Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET) Co-Production Workshop Series

Agenda  |  Details  |  Registration 

To address the critical need for science-based tools that balance management priorities and guide strategic conservation efforts, the USGS is developing the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET). PReSET can identify optimal sites for sagebrush conservation and restoration across the landscape based on a custom suite of spatial inputs, such as sagebrush resiliency, species abundances, threats to sagebrush habitats, and dollar cost of management actions. 

 This workshop series will be centered upon a stakeholder and partner engagement process to advance real-world applications of PReSET.  The primary goals for the PCWS are to: 

1. Establish effective two-way communications between potential stakeholders and partners that leads to improved collaboration and resource exchange. 

2. Develop a co-produced set of spatial optimization scenarios to improve strategic planning efforts for sagebrush conservation and restoration activities within the CRB. Priorities include orienting scenarios towards the needs of attending stakeholders at regional scales that cover multiple jurisdictions and topics of interest. 

3. Identify stakeholders and partners interested in continued participation as science co-producers in the CRB. 

Workshop Agenda 

Session 1 | Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Overview & Key Challenges 

Thursday, October 20, 2022, 1-4 pm MT 

Opening: Guest speakers address the challenges to effective sagebrush management, participant introductions, and project overview. 

Stakeholder-driven development of scenarios: Small teams will work together to identify individual and shared management needs/questions and brainstorm potential (regional scale) PReSET optimization scenarios to address these needs. 

Priority Scenarios: Synthesize group-derived ideas into a combined list of priority scenarios, facilitated by open discussion and feedback. USGS scientists will process a subset of trial scenarios prior to the next workshop session.  

This workshop session will be introductory and provide an opportunity for attendees to determine their level of involvement. It will also establish the initial optimization scenarios which subsequent workshops will review and build upon, making it the most important session to attend if possible. 

Session 2 | Refine Restoration Scenarios & Explore Spatial Analysis Capabilities 

Monday, November 14, 2022, 1-4 pm MT 

Opening: Review scenarios from workshop session 1, including preliminary results from a subset of trial scenarios. 

Stakeholder-driven development of scenarios: Breakout groups to refine potential PReSET scenarios, review available spatial data resources and identify spatial data or other needs. USGS scientists will further process trial scenarios and/or additional scenarios identified during this workshop. 

Session 3 | Opportunities for Co-Development & Focused Partnerships 

Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 1-4 pm MT 

Opening: Review of refined scenarios and potential products, stakeholder/partner needs and feedback, future PReSET applications, and potential funding sources. 

Co-production Process:  Review of workshop series co-production process, lessons learned, how to improve future efforts. 

Next Steps:  Discuss CRB project next steps and continued participation opportunities. 

Workshop Details 

This workshop is free to attend and is open to anyone working in sagebrush management and conservation. 

The PCWS is comprised of 3 half-day, collaborative workshop sessions targeted at effective application of available scientific resources to aid agencies and organizations working in sagebrush ecosystem management and conservation within the CRB. Each session will consecutively build upon the previous, so participation in all three sessions is strongly encouraged to maximize benefits for stakeholders and partners.  

In-person attendance is strongly encouraged to promote a collaborative atmosphere. A virtual option for this workshop series will also be offered. 

In-Person 

USGS Fort Collins Science Center 

2150 Centre Ave, Bldg. C 

Fort Collins, CO 80526 

Virtual 

Microsoft TEAMS 

Registration 

To register for all or part of the PReSET Co-Production Workshop Series, please REGISTER HERE. The workshop series is free to attend.  

Interested participants are encouraged to register by Monday, October 17th to ensure we can accommodate you. 

Future Opportunities 

Depending on the interest level of attendees, there may be opportunities for continued participation in the next stages of this ongoing project in the Colorado River Basin, including long-term partnership, proposal development, and co-authorship opportunities.