploring the role of traditional 

knowledge in climate change studies, 

assessments and plans.

Resources include development of 

profiles featuring the innovative 

approaches of tribes across the United 

States addressing climate change through 

adaptation and mitigation strategies. 

The Tribal Climate Change Profiles are 

21 <tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/network>

Strategy 6.1: Increase public 

awareness and understanding 

of climate impacts to natural 

resources and ecosystem 

services and the principles of 

climate adaptation at regionallyand culturally-appropriate scales.

Familiar species and natural landscapes 

are cherished by the public, and public 

outreach and communication will be 

increasingly critical as climatic changes 

as well as adaptation and resilience 

responses alter those landscapes.
40 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

intended to be a pathway to increasing 

knowledge among tribal and non-tribal 

organizations interested in learning about 

climate change mitigation and adaptation 

efforts. They are an example of a focused 

outreach effort aimed at engaging and 

communicating with a key audience 

about these critical issues.

Partners

» Tribes in the Pacific Northwest and 

beyond

» Columbia River Intertribal Fish 

Commission

» Northwest Indian Fisheries 

Commission

» Intertribal Timber Council

» Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians

» North Pacific Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative

» Northwest Climate Science Center

» Oregon Climate Change Research 

Institute

Strategy 6.2: Engage the public 

through targeted education and 

outreach efforts and stewardship 

opportunities.

Public engagement offers a great opportunity for utilizing public lands to share 

information with visitors. An example 

of this type of effort comes from the 

National Park Service where wayside 

informational signs include information about the impacts of climate change 

while also providing digital access to 

information about other National Parks 

facing similar threats.

National Climate 

Change Wayside Project

National Park Service (NPS) sites 

throughout the country are beginning to experience impacts on natural 

and cultural resources associated with 

climate change, leading to a high priority 

communication project underway in 

several parks. A network of interpretive 

wayside exhibits in 13 parks will describe 

the impacts to local resources, as well as 

the national and global implications of 

climate change. This innovative project 

will convey current and projected effects 

of climate change to park visitors in a 

way that promotes understanding of the 

global nature of the issue and interconnected effects across the National Park 

System.

Through Quick Response (QR) codes 

and web addresses on the exhibits, visitors will see a list of parks with similar 

issues and links to which they can 

navigate for more information. As an 

example, while considering glacial melt 

information on the exhibit in Kenai 

Fjords National Park, visitors will simultaneously be able to examine projected 

sea level rise in the Dry Tortugas, and 

learn that continued melting of glaciers 

An exhibit at Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California shares sea level rise projections 

with visitors and serves as the prototype for a new series of similar exhibits that will be installed in 

coastal national parks from Alaska to Florida.

National Park Service
Goal 6 | 41

has implications for resources in other 

areas, such as Fort Jefferson in the Dry 

Tortugas. Thus, through a nationwide 

network of exhibits, visitors will receive 

consistent, focused messages to understand key climate change effects at the 

local level, and how these relate to effects 

in other areas.

Partners

» National Park Service Climate Change 

Response Program

» Big Cypress National Park

» Biscayne National Park

» Dry Tortugas National Park

» Everglades National Park

» Golden Gate National Recreation Area

» Great Smoky Mountain National Park

» Kenai Fjords National Park

» Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

» National Park Service Harpers Ferry 

Center

» Point Reyes National Seashore

» Rock Creek Park

» Sequoia and Kings Canyon National 

Parks

» Wolf Trap National Park

Maine Fishermen’s Climate Roundtable

Fishermen in Maine participate in an annual 

Roundtable.

The Fishermen’s Climate Roundtable is 

an annual opportunity for fishermen and 

scientists to come together and share 

notes about the past fishing/research 

year, as well as longer term changes 

participants are noticing on the water. 

The event has been occurring for the last 

eight years. There is a core group of about 

15 fishermen who attend every year and 

a larger group that attends intermittently. 

Depending upon the specific topics of 

interest identified by the fishermen, 

multiple different marine scientists are 

invited per year.

The Roundtables have resulted in 

a report, A Climate of Change- A 

Preliminary Assessment of Fishermen’s 

Observation on a Dynamic Fishery in 

2008 which was an overview of climate 

science and the major findings from the 

first two years of Climate Roundtables. 

Another report is forthcoming. The goal 

of these reports is to raise awareness 

about the impacts of climate change in 

Maine. The participating scientists and 

researchers want to encourage the residents of Maine to recognize the threat of 

climate change to culturally significant 

lobster fishing.22

Partners

» Island Institute

» National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

» Maine Department of Marine 

Resources

“As more observations are 

collected from other fishermen, 

we will be able to see more clearly 

how trends are changing over time 

and we will be better prepared to 

adapt to any resulting changes in 

the fishery. My hope is that our 

observations can and will be used 

by scientists to help document 

these trends.”

—Elliott Thomas, Fisherman, Yarmouth, Maine.

22 Go to <vimeo.com/78754353> for a documentary 

produced by the fishermen as part of the Climate of 

Change series. This series can also be found on our 

website at <www.islandinstitute.org/climateofchange>.

The Island Institute
42 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Engaging Youth with 

Climate Change

The National Park Service (NPS) is 

collaborating with the non-profit Global 

Explorers23 to develop a suite of educational activities engaging middle and 

high school students with key climate 

change messages that range in duration 

and complexity for different purposes 

23 <www.globalexplorers.org/programs/climate_

change_academy>

and demographics. All activities went 

through development and testing phases 

in 2013 for piloting and implementation 

in 2014.

The resulting curriculum aims to teach 

educators and students about the principles of climate change through a 

place-based approach. It shares overall 

climate science, and delves into how 

climate change is occurring on the landscape in parks, how resources will be 

affected and describes potential actions 

to get involved in the solution.

In the fall of 2014, Global Explorers 

will conduct an art contest over their 

website to generate student perspectives on climate change. The resulting 

art will be used as a communication 

tool for the NPS. This project will reach 

K-12 educators and students in urban 

or underserved environments that may 

not have the opportunity to travel to 

a national park or learn about climate 

change in the context of a national park.

Partners

» National Park Service Climate Change 

Response Program

» Denali National Park

» Global Explorers

» Kenai Fjords National Park

Strategy 6.3: Coordinate climate 

change communication efforts 

across jurisdictions.

Natural resource management agencies 

must communicate what they do to the 

public. Coordinating across jurisdictions 

leads to a stronger, more resounding 

message.

High school students participate in citizen 

science activities to monitor changes in plants 

and animals due to climate change at Great 

Smoky Mountains and other national parks 

across the nation.

Snapshot

Climate-Smart Conservation

The National Wildlife Federation and an 

expert workgroup consisting of leaders 

in climate adaptation from federal and 

state agencies and non-governmental 

organizations have collaboratively developed a guidebook for designing and 

carrying out conservation in the face of 

a rapidly changing climate. This guidebook, Climate Smart Conservation: 

Putting Adaptation Principles into Action, 

will help conservationists and resource 

managers incorporate climate change 

considerations into their work. The report 

demystifies the discipline of climate 

adaptation by offering a common-sense 

approach to adaptation planning and 

implementation that breaks the process 

into discrete and manageable steps can 

be applied across jurisdictions.

National Park Service
Goal 7 | 43

One of the most important and 

frequently cited actions to help increase 

the capacity of fish, wildlife, and plants to 

cope with changing climate conditions is 

to reduce the negative impacts of existing 

stressors. The importance of conserving, 

restoring, and connecting suitable habitats as a way to enhance fish, wildlife, and 

plant resiliency has been discussed in 

Goal 1 of the Strategy, but reducing and 

mitigating the ongoing degradation associated with human development through 

such stressors as pollution, invasive 

species, etc., is also critical to maintain 

short-term survival for some species, as 

well as increase species’ resilience in a 

changing climate.

While many of these projects are 

undertaken with the expressed goal of 

increasing resiliency to climate change, 

they vary in terms of how clearly they 

will actually increase resilience. In the 

future, it will be important to emphasize these linkages to the future climate 

conditions and make clear how reducing 

non-climate stressors will have the 

dual benefit of improving the ability 

for ecosystems to adapt to a changing 

climate.

Strategy 7.1: Slow and reverse 

habitat loss and fragmentation.

Conserving and connecting suitable 

habitat by reversing habitat loss and fragmentation gives species the best chance 

to move to more suitable locations as 

current habitats become no longer suitable. An example of this strategy is from 

the Bureau of Land Management which 

seeks to reduce habitat loss from future 

energy development on federal land.

 Goal 7

Reduce non-climate stressors to help fish, 

wildlife, plants, and ecosystems adapt to 

a changing climate.

The impacts of climate change are not the only threats 

to fish, wildlife, plants, and natural systems. Nonclimate stressors include habitat loss, fragmentation, 

and degradation; invasive species; overharvesting 

and destructive harvest practices; and disease. The 

cumulative effects of these existing stressors is 

already a major threat to many species, some of which 

may not survive long enough to have a chance of 

adapting to climate change if existing stressors are not 

adequately addressed. Climatic changes such as rising 

temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns will interact 

and combine with these other threats in complex ways, 

creating synergistic impacts and novel situations.
44 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Snapshot

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Regional Mitigation 

Strategy

The Regional Mitigation Strategy for the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) is intended to 

inform the decision-making process associated with leasing land for utility-scale solar development. It is a strategy for compensating for the unavoidable impacts that are expected from 

the development of the Dry Lake SEZ in southern Nevada. The Strategy consists of preliminary findings and recommendations for a process that identifies: (1) the unavoidable impacts 

of utility-scale solar development in the Dry Lake SEZ that may warrant regional mitigation; (2) mitigation actions that can be implemented in the region to compensate for those 

impacts; (3) how a regional mitigation fee could be calculated; and (4) how the impacts and 

mitigation actions could be monitored.

The models informed the identification of the BLM’s Gold Butte Area of Critical Environmental 

Concern (ACEC) as the highest rated candidate site for conducting mitigation actions, in part, 

because the vegetation type in this area may persist longer under climate change than other 

areas that were considered. This project is complete and documented in the BLM’s Technical 

Note 444.24

24 <www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wo/blm_library/tech_notes.Par.29872.File.dat/TN_444.pdf>

Strategy 7.2: Slow, mitigate, and 

reverse where feasible ecosystem 

degradation from anthropogenic 

sources through land/oceanuse planning, water resource 

planning, pollution abatement, 

and the implementation of best 

management practices.

Improving habitat quality by reducing 

anthropogenic pollution increases 

the resilience and adaptive options 

for species responding to a changing 

climate. Many agencies, such as the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 

are currently working to reduce habitat 

degradation by reducing pollution of the 

air and water.

Promoting Healthy 

Watersheds

On February 22, 2013, EPA, The Nature 

Conservancy (TNC), and the Association 

of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) 

jointly signed the Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) to promote EPA’s 

Healthy Watersheds Program25 (HWP).

This MOU formalizes a mutual collaboration between these groups as they 

strive to develop and implement healthy 

watersheds programs in states and with 

regional aquatic ecosystem programs. 

These programs include working with 

states and other partners to identify 

healthy watersheds state-wide and to 

implement healthy watershed protection 

plans, to integrate such protection into 

EPA programs and to increase awareness 

and understanding of the importance 

of protecting our remaining healthy 

25 <www.epa.gov/healthywatersheds>

National Park Service
Goal 7 | 45

watersheds. These partners recognize that 

healthy, intact watersheds can offset the 

potential impacts of climate change in a 

variety of ways including maintenance 

of baseflow during periods of drought, 

native vegetation that provides cooling 

during periods of high temperature, 

carbon storage in native vegetation 

and soils, and enhanced stormwater 

infiltration capacity that mitigates 

downstream flooding.

The partners will promote data gathering/data sharing and evaluation 

of conservation and environmental 

outcomes resulting from the implementation of state and regional healthy 

watershed programs.

Partners

» Association of Clean Water 

Administrators

» Environmental Protection Agency

» The Nature Conservancy

Strategy 7.3: Use, evaluate, and 

as necessary, improve existing 

programs to prevent, control, and 

eradicate invasive species and 

manage pathogens.

Climate change can shift the range of 

invasive species, serve as the trigger by 

which non-native species do become 

invasive, and introduce and spread 

invasive species through severe weather 

events such as storms and floods. While 

most land and wildlife management 

agencies have long had programs in place 

to reduce impacts from invasive species, 

managers are now forced to consider 

these threats within a climate change 

context.

Strengthening Resiliency in Sierra Nevada 

Meadows

Sierra Nevada meadow complexes are 

wetland habitats with great ecological 

importance despite their limited extent. 

Invasive plants have long been recognized as a threat to the region’s wildlife 

for their range of impacts. However, the 

Sierra Nevada is not yet impacted by 

invasive plants as much as other regions 

of California. It has been protected in 

part by the more challenging climate at 

higher elevations. As California’s climate 

warms, many invasive plant species are 

expected to find hospitable range farther 

into the mountains. California’s Wildlife 

Action Plan (see box on SWAPs) identifies climate change and invasive plants 

as top threats to wildlife in the Sierra 

Nevada.

This project intends to strengthen the 

resiliency of critical meadow habitat 

in the Sierra Nevada. It began in 2014, 

building on past work to limit the 

spread of invasive plants in the region. 

Using 2-year project funding from 

the Wildlife Conservation Society’s 

Climate Adaptation Fund, a group of 

regional partners met to determine sites 

and species, select a set of meadows to 

serve as pilots and design invasive plant 

eradication efforts in and around these 

meadows.

California Invasive Species Council’s 

CalWeedMapper26 shows the current 

distribution of invasive plant species 

as well as their projected future ranges, 

and provides the basis for selecting 

sites and species for control actions. 

CalWeedMapper is a new online decision-support tool designed to help land 

managers set effective invasive plant 

management strategies by providing 

statewide maps of invasive plant distribution, spread, management and suitability.

26 <calweedmapper.cal-ipc.org>

Meadows along the Truckee River in the 

Sierra Nevada foothills are susceptible to 

future invasive plants.
46 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Through extensive partnerships with 

the Forest Service, county Weed 

Management Areas, and local watershed 

groups in the region, high-risk invasive 

plant populations will be eradicated from 

Sierra meadows that serve as critical 

habitat for climate adaptation. These pilot 

projects will inform future adaptation 

work on other Sierra Nevada meadows. 

Partners are well-situated for communicating the project’s accomplishments, 

and will work to ensure the long-term 

sustainability of the effort.

Partners

» California Department of Fish and 

Wildlife

» California Invasive Plant Council

» El Dorado County Department of 

Agriculture

» Eldorado National Forest

» Nevada County Department of 

Agriculture

» Pacific Gas and Electric Company

» Placer County Department of 

Agriculture

» South Yuba River Citizens League

» Tahoe National Forest

» Truckee River Watershed Council

» U.S. Forest Service

“Controlling invasive plants helps 

keep meadow habitats healthy 

so they can continue to support 

wildlife and native plants as the 

climate changes. It’s a proactive 

measure that may make these 

habitats more resilient to climate 

change.”

—Ed King, Placer County Agricultural

Commissioner’s office

Snapshot

Vessel Discharge Standards 

to Reduce Invasive Species

In 2013, EPA issued a revised Vessel 

Discharge Permit for discharges of 

water from ships, including discharges 

of ballast water that have been associated with the release of invasive aquatic 

species. EPA finalized new, more stringent 

effluent limitations to replace the weaker 

limitations in the 2008 Vessel General 

Permit for ballast water. These changes 

will achieve significant reductions in the 

number of living organisms discharged via 

ballast water into waters subject to this 

permit. EPA has set the effluent limit for 

ballast water as numbers of living organisms per cubic meter discharged (i.e., as 

a maximum acceptable concentration) 

because reducing the concentration of 

living organisms will reduce densities of 

potential invasive species discharged in a 

vessel’s ballast water.27

27 <www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/vgp_

overview2013.pdf>

Heightened Awareness 

for Emerging Pathogens

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services 

(VS) is developing and resourcing 

new approaches to identify and assess 

emerging pathogens. The recent detection and spread of pathogens such as 

corona viruses in swine in the United 

States demonstrates the need to increase 

our awareness of emerging pathogens of terrestrial and aquatic animals 

throughout the world, our understanding of the risk they may pose to 

animal health in the US, and improve 

measures to prevent entry and spread of 

the pathogens of concern. VS is currently 

finalizing an emerging diseases framework document to provide direction and 

consistency to this approach.

Engaging in emerging disease detection 

and response is not new to Veterinary 

Services. Since 2001, VS strategic plans 

have incorporated identification and 

response to emerging diseases within 

the major goals. The strategic approach 

being developed will incorporate new 

approaches, advanced technologies, and 

improved communication capabilities 

in order to enhance the ability to identify and respond to emerging diseases of 

concern.
Summary & Conclusion | 47

Strategy 7.4: Reduce destructive 

capture practices, over-harvesting, 

and illegal trade to help increase 

fish, wildlife, and plant adaptation.

Destructive capture practices of various 

species—whether birds, fish, marine 

mammals, or turtles—can have significant, biological, economic, and social 

impacts as well as reducing the ability of 

populations to adapt to the impacts of 

climate change. NOAA is leading efforts 

to reduce destructive marine capture 

practices such as by-catch through the 

National Bycatch Program.

Summary & Conclusion

Across the country, the agencies responsible for 

managing fish, wildlife, and plants are working with 

partners and stakeholders to take concrete steps 

to address the current impacts and future threats of 

climate change on these valuable resources and the 

important services they provide. 

Well before the Strategy was developed, federal, tribal, state, and local governments and conservation partners had initiated a variety of efforts to help prepare for 

Snapshot

Bycatch Reduction 

Engineering Program

Preventing and reducing bycatch is a 

shared goal of fisheries managers, the 

fishing industry, and the environmental 

community. The cumulative effects of 

bycatch on certain fish populations is 

already a major threat, and reducing this 

impact is a critical part of ensuring populations are healthy and resilient enough 

to be able to adapt to additional climate 

change stressors.

The Bycatch Reduction Engineering 

Program (BREP) is a part of NOAA’s 

National Bycatch Program. The mission of 

the BREP is to develop technological solutions and investigate changes in fishing 

practices designed to minimize bycatch of 

fish including sponges and deep sea and 

shallow, tropical corals, and protected 

species. The BREP also intends to minimize bycatch injury and mortality including 

post-release injury and mortality. The 

BREP awards grants to reduce bycatch 

and post-release mortality in commercial 

and recreational fisheries.

and respond to the impacts of climate 

change. Successful implementation of the 

Strategy into the future will take commitment and resources by both government 

and non-government entities. The examples highlighted in this report are not a 

comprehensive accounting of what has 

been accomplished, but rather provide 

examples of the diversity of projects, 

scales of planning, and partnerships 

that are being utilized to respond to the 

impacts climate change.

The Strategy was designed to build on 

and assist these efforts across multiple 

scales and organizations by collectively 

identifying the major strategies and 

initial actions needed to help our valuable living resources in the face of climate 

change. The Strategy recommended over 

100 actions that were organized into 

23 strategies under seven major goals. 

For this report, 100 case studies were 

voluntarily submitted, by members and 

partners of the Joint Implementation 

Working Group, describing projects 

being implemented by over 350 different 

partners at the federal, state, tribal, 

and local levels. This Progress Report 

includes case studies showing promising 

work in all 23 of the strategies.

The majority of the climate change adaptation projects were reported under 

goals four and five, suggesting that 

many agencies are already working to 

“Increase Knowledge and Information” 

and to “Support Adaptive Management.” 

These projects include efforts to understand the impacts of climate change and 

completing vulnerability assessments 

of species and habitats. Fewer projects 

were reported under goal six: “Increase 

Awareness and Motivate Action.” This 

represents a large opportunity for agencies that interface with the public and 

industry groups to better communicate 

with and engage constituents in understanding and encouraging action to 

combat climate change.

The Strategy and the diverse adaptation 

work that has already been initiated or 

completed by a wide range of partners 

are part of a significant collective effort to 

safeguard the nation’s fish, wildlife, and 
48 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

plants, and the communities and economies that depend on them in a changing 

climate. Although this report identifies 

critical actions that are being taken now, 

a challenging task lies ahead. The success 

of climate adaptation relies on continuing 

action by federal, tribal, state, and 

local governments and many partners. 

In particular, this will include implementing the plans and recommendations 

that result from many of the ongoing 

efforts reported here. In addition, there 

is still much to be learned about the 

specific impacts of climate change and 

the responses of plants, wildlife, and 

ecosystems. A successful response to this 

challenge must include increased engagement from agencies, managers and 

partners at all levels.

When the Strategy was released, the 

intent was to inspire realistic action on 

climate adaptation. The projects in this 

Progress Report serve as further examples and motivation for useful projects 

that can be successfully undertaken 

across the country. They help illustrate 

that any organization, large or small, can 

engage with federal, state, tribal, and 

local partners to improve the resiliency 

of ecosystems to the impacts of climate 

change.

To date, these projects have been undertaken because of the foresight, initiative 

and energy of those involved. They are 

not yet the result of a major, integrated, 

and coordinated effort to respond to the 

expected impacts of climate change on 

our living natural resources. Such an 

effort is needed and the Strategy provides 

a framework for its development.

Appendix. All submitted 

case studies

The following table lists the title, location, 

submitting agency, and habitat type for 

all of the case studies that were submitted 

during the production of this report. The 

table is arranged by location and divided 

in to seven different regions. These 

regions are Alaska, the Pacific Islands, 

West, Midwest, Southeast, Northeast, 

and National. The JIWG was only able 

to include full descriptions of about half 

of these projects in this Progress Report. 

For more information about any of these 

projects, including a list of partners, 

please contact the JIWG.

These case studies will be available online 

at <wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov>.
Summary & Conclusion | 49

Title Location Submitting Agency Habitat Type

Alaska

Berries in Decline South Central Alaska North Pacific LCC Arctic

Developing Baseline Data to Respond to Coastal Change Alaska NPS Arctic

Integrated Ecosystem Model for Alaska Alaska USGS Multiple

Restoring Access to Salmon Habitats Alaska Chickaloon Tribe Inland Water

 Pacific Islands

Coral Adaptations at National Park of American Samoa American Samoa NPS Marine

Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative Hawaii and Pacific Island 

territories

PICCC All

West

A Coupled Assessment of Climate Change Washington and Oregon North Pacific LCC Inland Water/Marine

Bear River Estuary Restoration Washington National Fish Habitat 

Partnership

Coastal/Inland Water

Birds of the North Pacific Northern California, Oregon, 

Washington

North Pacific LCC Multiple

BLM Regional Mitigation Strategy Nevada BLM Shrubland

Branciforte Creek Dam Removal California National Fish Habitat 

Partnership

Inland Water

California DFW Climate College California California DFW Multiple

Climate Change and Assisted Migration Idaho USFS Multiple

Climate Change and Southwestern Terrestrial Species Southwest USFS Multiple

Coastal Ecosystems and Climate California, Oregon, 

Washington

North Pacific LCC Coastal

Conner Creek Barrier Removal Project California National Fish Habitat 

Partnership

Inland water

Conservation Planning Atlas North Pacific North Pacific LCC Multiple

Developing Regional Invasive Plant Strategies California California DFW Grassland/Shrubland

Effects of Climate Change on California Coast California USGS Coastal

Effects of Climate Change on Northwest Cheatgrass NV, OR, ID USGS Grassland/Shrubland

Improving Salmon Habitat on the Upper Quinault River Olympic Peninsula, WA Quinault Tribe Inland Water

Integrated Scenarios of Climate, Hydrology, and Vegetation North West US USGS inland water

Local Outreach Coastal Response Modeling California USGS Coastal

Managing Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout under Climate Change ID, WY, UT, NV, and MT NPS Inland Water

North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership Washington NPS Multiple

Northwestern Tribal Forest Improvement Washington Quinault Tribe Forest

Pacific Coast Sea-Level Rise Modeling California, WA, OR FWS Coastal

Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Project Oregon U. of Oregon Multiple

Pacific Northwest Vulnerability Assessment WA, OR, ID Washington State Multiple

Restoration of the Salmon Creek Delta California FWS Coastal

Rio Grande Water Fund New Mexico TNC Inland Water/Forest
50 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

Title Location Submitting Agency Habitat Type

Sagebrush Conservation Western U.S. BLM Grassland/Shrubland

San Francisco Bay Wetland Restoration California NOAA Coastal

San Francisco Conservation Lands Network San Francisco Bay Area FWS Multiple

Saving Hotter and Dryer Cienaga Habitat on Pitchfork Ranch Grant County, Southwest New 

Mexico

AT and Cinda Cole Shrubland/Inland 

Water

Strengthening Meadow Resiliency California California DFW Grassland/Shrubland

Supporting Colorado’s Vulnerability Assessment Colorado FWS Multiple

Traditional Gathering Calendar South-central Alaska to 

Northern California

North Pacific LCC Multiple

Vulnerability Assessment of California Vegetative Communities California California DFW Multiple

Washington Connected Landscapes Washington North Pacific LCC Multiple

Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan Washington WA DFW Inland Water

Midwest

Brook Trout Vulnerability Driftless Area Wisconsin, Michigan Wisconsin DNR Inland Water

Climate Change and the Ceded Territories Great Lakes Region GLIFWC Multiple

Determining Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow North Central US USGS Inland Water

Effects of Climate Change on Woody Encroachment MT, ND, SD, WY, NE USGS Grassland/Shrubland

PFW Program Climate Adaptation Restoration USFWS Mountain Prairie 

Region

FWS Inland Water

Planting Future Forests in Northern Minnesota Minnesota TNC Forest

Protecting Coldwater Fish in Minnesota Minnesota MN DNR Inland Water

Southeast

Acton on Adaptation Cape Romain NWR South Carolina FWS Coastal

Albemarle-Pamlico Adaptation Project North Carolina FWS Coastal

Alternative Futures for Florida Keys Florida Keys Florida Fish and Wildlife 

Commission

Multiple

Assessing Climate-Sensitive Southeast Ecosystems Southeast USGS Multiple

Buying Time Against Rising Seas Florida FWS Coastal

Gulf Coast Climate Vulnerability TX, LA, MS, AL, and FL FWS Coastal

Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit Adaptive Management Florida Keys FWS Coastal and Inland 

Water

Pocosin Lakes NWR Peatland Restoration North Carolina FWS Coastal

Resilient Sites in the Southeast Southeast US (NC, SC, GA, 

FL, Al, TN, KY, WV, and VA)

TNC Multiple

Sea Turtle Vulnerability Assessment Florida USGS Marine/Coastal

Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy SE United States GCPO LCC (FWS) Multiple

Tennessee Dam Removal Tennessee Tennessee DFW Inland Water

West Tennessee Vulnerability Assessment Tennessee GCPO LCC (FWS) Multiple
Summary & Conclusion | 51

Title Location Submitting Agency Habitat Type

Northeast

Building Resilient Fisheries and Communities Through 

Diversification

Maine NOAA Marine

Central Appalachians Essential Forests and Key Connectors Central Appalachian Forests 

(PA, MD, WV, VA, KY, TN)

TNC Forest

Climate Change and Waterfowl Populations Maryland USGS Coastal

Climate Change Impacts on Northeast Forests Northeast USGS Forest

Coastal Vulnerability and Wetlands Impact Assessment Hurricane Sandy Northeast USGS Coastal

Dorchester County SLR Assessment and Strategy Maryland FWS Coastal

Habitat Vulnerability Assessment for Wintering Black Ducks Chesapeake Bay USGS Coastal

Landscape Scale Conservation in the White-Moose New Hampshire, Maine Trust for Public Land Forest

Maine Fishermen’s Climate Roundtables Maine NOAA Marine

Modelling for Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan VA, MD, DE, WV Virginia DFW Forest

Resilient Sites in the Northeast Northeast and Mid-Atlantic 

US and Maritime Canada

TNC Multiple

Taunton Mill River Restoration Massachusetss TNC Inland Water

National

Adaptive Management Benchmarks National DOD All

Climate Academy National AFWA Multiple

Climate Change in Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation National NOAA coastal

Climate Change Planning, Refuge System National FWS Multiple

Climate.gov

National NOAA All

Climate-Smart Sancturies National NOAA Marine

Coral Reef Resilience National NOAA Marine

Digital Coast National NOAA Coastal

Engaging Youth with Climate Change National NPS Multiple

Facilitating Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Planning National ITEP Multiple

Heightened Awareness for Emerging Pathogens National APHIS Multiple

Interpreting Climate Change National NPS Multiple

Monthly Climate Change Webinars National NPS Multiple

National Climate Assessment, Forest Sector Report National USFS Forest

National Climate Change Wayside Project National NPS Multiple

National Phenology Network National USGS Multiple

NWRS CC Engagement Strategy National FWS Multiple

Promoting Aquatic Connectivity and Fish Passage National FWS Inland Water

Promoting Aquatic Connectivity and Fish Passage National EPA Multiple

Using Sentinel Sites to Manage Natural Resources National NOAA Coastal

Water Resource Inventory and Assessment National FWS Inland water

Watershed Vulnerability Pilot Assessments Multiple USFS Inland Water

WeatherBlur National NOAA Coastal
52 | National Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy | Taking Action: A progress report

National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate 

Adaptation Strategy: Taking Action 

Recommended Citation

National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate 

Adaptation Joint Implementation Working 

Group. 

2014. 

National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate 

Adaptation Strategy: Taking Action.

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 

Council on Environmental Quality, Great Lakes 

Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Washington, DC. 

wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov 

For more information, Contact:

Mark Shaffer

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

mark_shaffer@fws.gov 

703-358-2603 

Roger Griffis

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

roger.b.griffis@noaa.gov 

301-427-8134 

Davia Palmeri

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 

dpalmeri@fishwildlife.org 

202-624-5363 

Acknowledgement

This report would not have been possible 

without the research, conservation, and 

management activities of the nation’s natural 

resource managers who were willing to share 

their stories of success with a national 

audience.

This Taking Action report was produced 

by a subgroup of the NFWPCAS Joint 

Implementation Working Group, which is an 

intergovernmental working group of federal, 

state and tribal agency professionals whose 

expertise, knowledge and dedication brought 

the report to completion. The subgroup 

members are listed here. 

NFWPCAS Subgroup Members

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Arpita Choudhury and Davia Palmeri

Council on Environmental Quality

Alice Ewen

National Park Service

Cat Hawkins Hoffman

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency

Roger Griffis, Kim Penn,

Laurie McGilvray

New York State Department of Environmental 

Conservation

Patricia Riexinger

U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs

Sean Hart

U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Peggy Olwell

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service

Wendy Hall

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Mark Shaffer, Kate Freund,

Eleanora Babij, Don Campton

U.S. Geological Survey

Robin O’Malley and Jake Weltzin
joint implementation working

group Member Agencies

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Council on Environmental Quality

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Commission

Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

New York State Department of Environmental 

Conservation

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Farm Service Agency

Natural Resources Conservation Service

U.S. Forest Service

U.S. Department of Commerce, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

National Ocean Service

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Reclamation

National Park Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Water

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Co-Chairs

Rowan Gould

Deputy Director for Operations

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Kevin Hunting

Chief Deputy Director, 

Regional Operations Division

California Department of Fish 

and Wildlife

mark schaefer

Assistant Secretary for Conservation 

and Management

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

Jim Zorn

Executive Administrator

Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission

Management Team Co-Chairs

Mark Shaffer

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Roger Griffis

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

davia palmeri

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Jane Pellicciotto

Design and Layout, Allegro Design

www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov

Back cover photos

Hunters: F. Eugene Hester/USFWS 

Ranch: Baker County Tourism

Girl with telescope: Ohio Division of Wildlife 
www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov