Climate Change: Impacts, Monitoring, and Solutions

Transcription

1 Climate Change: Impacts, Monitoring, and Solutions 1

2 Responding to Climate Change 1. Projections/Impacts 2. Adaptation and Resiliency 3. Monitoring 4. What about emissions? 2

3 Native trout and salmon are already in trouble Salter Brook Trout 3

4 Then we add in climate change Source: National Climate Assessment,

5 Sea Level Rise 5

6 Temperature Projections average average 6

7 Visualizing Temperature Increases 7

8 Air Temperature Impacts 8

9 Water Temperature Impacts 9

10 Precipitation Changes

11 Source: National Climate Assessment,

12 Flooding A blessing or a curse 12

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18 Responding to flooding Work with FWS Fish Passage Program Work in advance Provide extra funds for damaged road crossings Train engineers and first responders Working with FEMA for smarter investments Federal Adaptation Task Force 18

19 What does this mean for the future of trout and salmon? Increasing demand for fresh water supplies Rising stream and lake temperatures Increased frequency and intensity of disturbance events Altered hydrographs Spread of diseases and parasites Spread of non-native species And, more uncertainty as these factors combine 19

20 Adaptation Principles 20

21 A no regrets approach to climate adaptation 1. Prioritize conservation work What is the conservation value of population or stream? What are the limiting factors (e.g. nonnative species, water temperature, water quality) and can they be addressed? 2. Climate safe restoration strategies Watershed Stream and/or population 3. Monitor and evaluate What is the conservation concern? What should you monitor? How do you use the results to inform your conservation work? 21

22 A Climate Safe Stream Checklist: Part 1. The Watershed Goal: To increase the capacity of the watershed to handle big storms or extended drought without adverse impacts to streams Concern Increased stormwater runoff Undersized culverts and drainage systems Polluted runoff Road networks Cumulative impacts Opportunities Construct wetlands, bioswales, retention ponds Replace undersized culverts; clean or install debris racks Identify and eliminate sources of pollution; create retention ponds to hold and treat pollutants Reduce sedimentation by proper maintenance; road decommissioning, seasonal closures Reduce existing stressors such as livestock or timber harvest 22

23 A Climate Safe Stream Checklist: Part 2. The Stream and Trout Population Goal: To increase the resilience of the population so that if habitat is disturbed, the population can quickly recover Concern Vulnerability of small populations Inability of fish to access desired habitat or escape disturbed areas Invasive fish species Warming summer temperatures Needs and Opportunities Increase population size by restoring habitat and/or increasing available habitat Reconnect stream segments; remove barriers; increase instream flows; restore migratory life history Control measures; restore habitats to maintain cold water; install barriers Improve riparian cover; restore deep pools; increase CWD; increase instream flows 23

24 How Your Chapter Can Help 24

25 What do you know about your watershed? Where are the fish Conservation lands Critical habitat Waterbodies Monitoring stations Concentrated Urban Areas Soils Wetlands Barriers culverts, dams 25

26 Use this information Impounded waterbodies feed headwater tributaries To understand threats To seek out partnerships To decide what you don t know so you can monitor it Nutrient and Livestock management activities impacting stream Road and parking lot impacts to Factory Brook 26

27 Introduction to Chapter-based stream monitoring activites 27

28 What are the benefits to chapter-based Scientific Research Fills in knowledge gaps stream monitoring programs? Track environmental change over time Education and Outreach Better understanding of our home waters Expand and diversify chapter activities Collaboration between public and scientists Conservation Outcomes More informed strategies for protection and restoration of our streams, rivers, lakes and the species that depend on them 28

29 What should you be monitoring? Linking monitoring activities to local conservation concerns Conservation Concern Loss of riparian shading; channel widening; summer temperatures Summer base flows Energy development Presence of native or introduced trout Restoration effectiveness Aquatic nuisance species Climate change Monitoring Activities Stream temperature Stream flow measurements Water quality (Angler Sentinel) Photographic record (TroutBlitz) Linked to goals of restoration project (e.g. fish passage, habitat improvements) Photographic record and locational information Stream temperature, aquatic insect emergence (Rivers Calendar) 29

30 Scientific Research Stream temperature monitoring: a good place to start Fill in data gaps for regional and national studies Evaluate relationship between stream temperature and fish distributions Education and Outreach A great chapter activity: it is easy, fun and relatively inexpensive Conservation Outcomes Stream temperature is often a limiting factor for trout and salmon Identify habitat restoration needs (e.g. riparian cover, deep pools) and evaluate project effectiveness Identify important coldwater sources for protection Thorn Creek, WV 30

31 An introduction to temperature monitoring: getting started Check out the new stream temp monitoring manual! A good plan, including objectives for temperature monitoring Data loggers, software, hardware items Members to help calibrate, deploy and retrieve the loggers Data summary and interpretation 31

32 Tools: Stream Temperature Loggers Relatively low cost ($30 $130) Can record at regular intervals over long periods ~5 years Valuable for collecting baseline data, evaluating land use impacts, and tracking climate change trends 32

33 Information provided by stream temperature data 33

34 Support of Regional and National Studies USGS Stream Temperature Databases: NorWeST: hosts data from hundreds of sources and 15,000 unique stream sites NorEaST: not as developed, still out as beta version but increasing realization of the potential and the need 34

35 Other CitSci Opportunities Coldwater Conservation Corps Volunteer stream stewards collect water quality and stream flow monitoring data before and during shale gas development in watersheds with trout focus on early detection of pollution and dewatering events during oil and gas drilling and production. 35

36 Other CitSci Opportunities Objectives: Trout Blitz 1. Photo document trout diversity 2. Document presence of trout to resource agencies 3. Track non-native trout presence 4. Increase awareness of trout diversity Pictures of pure-strain Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) from Independence Lake, California. (photos: John Zablocki) 36

37 Other CitSci Opportunities Rivers Calendar: Tracking the timing of adult aquatic insect emergence A citizen science project that uses angler participation and innovative technology to collect data on the phenology of stream ecosystems, increase stakeholder awareness of climate change and other environmental issues, and influence public policy River s Calendar Pilot Website: riverscalendar.org Jerry Schoen, UMass 37

38 Culvert Assessments States, organization and TU chapters already engaged in Culvert Assessments TU NE Culvert Project has assessed over 1600 crossing with many more planned for this year TU NE staff and partners are actively replacing priority culverts Find out who is doing work in your area and how you can help Horseshoe Brook NH Photo J. MacCartney 38

39 Avoiding the Worst Impacts 39

40 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments 40

41 2014 CAA Proposal for Carbon 30% by 2030 reduction State flexibility Recognition of existing efforts - RGGI 41

42 TU s Stance Focus on what we do best building resiliency, regardless of a changing climate Use sound science to support policy decisions Recognize that resiliency only works to a point and consider reasonable options to reduce emissions. 42