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2011 International Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Seminar

 Submitted on Monday, 24 October, 2011 - 15:14
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The second annual International Seminar on Climate Change and Natural Resources Management took place from May 8_29, 2011 in Washington, D.C. and California. This was the second Seminar funded by the United States Forest Service International Programs (USFS IP) and involved 22 participants from 19 different countries as well as 8 leadership team members from USFS IP, the University of California, Davis (UCD), and the Training Resources Group (TRG).

Natural resources management under climate change requires complex cooperation between diverse regional governments, national parks, NGOs, and researchers. The diverse range of climate change’s impacts requires research, mitigation, and adaptation practices that interact with all aspects of community life. In response, the Seminar presentations ranged from researchers, to policymakers, to field-level resource managers and researchers, who provided a wide range of information and prompting spirited interdisciplinary discussions. The Seminar Leadership Team provided the context for each day’s presentations so that participants could relate the presentation topics to their countries and assess the strengths and weaknesses of different strategies. 

Lebanese Reforestation geographers visit UC Davis

 Submitted on Monday, 24 October, 2011 - 15:04
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There has been a decline in Lebanese forests by more than 35% over the last 50 years. Increasingly, there has been a serious need for more forested areas in the country. Aside from providing restoration to sites with important ecological, cultural and watershed values, the planting of Lebanese cedar and other native trees is aimed to alleviate poverty and promote unity and pride for the once-thriving Lebanese forests.

Through funding from the United States Forest Service and the United States Agency for International Development/Lebanon, we hosted 3 Lebanese geographers working on a Reforestation Initiative. The Initiative focuses on planting native trees on public lands in order to improve water quality and storage, aquifer recharge and a broader purpose in mitigating the effects of climate change.
 
While visiting UC Davis, the group observed a number of restoration sites including: 
  • Bobcat Ranch in Winters which focuses on planting oaks in a site-level nursery, 
  • Quail Ridge in Winters that utilizes an internet-based weather monitoring station, 
  • The Consumnes Preserve in Elk Grove which houses a range of restoration research in riparian and agricultural landscapes.
In addition to addressing the Lebanese Reforester's mapping approaches and showcasing successful community restoration projects, the group was also exposed to advanced mapping equipment and various experts in restoration fields.

Taking in the Sights and Smells of Campus

 Submitted on Wednesday, 31 August, 2011 - 16:19
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ICUL, (pronounced i, cool) Wickson Hall people know how to get around.  Through coordination and collaboration, Wickson Hall ICE and ULTRANS coworkers have seen 2 art exhibits and one stinky flower on campus this year.

OSGeo Live new Version 4, "Barcelona"

 Submitted on Wednesday, 3 November, 2010 - 14:00
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In collaboration with the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), ICE graduate student researcher Alex Mandel is proud to annouce the availability of OSGeo Live, version 4 "Barcelona".  The new release includes many new applications, updated documentation, tutorials and a common dataset of the Barcelona area derived from free sources.  Along with the latest release a 25 minute video presentation describing 42 of the geospatial applications available for use can be viewed online or downloaded.

 

OSGeo Live is a collection of Free and Open Source geospatial software configured to run from a DVD, USB or Virtual Machine with no installation.  It's based on the Xubuntu Linux operating system, which is a community developed system in worldwide use and works great for laptops, desktops and servers.  Over 42 Free and Open Source geospatial applications have been installed and pre-configured for use including sample data and basic instructions to get a new user started.

 

At the FOSS4G 2010 conference in Barcelona over 800+ copies were given to the attendees of the conference.  Some possible uses for OSGeo Live include in the classroom, workshops, demonstrations, and testing of new software.  Because the hardware requirements are few, it will run on most modern computers including netbooks.

 

For more information or to download a copy visit the project homepage at http://live.osgeo.org.

 

California Roadkill Observation System featured in the New York Times

 Submitted on Tuesday, 14 September, 2010 - 11:57
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According to the Humane Society of the United States, over a million animals are killed every day on our roads and highways. The UC Davis Road Ecology Center and the Information Center for the Environment (ICE) are collaborating to reduce this number, and have setup the California Roadkill Observation System (CROS) where citizen-based observations of vehicle related animal deaths can be recorded and stored. By recording vehicle related deaths, "hot spots" will become more identifiable, and ways to mitigate the stretch of road can be addressed.

On September 13th, the CROS project was featured in a New York Times article (technology and science sections). During the day, the website saw a tremendous increase in traffic, which including many new registered users and email correspondence from people applauding our efforts. This national attention has draw a lot of interest from people, many who would like such a system in their home state. We are currently supporting sites in California and in Maine.  The Maine Audubon Wildlife Road Watch was built in collaboration with Maine Audubon.

USFS Climate Change Seminar a Success!

 Submitted on Thursday, 8 July, 2010 - 14:53
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The First Annual Event

The first annual International Seminar on Climate Change and Natural Resources Management (Seminar) took place from May 9-30, 2010 in California and Washington, D.C.  This year's Seminar served as a pilot under the United States Forest Service International Programs (USFS IP) and involved 23 participants from 22 different countries, as well as 7 leadership team members from USFS IP, the University of California Davis and the Training Resources Group (TRG).

 A Broad Spectrum of Issues

According to the Seminar Leadership Team (SLG), the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Seminar was designed to stimulate interaction and learning on a broad spectrum of issues related to climate change and its implications for natural resources management.  Through field site visits, class and field instruction, guest lectures by recognized experts, participant presentations and facilitated discussions, the participants learned about assessing the likely impact of climate change on natural systems, alternative land management techniques, institutional responses, adaptation strategies, and mitigation measures for responding to the impacts of climate change.  While exchanging ideas and experiences with colleagues from around the world, the Seminar's intent was to foster a learning environment where ideas and management practices can be applied in the participants' home countries.

ICEr's Give the MU Renovations a Thumb's UP

 Submitted on Thursday, 29 April, 2010 - 14:09
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Back in March 2010, an announcement was made that if a tour of the MU renovations was desired, it could be granted.  Well, many an ICEr is a fan of the MU so a group signed up and we received a personal tour of the MU renovations.  Our Coffee House friend and Super Supervisor, Darin Schluep (seen in the Bagel Bar photo with Jackie) showed us the inner workings of the gutted eatery.  We even got to wear hardhats!!

What we once knew as the MU is now completely gone, walls were torn down, steel reinforcements were erected, gas, water and drain pipes were covered up as construction workers moved about the large open space.  The construction crew was busy in the background preparing ceiling spaces for HVAC equipment, hoods for the TexMex Grill and air conditioning for those blazing hot summer days.  Even the cooking areas we never got to see before, were stripped of their equipment and opened up.

Jackie Bjorkman, Rob Coman, Ryan Boynton,  Kelly Torres and  Nate Roth were treated to the visual of what's to come.  Some of those highlights are: the area that was an outside eating area (near the old Bagel Bar) will now be indoors with a large oval island serving as the Bakery (containing specialty coffee, smoothies, fruit and the baked goods we love so much), new seating around the perimeter of the room, a pasta bar (with healthy/whole grain options) and the Pho Bar will return with the addition of a sushi section.

OSGeo Live 3.0 (Arramagong) Released

 Submitted on Thursday, 29 April, 2010 - 13:15
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In collaboration with the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), ICE graduate student researcher Alex Mandel is proud to announce the release of OSGeo Live version 3, code name "Arramagong". OSGeo Live is a collection of the Free and Open Source geospatial software configured to run from a DVD,USB or Virtual Machine. After months of design and programming, the latest release includes a significant amount of new software and many improvements from the previous version. Highlights:

  • 14 new applications added since release 2.0, at FOSS4G 2009 conference

Elkhorn Slough Early Mitigation Partnership Moves Forward

 Submitted on Friday, 19 March, 2010 - 10:07
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And a great relationship was built!

After working together over 2 1/2 years, ICE finished its tenure with an interagency team forging new transportation mitigation practices in California's Central Coast.

 

Their Goal:

To develop advanced mitigation for transportation projects within the Elkhorn Slough Watershed and make their ideas available as a template for others.

 

Why Here?

Elkhorn Slough (the Slough), found just south of Santa Cruz, California, is home to the 6,000-foot deep Monterey Submarine Canyon.  Large enough to cradle the Grand Canyon, this underwater trough stretches inland to the shores of the historic fishing community of Moss Landing.  With the combination of plummeting ocean depths near the shore, along with tidal marshes, and inland brackish lagoons, one of the premier aquatic and avian habitats in the world was created.  Because this area is also home to increasing humantiy and roadways, transportation and environmental specialists joined with a regional land trust to pilot a new idea. This new idea included measures to more effectively conserve and restore lands in the Slough as an integral part of building and repairing its regional roads.

ICE Personnel Publish in Landscape Ecology journal

 Submitted on Monday, 8 March, 2010 - 15:15
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James Thorne, Ryan Boynton and fellow ESP and Plant Sciences colleagues Fraser Shilling and Alison Berry, publish in the Landscape Ecology Journal.  Their publication, Fragmentation of China's landscape by roads and urban areas, came out in February.  It is a collaborative study  with Taian Li, Fengmin Li, and Heidi Schott that takes a look at how roads, railways, and urban development are disconnecting China's landscape and suggest that the evaluation of ecological fragmentation be integrated into future road system planning.

To read the whole article visit the Springerlink website and log in or register, http://www.springerlink.com/content/p0408368201676q4/

Additionally, this project has been accepted for presentation at the 2010 ESRI International User Conference.  Ryan Boynton  will give a 15-20 minute lecture titled Measuring the Fragmentation of China's Landscape Using Effective Mesh Size.  The conference takes place from July 12th through the 16th in San Diego, California. 

Read more about the ESRI International User Conference at http://www.esri.com/events/user-conference/index.html. 

 

Legend for the map:  a=FG1, b-FG2, c=FG3

ICE hosts International Climate Change Seminar!

 Submitted on Tuesday, 26 January, 2010 - 11:55
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The US Forest Service International Programs and the University of California, Davis, are pleased to announce a new International Seminar on Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, to take place May 9—30, 2010, in California.  Because of its national leadership on climate change legislation, greenhouse gas reduction targets, and multiple resource management agencies, California is an ideal location to learn about cutting edge land management practices under climate change.  The State contains many ecosystems affected by climate change, while facing pressure from rapid human growth, water scarcity, and important agricultural land uses.  The seminar is designed for natural resource managers with a professional interest in climate change issues who wish to participate in an engaging, interactive, and highly informative training and field study program.  Attendees will learn about adaptation and mitigation practices for managing natural resources in the face of climate change and its potential effects on natural resources, and will be introduced to policy and technological developments in carbon markets and offsets.

 

The Seminar Planning Team, pictured from left to right:

Jim Quinn, Alex Moad, Rima Eid, Karen Beardsley and Scott Loomis

Beardsley named Associate Director of ICE

 Submitted on Tuesday, 26 January, 2010 - 10:55
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As we bid former ICE co-director Mike McCoy a bon voyage and congratulatons on his new endeavor at the Urban Land Use and Transportation (ULTRANS) Center, we also extend best wishes to the new Associate Director of the Information Center for the Environment (ICE), Dr. Karen Beardsley.

Karen Beardsley has been with ICE since its inception in 1994.  She began as a geographic information system (GIS) analyst and has held a senior manager position at ICE for the past 8-10 years.  Now she is assuming most of Mike McCoy's duties at ICE as she moves into the Associate Director position, with Professor Jim Quinn remaining as the ICE Director.  Karen brings to her new position, extensive administrative and research experience, as well as specialized skills in spatial technology for decision support, urban modeling and wildlife conservation.  Her research includes modeling enviromental impacts of land use policies in California an integrating wildlife conservation and land use planning practices in Kenya.  Karen is a geographer and GIS expert who earned her master's degree in Geography from the University of California at Santa Barbara and recently completed her PhD in Geography at UC Davis.  One of Karen's current undertakings is to oversee the development of a new Forest Service sponsored international seminar on Climate Change and Natural Resource Management taking place May 2010 at UC Davis.

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