Climate change is the most important,
incredibly complex issue affecting work
across all scales of the National Park
Service – NPS Director, Jon Jarvis
To address the seriousness of this issue the
NPS Leadership established and funded
Climate Change Response Program (CCRP)
in FY 2010 for $10M.
NPS Climate Change
Response$10M Total
DOI Initiatives
$3M Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
ClimateScienceCenters
WRD, BRMD$0.3M
Communi-cations Science
Adaptation
Mitigation
Policy
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Park Projects
$2M
Climate Change
Response Program$1.7M
Enhanced Monitoring
$3M $3M
Internships
NPS Climate Change
Response$10M Total
DOI Initiatives
$3M Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
ClimateScienceCenters
Mitigation
Policy
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Internships
5 Landscape AdaptationCoordinators Northern RockiesPacific Islands South AtlanticNorth AtlanticUrban Parks
Climate Science Centers 2 FTE in 2010
Coordinated science and data deliveryClimate modelingMonitoring / Data integrationDownscaled modelingForecastingUnified Monitoring and Data Collection
Regional Climate Science Centers
Biological Carbon Sequestration
Assessing carbon storage potential of DOI lands
Promoting management strategies to enhance carbon benefits of natural landscapes
Geologic Carbon SequestrationCapture and geologic
storage
Public Lands Carbon Project
Unified GHG Emissions Reduction Program
Efficiency programs across all DOI Bureaus
Assessing visitor and concessions
Activities on public lands
Carbon Footprint
Project
DOI Climate Change Response CouncilSecretary (Chair); Deputy Secretary (Co-Chair); Assistant Secretaries;
Bureau Directors
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
Adaptation planning and decision support Vulnerability and risk
assessmentsEcosystem monitoring
/modelingStrategic habitat
conservationScenario planning
Climate Change and Energy Task Force(Deputy Asst. Sec. & Senior Level Bureau Staff)
Department of the Interior CC Program
Regional Climate Science Centers (CSC)
Northcentral
SoutheastSouthcentralSouthwest
NorthwestNortheast
Alaska
Pacific Islands
“Fuzzy Boundaries”
NPS Climate Change
Response$10M Total
DOI Initiatives
$3M Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
ClimateScienceCenters
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Park Projects
$2M
Internships
SCC projects: 149 submitted, 17 funded
Internships: 37 submitted, 13 funded
Fellowships: 140 submitted, ?? funded
SCC projects:
• Impacts of Fire Management on Carbon Stock Stability in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National
• Ice Patches as Sources of Archeological and Paleoecological Data in Climate Change Research
Internships:
•Development of curriculum based climate change education programs and podcasts
• Build and showcase a photovoltaic array to showcase sustainable energy throughout the park
NPS Climate Change
Response$10M Total
DOI Initiatives
$3M Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
ClimateScienceCenters
Adaptation
Mitigation
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Park Projects
$2M
Enhanced Monitoring
$3M $3M
Internships
Enhance Existing Network Monitoring Capacity - $3M
• Climate Change Monitoring Coordinator (Shawn Carter)• Climate Change Ecologist (John Gross)• Enhanced Monitoring ($1.6 M)
– High Elevation– North Atlantic Coastal– South Atlantic Coastal– Pacific Island– High Latitude (Alaska)– Arid Lands
• Ecosystem Modeling ($200 K)– Joint project with NSF, NASA, FWS, USGS
• Unified Monitoring and Data Collection ($550 K)
Leverage Vital Signs network capacity; partner
with others to enhance monitoring and data
integration
NPS Climate Change
Response$10M Total
DOI Initiatives
$3M Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
ClimateScienceCenters
WRD, BRMD$0.3M
Communi-cations Science
Adaptation
Mitigation
Policy
Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Park Projects
$2M
Climate Change
Response Program$1.7M
Enhanced Monitoring
$3M $3M
Internships
Core Office• Climate Change Program Manager (Leigh Welling)• Climate Scientist • Climate Change Communication Specialist (Angie Richman)• Program Analyst • Climate Change Assistant (Melanie Graham)• CESU/RLC Coordinator• National Adaptation Coordinator
NRPC• Landscape Ecologist (BRMD)• Resource Planner (WRD)
Provide service-wide coordination for policy, science, planning,
mitigation, adaptation, and communication; seed money for
prototype assessment and scenario planning
Policy
Develop interim policy guidance for superintendants and the field – how to make an informed decision
Establish a policy working group that reflects the servicewide interest (including Cultural Resources)
Support policy needs of ongoing adaptation and mitigation planning
One Dimensional vs Scenario Planning
One-Dimensional Planning
Outcomes
B
A
C
D
Scenario Planning
B
A
C
D
Possible Futures
ElementsCommon to A-B
ElementsCommon to A-C
ElementsCommon to A-D
Communication Products
Website: www.nps.gov/climatechange
Intranet: http://nrpcsharepoint/climatechange
Webinar Speaker Series
Monthly Newsletter
Bioregional Talking Points
Communication Messages
Climate change is happening and human activities are contributing to and
accelerating it.
Changing climate has consequences for parks, people, and the planet.
The NPS is responding with practices that address climate change.
The choices we make now may help to avoid catastrophic impacts
in the future.