Emma L Kuster

Final report: An Ecosystem Services Approach to Climate Adaptation Research

Key Messages: 1. Ecosystem functions and the services they provide to people can support climate adaptation efforts. 2. A systems perspective that includes ecosystem services could contribute to the CASC research agenda in three interrelated ways: they can directly benefit current CASC stakeholder goals, they can provide co-benefits to CASC stakeholders, and they allow for full-benefit accounting of the impacts of choices made by natural resource managers. 3. Some existing CASC research aligns well with an ecosystem services framing and could be enhanced by understanding how the components fit into a broader multi-objective context. Notable bright spots for research in these dimensions concern coastal resilience...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

Designing and delivering climate training for natural resource managers: Increasing climate literacy and action through education and engagement

Responding to climate impacts and expanding adaptation efforts necessitates getting the right knowledge and tools in the hands of land managers and decision-makers. In 2022–2023, several regional US Geological Survey Climate Adaptation Science Centers partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Science Applications Program on the first targeted climate training series designed for the FWS Grassland Ecosystem Team. This training spanned multiple months and formats with self-paced virtual lessons, webinars, and an in-person workshop. As the FWS Grassland Ecosystem Team is tasked with conservation planning for grassland birds and other species, the focus of the workshop was an interactive collaborative activity...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

North American grasslands are a regional priority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The South Central CASC, in partnership with the US FWS Science Applications Program, the Northwest CASC, the North Central CASC, and the Midwest CASC, implemented a training series for grasslands conservation practitioners that begin in May 2022 with a series of webinars and culminated in an in-person workshop in January 2023. Through this training series, we introduce practitioners to the science of climate change, explore the impacts, and discuss adaptation options available.

Training for Grasslands Conservation Practitioners Workshop Presentations

North American grasslands are a regional priority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The South Central CASC, in partnership with the US FWS Science Applications Program, the Northwest CASC, the North Central CASC, and the Midwest CASC, implemented a training series for grasslands conservation practitioners that begin in May 2022 with a series of webinars and culminated in an in-person workshop in January 2023. Through this training series, we introduce practitioners to the science of climate change, explore the impacts, and discuss adaptation options available. Follow the links to access materials and recordings from this training series for review and continued use by practitioners.

Final Report: Climate Change and Climate Adaptation Training for Grasslands Conservation Practitioners

The project’s main objective was to provide grasslands practitioners with the foundational knowledge of climate change needed to fully integrate climate impacts and adaptation into Strategic Habitat Conservation planning efforts. To do so, our team outlined the following actions that would utilize the pulse delivery training approach to meet this objective: - Design and implement a series of 3-4 pre-workshop webinars that promote collaborative discussions. o Topics will cover foundational knowledge about climate change and grasslands and set the stage for more interactive sessions at the in-person workshop. - Design and implement a Grasslands and Climate Science Workshop for members of the Grassland Ecosystem...