Greater Yellowstone climate-aquatics workshop: Report from the April 27–29, 2021, climate-smart conservation workshop

Olliff, Tom; Thoma, David; Cross, Molly; Rodman, Ann; Barry, Patrick; Lawrence, David; Barndt, Scott; Ray, Andrew; Tercek, Mike; Christensen, Janelle; Peterson, Justin; Diamond, David

doi:10.36967/2294895

The Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee’s (GYCC) Climate Change, Fisheries, and Hydrology subcommittees hosted a virtual Climate-Smart Conservation workshop, April 27-29, 2021, focused on aquatic resources. Fifty people attended the plenary sessions; over 30 people participated in the breakout sessions. Molly Cross, Climate Change Adaptation Scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, facilitated the workshop. Climate change is arguably the most pervasive conservation threat to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE)—preparing for it will require a well-informed shared understanding of impacts at both project and ecosystem scales. Fish kills in the Yellowstone River; the spread of aquatic invasive species; rapidly increasing invasive grasses; shrinking wetland resources; and extreme wildfire behavior with impacts to aquatic resources have all been linked to a warmer, drier climate. Since 1950, average temperature increased by 2.3°F in the GYE; peak precipitation shifted from May/June to April/May; average snowfall declined by 3.5 inches; and the timing of peak flow now occurs about 8 days earlier. Warming trends are projected to continue by +0.5°F to +1.2°F per decade; water stored in the snowpack is expected to continue to decrease; and a further decline in soil moisture of 5-7% is projected by mid-century (Hostetler et al. 2021). The workshop opened with plenary sessions that included the inspirational photography of Jeremy Monroe from Freshwaters Illustrated, perspectives on climate change from senior agency managers, results from the recently completed Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) Climate Assessment, and presentations on linking science to action. Dr. Clint Muhlfeld, Aquatic Ecologist with the USGS Northern Rockies Science Center, provided the closing keynote. The majority of the workshop focused on applying a Climate-Smart Conservation planning process to three case studies: (a) Restoring native biodiversity (amphibians, plants, aquatic macroinvertebrates, birds, and bats) to the Blacktail Ponds wetland complex in Yellowstone National Park (YNP); (b) Conserving and restoring Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT) in Buffalo Creek, Lamar and Yellowstone rivers; and (c) Protecting or restoring resilient riparian areas through fire management on the east side drainages of the Gallatin River on the Custer Gallatin National Forest (CGNF). The case study breakout groups: (1) reviewed the project purpose and scope; (2) assessed climate impacts and vulnerabilities; (3) reviewed and revised, where necessary, the project goals using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework; (4) identified possible climate adaptation actions; and (5) began to evaluate and select adaptation actions. Each breakout group had site-specific historic and projected future climate data and was supported by a scientist with expertise in the topic. The Buffalo Creek YCT project identified adaptation actions that will be incorporated into the on-going project. The Gallatin group will continue to meet to develop adaptation actions that could be implemented by the CGNF and that could serve as a model for managing fire and fuel treatment in riparian areas. The Blacktail Ponds project is a model for identifying actions with broad biodiversity benefits (improving habitat conditions for multiple taxonomic groups) at a site determined to be relatively insensitive to projected changes in runoff.

Greater Yellowstone climate-aquatics workshop: Report from the April 27–29, 2021, climate-smart conservation workshop

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