The California Regional Climate Sub Hub (based at UC Davis) wrapped up its second year by co-organizing the Southwest Climate Summit in Sacramento, CA, on Nov. 2-3, 2015. The Summit included 250 attendees from state and federal government, academia, NGOs, consultancies, and stakeholder groups. The Summit used an interactive approach to explore how to use climate science in decision making and promote two-way conversations between scientists and stakeholders.The Sub Hub’s biggest project for 2015 was a climate vulnerability assessment of California rangelands, created in consultation with extension specialists, ranchers and their representatives, and academic scientists. The assessment uses a combination of literature review, expert opinion, climate modeling, and GIS analysis to identify potential climate impacts on rangelands, and to outline adaptation responses available to land users. The report (slated for completion in February 2016) will be summarized in a series of fact sheets aimed at extension staff and ranchers.
One of the Sub Hub’s new initiatives for 2016 is working with partner agencies to highlight field demonstrations of climate adaptation. For example, at the Plant Materials Center in Lockeford, CA (run by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service), cover crops take center stage. The Sub Hub will work with the PMC to create a series of educational materials for land users highlighting the ability of cover crops to survive drought, improve soil water-holding capacity, and increase infiltration rates. This aligns with the Sub Hub’s overarching theme of 2016: coping with California’s historic drought. Relevant websites:
* SW Climate Summit: http://www.swcsc.arizona.edu/summit/2015
* NRCS Plant Materials Center:
