In
joint collaboration with several other institutes, the Colorado Natural
Heritage Program was awarded a multi-year project from the North Central Climate Science Center (part of U.S. Geological Survey): “Natural Resource
Management Decision-Making under Climate Uncertainty: Building
Social-Ecological Resilience in Southwestern Colorado.” Renée Rondeau, Ecologist and Conservation
Planner with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program is the CSU Principal
Investigator and will be working closely with Jeffrey Morrisette and Dennis
Ojima (North Central Climate Science Center), as well as University of Montana,
The Nature Conservancy, Mountain Studies Institute and USGS-Fort Collins over
the next few years to facilitate climate change adaptation that contributes to
social-ecological resilience, ecosystem/species conservation, and sustainable
human communities in Southwestern Colorado while focusing on the Gunnison Basin
and the San Juan Mountains.
joint collaboration with several other institutes, the Colorado Natural
Heritage Program was awarded a multi-year project from the North Central Climate Science Center (part of U.S. Geological Survey): “Natural Resource
Management Decision-Making under Climate Uncertainty: Building
Social-Ecological Resilience in Southwestern Colorado.” Renée Rondeau, Ecologist and Conservation
Planner with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program is the CSU Principal
Investigator and will be working closely with Jeffrey Morrisette and Dennis
Ojima (North Central Climate Science Center), as well as University of Montana,
The Nature Conservancy, Mountain Studies Institute and USGS-Fort Collins over
the next few years to facilitate climate change adaptation that contributes to
social-ecological resilience, ecosystem/species conservation, and sustainable
human communities in Southwestern Colorado while focusing on the Gunnison Basin
and the San Juan Mountains.
 |
| Gunnison Basin landscape with East Beckwith Mountain in the background. |
The group
will develop a set of actionable and prioritized social/ecological adaptation
strategies for vulnerable ecosystems and species based on best available
science. These adaptation strategies
will incorporate the latest in climate science and must be useful and
meaningful to natural resource managers and other stakeholders. The Gunnison and San Juan Basins ownership
and economies revolve around ranches and private industry that relies on
natural resources, US Forest Service, US National Parks, Bureau of Land
Management, and Tribal Lands, and will be integral in the success of this
project. The frameworks that are
developed for this project should be applicable to other western landscapes and
will help guide communities in adapting to changes associated with a changing
climate.
will develop a set of actionable and prioritized social/ecological adaptation
strategies for vulnerable ecosystems and species based on best available
science. These adaptation strategies
will incorporate the latest in climate science and must be useful and
meaningful to natural resource managers and other stakeholders. The Gunnison and San Juan Basins ownership
and economies revolve around ranches and private industry that relies on
natural resources, US Forest Service, US National Parks, Bureau of Land
Management, and Tribal Lands, and will be integral in the success of this
project. The frameworks that are
developed for this project should be applicable to other western landscapes and
will help guide communities in adapting to changes associated with a changing
climate.
