Climate Change in Yosemite: Patterns of Environmental Change

Scientists have studied changes in climate and environmental patterns for decades. More recently, the issue has been elevated to a higher public profile. Multiple research projects are tracing patterns of environmental change to climate change and using predictive models to give a glimpse of future rates of change and resultant effects on the vegetation and animals.

Yosemite National Park is an area of interest, having elevations of over 9,000 feet, and is also extensively studied with historical records. Within the park, biologists have completed a detailed update of vegetation maps and have recently finished a 100-year resurvey of vertebrates, mapping both the historical and current ranges. When these maps are compared to maps of climate change, it suggests that ranges and climate changes may be linked. In these complex systems, there are several factors affecting distribution and changes in both flora and fauna but climate change is one factor that can be extensively measured.

Join our team of high Sierra experts as we explore how the patterns of environmental and biotic changes may be tied to a changing climate and understand how their research affects management decisions. We will examine the Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Crest, and the Sierra's eastern slopes to better understand the detected changes. Lectures, examination of regional photo retakes, and field site visits will illustrate how scientists are documenting the role of climate in this environment.

Workshop Instructors:
***Connie Millar ~ Sierra Nevada Research Center, PSW Research Station, USDA Forest Service
***Jessica Lundquist ~ Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington
***Guest lecture by David Graber ~ Chief Scientist, Pacific West Region, National Park Service

Course fee includes accommodations, meals, park fees, and transportation for the duration of the workshop. Camping will be on private property with running water and flush toilets.