Events to address climate change implications for wildlife, ecosystems

Jeffrey Morisette, director of the North Central Climate Science Center, will present "Implications of Climate Change for Wildlife and Ecosystems of the Great Plains: A Perspective from the Department of Interior," at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Hardin Hall, 33rd and Holdrege streets on UNL's East Campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. RSVPs are requested at http://go.unl.edu/climatechange.

Morisette will discuss the importance of including ecology and social science with climate science in understanding how a dynamic climate will affect natural resources in the area; utilizing existing programs and plans for resource management; and building collaborative and neutral workspaces to bring stakeholders together to co-develop strategies and solutions.

"Many in the conservation community believe that climate change will be one of the greatest challenges to conserving wildlife and ecosystems in the coming decades," said Rick Schneider, program manager of the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "Climate change is already having significant impacts on wild species and ecosystems, and these are likely to increase considerably in the future. Action is needed now to safeguard species and ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend on them."

A roundtable discussion on the implications of climate change on wildlife and ecosystems in Nebraska will take place at 9 a.m. Oct. 6 at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd St.

The roundtable agenda includes presentations by Morisette and Don Wilhite, professor of applied climate science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Q&A; lunch; and breakout sessions in the afternoon. Email kmorrow2@unl.edu to register. Advanced registration is required.

"Addressing the growing threats brought about by rapid climate change will require new approaches to natural resource management and conservation," Morisette said. "The roundtable will be an opportunity to build on that work with a larger audience."

The events are jointly sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Audubon Nebraska, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, the UNL Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the UNL School of Natural Resources. They are part of a series of climate change-related events that will take place throughout the fall. For more information, visit http://go.unl.edu/climatechange.

Writer: Mekita Rivas, School of Natural Resources