At the 2023 California Islands Symposium, The Nature Conservancy hosted a climate change planning workshop for California Islands decision-makers, land managers, researchers, and stewards.

A paper summarizing the results of the workshop is under review, but in the meantime you can access some resources from the workshop on this page.

Presentations

Welcome Remarks. Lara Brenner: The Nature Conservancy.

Worse Droughts, but also More Severe Floods: Increasing Hydroclimate Volatility in a Warming California. Daniel Swain: UCLA, National Center for Atmospheric Research, & The Nature Conservancy

Assessing Climate Change in the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, California. Charles Jones: UC Santa Barbara.

Ocean Variability and Change Around California Islands. Mike Jacox: NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center & NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory.

Fog and Low Clouds on the California Islands: A Source of Moisture & Shading in the Warm Season. Rachel Clemesha: Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Future Fire & Climate Change Adaptation. Max Moritz: UC Cooperative Extension.

Assessing Habitat and Species Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise to Inform Management. Walter Heady: The Nature Conservancy.

The Role of Vulnerability Assessments in Planning for Climate Change. Piper Wallingford, The Nature Conservancy.

Notes from Breakout Groups

RAD Worksheet Template.

Grasslands and Coastal Scrub. Facilitator: Annie Meeder, UC Boulder.

Island Chaparral and Woodland. Facilitator: Katy Carter, California Institute of Environmental Studies.

Oaks and Conifers. Facilitator: John Randall, The Nature Conservancy.

Intertidal Zone. Facilitator: Piper Wallingford, The Nature Conservancy.

Rare Plants. Facilitator: John Knapp, The Nature Conservancy.

Seabirds. Facilitator: Amelia Duvall, UW Seattle.

Landbirds. Facilitator: Rob Klinger, USGS.

Herpetofauna. Facilitator: Makenzie Henk, Catalina Island Conservancy.

Native Mammals. Facilitator: Juliann Schamel, National Park Service

Resources

Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD)—A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager. 2020. Report produced by the NPS Climate Change Response Program.

Planning for a Changing Climate: Climate-Smart Planning and Management in the National Park Service. 2021. Report produced by the NPS Climate Change Response Program.

Channel Islands National Park Climate Futures Summary. 2024. Report produced by the NPS Climate Change Response Program.

Anthropogenic Climate Change in Channel Islands National Park, CA. 2020. Patrick Gonzalez: NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science & UC Berkeley.

California Islands Fog Frequency Maps. 2023. Rachel Clemesha, Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Northern Channel Islands Sea Level Rise Maps. 2023. Maps produced by The Nature Conservancy.