1/10/2018-3/21/2018

Natural resource and conversation professionals are tasked with understanding climate change impacts and using this knowledge in making decisions. This 8 week online course is designed to cover the fundamentals of climate science, provide an overview of tools and resources for climate adaptation, and increase climate literacy and communication skills. The course is designed to encourage networking among conservation professionals engaged in the management of fish, wildlife, habitat and cultural resources and provides participants an opportunity to interact with experts as they address case studies across multiple habitat types.

Beginning in January 2018, a webinar session with leading experts in these topics, will be held every week for 8 weeks, for a total of 8 sessions. There is a break the week of February 5th. Pre-webinar assignments, class resources and discussion forums will be accessed through Moodle, a distance learning platform (no special software required). Course participants will then develop a final product addressing climate change in their management of natural resources.

An estimated 3hrs/week will be spent towards participation in in lectures, discussions, and to complete reading assignments. Additional time for the final project will vary.

The course was developed in partnership with staff from the USFWS’s NCTC, The Wildlife Society (TWS), the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), the National Park Service (NPS), the Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Explain the scientific basis of climate change.
• Understand biological impacts of climate change.
• Understand the role of vulnerability assessments and select decision support tools.
• Identify principles and tools of adaptation planning and examples of adaptation action.
• Effectively communicate climate change impacts to co-workers, stakeholders and management.
• Demonstrate how climate change integrates into their work.

MORE INFO