Other Technical Support

Hawaiʻi’s native forest birds are known worldwide for their diversity and beauty. Unfortunately, many species are heading towards extinction because of bird malaria spread by mosquitoes introduced over a century ago. Remaining populations of these highly threatened forest birds tend to be at high elevations near the tree line on mountains, where cooler temperatures limit mosquitoes and...

As pressures from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, like invasive species, increase, new challenges arise for natural resource managers who are responsible for the health of public lands. One of the greatest challenges these managers face is that the traditional way of managing resources might not be as effective, or in some cases might be ineffective, in light of...

Recreational fisheries offer invaluable benefits to the communities they serve, including economic support, food security, and enhanced social connection with natural areas. In North America, bluegill are one of the most important species in terms of providing accessible, harvest-oriented recreational fisheries. In Wisconsin, they are the most caught, most harvested, and second-most...

The Northeast coast of the United States is an important area for a variety of native nesting seabirds including Common, Least, Arctic, and the federally endangered Roseate terns. These species migrate to the Northeast region to take advantage of highly productive waters during late spring and early summer to breed and raise their young. During this period, adults are highly dependent on...

Forests in California’s Sierra Nevada have become increasingly vulnerable to wildfires due to fire suppression practices, elevated tree mortality and warming temperatures. With these fires growing in severity, these forests are struggling to recover on their own, creating landscapes that are more susceptible to future fires and increased forest loss. Researchers supported by this...

Pollinator restoration requires information about what species to plant and when to plant them to ensure food sources are available throughout the periods when pollinators are active. Changes in climate, including earlier spring warming and warmer fall temperatures, may cause flowering to become out of sync with pollinator activity. When restoring land to support pollinators, managers...

California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) groves are a fundamental part of the landscape in Yosemite Valley and the tree is a cultural keystone species for associated Tribal Nations. For centuries, tribal members have planted, tended, burned, and gathered around black oak. Before Euro-American settlers, the tribes actively maintained a sacred, reciprocal relationship with these groves...

Coral reef ecosystems serve as natural coastal defenses, support local island economies, and are important sources of food for coastal communities. However, an increase in coral bleaching events, and the associated declines of coral cover and diversity, are highly likely as sea surface temperatures continue to rise. Multiple coral bleaching events between 2013 and 2017 have already...

The Squaxin Island Tribe (SIT) is descended from maritime people who have lived and prospered along the shores of the southernmost inlets of the Salish Sea for millennia. Climate change is projected to result in lower low water flows, higher peak water temperatures, and bigger and more frequent floods, due to both changes in peak flows and sea level rise. These changes could have...

Assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change is a key step in anticipating climate impacts on species. Vulnerability assessments characterize species’ future conservation needs and can guide current planning and management actions to support species persistence in the face of climate change. A full assessment of climate vulnerability involves characterizing three essential...

The Southwest is projected to face significant climate challenges in coming decades; and many of these stresses have already begun. In recent years, multiple climate assessments have been developed for the Southwest that corroborate forecasts of remarkable change to vegetation pattern and the vulnerability of regional ecosystems and suggest that measurable change is already ongoing...

In the Peninsular and Transverse Mountain Ranges of Southern California, montane forests (above 1200 m/4000 ft in elevation) are primarily restricted to “sky islands” of mixed conifer and hardwood species. Montane forests protect the upper watersheds of all the region’s major rivers, providing about 40% of the water used for human, agricultural, and industrial purposes in Southern...