Resources

The  North Pacific LCC's April 2017 Conservation Digest is out now. View the Digest for many new publications, landscape-conservation information, and learning opportunities co-produced by the Northwest Climate Science Center. 

This draft Charter defines the identity and purpose of the Great Lakes Coastal Conservation Working Group, and outlines the structure and guiding principles.

The Great Basin LCC published its first newsletter of 2017 highlighting stories including the arrival of Dr. John Tull as the LCC's new Science Coordinator; participation in the Northwest Basin and Range Ecosystem Symposium, hosting the LCC's annual Public Forum, and co-hosting the Great Basin Consortium Conference in Reno, NV. The newsletter also discusses outcomes from the Febraury in-person Steering Committee meeting where members discussed plans for the coming year and transitioned the leadership of the LCC's Executive Committee. 

North Atlantic LCC 2016 Annual Report Welcome
by Ken Elowe and Bill Hyatt

The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) reached a major milestone in 2016. This year, the concept that inspired the establishment of the partnership in 2010 transformed from an idea to a reality -- twice.

Mark Herse

If you want to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with landscape conservation design (LCD) this webinar is for you! Learning how not to design resilient and sustainable landscapes is as important as learning how to design them. In this webinar, Rob will discuss why it’s important to institutionalize LCD, and will share the results of recent research to highlight 9 tips for what to avoid when conducting LCD (e.g., taking a “go-it-alone” approach; relying on “siloized” science; and neglecting to consider plausible futures, set priorities, or identify coordinated strategies).

The UW-Madison Arboretum’s Curtis Prairie, named for renowned UW-Madison botanist John Curtis, is often regarded as the world’s oldest restored prairie. With restoration efforts commencing in 1935, Curtis Prairie’s rich history has been shaped by surrounding land-use change, an influx of disturbances, scientific research, and the restoration process itself. We will discuss how these factors have shaped Curtis Prairie, what they have taught us, and how what we’ve learned will help guide future management for the next 80 years.

The Eastern Mojave is one of 3 pilot areas currently developing landscape conservation designs with the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative.  This brief 1-hour webinar will introduce participants to the Desert LCC and the landscape conservation design process, key partners already involved in the Eastern Mojave, preliminary feedback on how to make this effort successful, and how to get involved.

Andrew Stephenson and Kristin Shaw provide an overview of the Agroecology TAG and Ecological Places in Cities (EPiC), recent activities, and how you can get involved. The Agroecology Technical Advisory Group focuses on conservation in agricultural working lands and issues that address integrating functional natural communities within food, fiber, and fuel production systems to provide wildlife habitat and protect water quality both locally and downstream.

Rua will discuss the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative's process for selecting ecosystem indicators. These indicators measure natural and cultural resource integrity for the lands and waters of the region. He will cover how the cooperative developed its' process, selected their initial set of indicators, and how they have been testing and revising them over the last few years. The South Atlantic LCC Indicators have been used by a variety of public and private organizations.

The six-page report features a letter from Jim Giocomo of the Oaks & Prairies Joint Venture, chair of the Gulf Coast PRairie LCC Steering Committee. In addition, the LCC reviews partnerships, landscape conservation design and supporting science, the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (aka SECAS), and communications. A bonus page explains Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and where the GCP LCC fits.

Research from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences explores which farmers are most likely to adopt multifunctional perennial cropping systems - trees, shrubs, or grasses that simultaneously benefit the environment and generate high-value products that can be harvested for a profit.

Kristen Bouska

The Floodplain Science Network is a group of scientists, researchers, managers, policy experts, and conservation practitioners that have a common interest in learning from one another in regards to floodplain science, policy, restoration and conservation approaches. This presentation will provide an overview of how the Floodplain Science Network was formed, our accomplishments thus far, and our path forward.

Amanda McColpin

This brief report highlights the major accomplishments of the Plains and Prairie Potholes LCC in 2015 and 2016.

This document specifies the standard for data and information delivery for Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC) science providers. It specifies project-level data management practices, data documentation, format standards, and product delivery processes. The standards are designed to ensure and facilitate full and open access to scientific data and data products funded by the SRLCC.

Atmospheric rivers may strongly influence yearly wildfire and vegetation in the southwestern U.S., according to this publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences from scientists working with the Southwest Climate Science Center. Atmospheric rivers have close connections to flooding and water supply in the western U.S. Understanding their ecological impacts may provide opportunities to better predict responses to climate change.

Nathan Eckert discusses the complex life-cycle of native freshwater mussels and how the challenges it presents are dealt with in the hatchery setting. Specifically, he will discuss the Mobile Aquatic Rearing Station, or MARS trailer, a streamside mussel rearing unit that the Genoa National Fish Hatchery uses to culture thousands of mussels for release in the Upper Mississippi River Basin on an annual basis.

The Desert LCC, neighboring Great Basin LCC and Southern Rockies LCC, are working with partners to identify and fund key projects that provide critical information to partners working to conserve springs.  To determine how best to ensure springs maintain water,  support a diversity of plants and animals, and sustain the people that depend on them, we must gather data to inform how we manage springs. The Desert LCC created a brief summary of applied science and partner efforts that help conserve springs in the region.

This brief report highlights the major accomplishments of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC in 2016.

The  North Pacific LCC released is February 2017 issue of the Conservation Digest, produced in collaboration with the Northwest Climate Science Center. This month's e-newsletter features a list of recent climate-science and landscape conservation publications and learning opportunities. 

View the February 2017 Conservation Digest

When the Review of the LCCs was released in December 2015, the LCC Network committed to reporting on our progress in responding to the National Academy of Sciences’ recommendations. The LCC Network assembled a “Next Steps” team and drafted an Action Plan to set a trajectory of continual improvement. Implementation of the Action Plan is expected to take approximately two years, with many of the activities intended to be ongoing such as developing living documents and fostering ongoing, collaborative relationships.