Pilot Project: Fernan Lake

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1 Pilot Project: Fernan Lake

2 Social & Environmental Context Ecological issue Phosphorus excess causing algal blooms and cyanobacteria outbreaks Affected ecosystem services Fishing Boating Swimming Aesthetics Stakeholders City of Fernan Lake Village Watershed Residents Fernan Lake Conservation and Recreation Association Idaho DEQ Kootenai County City of Coeur d Alene East Side Highway District US Forest Service Idaho Department of Fish and Game Kootenai Environmental Alliance Kootenai Soil and Water District Idaho Transportation Department Kootenai Aquifer Protection District IDEQ Coeur d Alene Tribe Panhandle Health Dept. Sits at urban/forest interface 13,786 acres 50% Forest Service 25% industrial private forest 25% private residential/ag 225 households, ~500 people

3 Integrative Research Question How do social ecological systems respond to virtualized demonstration of future ecosystem service vulnerability under various growth and climate change scenarios?

4 Research Capacity Team Leadership (Solomon/Boll) Stakeholder Engagement (Solomon/Pengilly) Benthic loading P contribution and potential (Wilhelm/LaCroix) Background P loading (Brooks) Stormwater contribution (Wilhelm/LaCroix) Wildfire modeling (Kolden) Rain on snow modeling (Link/Brooks) Archival Data Acquired Forest Service: habitat Kootenai County: GIS/parcel IDEQ: water quality US Census: demographic Soil Survey: soils USEPA: stormwater New Data Acquisition Social (in progress) Limnology (in progress) LIDAR (August) Social characterization (Solomon) Vulnerability assessment (Frazier/Thompson/Bean) Model integration (Tinkham/Frazier) Virtualization/Visualization (Anderson/Helbling) Cyber Infrastructure (Sheneman/Hinds/Godfrey) Adventure Learning (Miller/Eitel) Faculty hires in progress: Spatial Social Scientist (Geography); Ecosystem Modeler (Forest, Rangeland, & Fire Sciences) Post doctoral associate hires in progress: Virtualization, Watershed Hydrology, Cyberinfrastructure

5 SES Characterization: Social Objectives Characterize value of and perceived risk to use of Fernan Lake for recreation Characterize social decision making processes and networks Characterize drivers of land use change as they may affect Fernan Lake Methods Two mail surveys (complete) Risk Assessment: Fernan watershed households (37% return) Property Development: owners of undeveloped Fernan watershed property (26% return) Interviews: key person, chain referral (50% complete) Focus groups: 2 for each survey group (May) Final Report (June) I think if the algae blooms continue, in the community Fernan would be known as I hate to say it like a cesspool or an undesirable place (Interview 3/28/14)

6 SES Characterization: Visualizing Data Survey question D.4. How at risk is your community of being impacted by blue green algae blooms? Survey mailed 3/27 to all 215 unique residential addresses Phone reminder calls Incentive for return provided by stakeholders 37% response rate Researchers Survey: Solomon, Frazier, Pengilly, Thompson Visualization: Thompson

7 SES Characterization: Ecological MURIs J. Balbiani S. Howard (J. Balbiani 2014)

8 Virtualization How do social ecological systems respond to virtualized demonstration of future ecosystem service vulnerability under various growth and climate change scenarios? MURIs Kurt Abo Tobias Phelps Andrew Skinner Nicholas Wood

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10 Societal Impact Now To support management decisions, complex datasets that describe the Fernan Lake social ecological system now and in the future are being made accessible and available to individuals, communities, and agencies A trust relationship between Fernan stakeholders and UI MILES researchers is being established. Coeur d Alene full study area stakeholder eagerness to participate in MILES is palpable and growing Future Stakeholders maintain desired ecosystem services in the face of urban growth and climate change ONEIdaho institutions provide social ecological system information to communities across Idaho The partnership between stakeholders and ONEIdaho institutions increases support for higher education in Idaho