1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,980
My name is Emma
wrestle and I am

2
00:00:01,980 --> 00:00:04,410
a climate change intern at

3
00:00:04,410 --> 00:00:05,640
Westmont Noma soil and

4
00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:07,155
water conservation
district,

5
00:00:07,155 --> 00:00:08,325
as well as a student at

6
00:00:08,325 --> 00:00:10,095
Portland State University.

7
00:00:10,095 --> 00:00:12,825
And today I'd like to
talk about my work on

8
00:00:12,825 --> 00:00:14,550
improving climate
resiliency

9
00:00:14,550 --> 00:00:15,900
in management practices,

10
00:00:15,900 --> 00:00:17,910
in conservation lending by

11
00:00:17,910 --> 00:00:19,500
developing a climate lens,

12
00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:20,910
at least put them on Soil

13
00:00:20,910 --> 00:00:23,280
and Water Conservation
District.

14
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,110
And before I begin,

15
00:00:25,110 --> 00:00:27,675
I'd first like to
acknowledge PSUs, LCM,

16
00:00:27,675 --> 00:00:30,510
and ISS programs for
funding the project,

17
00:00:30,510 --> 00:00:33,880
as well as like my
supervisor, Maria legato.

18
00:00:36,550 --> 00:00:39,110
So the purpose
of this project,

19
00:00:39,110 --> 00:00:40,700
as mentioned in the title,

20
00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:42,830
is to develop
a climate lens

21
00:00:42,830 --> 00:00:44,540
for Westmont lemma.

22
00:00:44,540 --> 00:00:46,040
And the main
reason why we're

23
00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:47,660
doing this comes from one

24
00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:49,130
of the strategic
directions

25
00:00:49,130 --> 00:00:51,485
listed in
Westmont moments.

26
00:00:51,485 --> 00:00:53,300
Long-range
business plan in

27
00:00:53,300 --> 00:00:54,500
that strategic direction

28
00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:55,640
says that they intend to

29
00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:57,650
promote resilient
environments and

30
00:00:57,650 --> 00:01:00,260
communities in the face
of climate change.

31
00:01:00,260 --> 00:01:02,870
So this project is
hoping to assist in

32
00:01:02,870 --> 00:01:05,210
achieving that
strategic direction and

33
00:01:05,210 --> 00:01:06,710
then as well as develop

34
00:01:06,710 --> 00:01:08,210
a climate lens to

35
00:01:08,210 --> 00:01:11,280
inform future
conservation planning.

36
00:01:12,670 --> 00:01:15,319
So for this presentation,

37
00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:16,460
I'm going to focus on

38
00:01:16,460 --> 00:01:19,370
four main points of study
within the project.

39
00:01:19,370 --> 00:01:23,540
In the first one is
determining how organs

40
00:01:23,540 --> 00:01:25,595
future or organs climate

41
00:01:25,595 --> 00:01:27,785
is expected to change
in the future.

42
00:01:27,785 --> 00:01:29,750
And then lumps
determining that we want

43
00:01:29,750 --> 00:01:32,060
to figure out what kind

44
00:01:32,060 --> 00:01:34,010
of impacts that
change and climate

45
00:01:34,010 --> 00:01:36,695
will have on
specific systems.

46
00:01:36,695 --> 00:01:39,230
And then we want
to figure out

47
00:01:39,230 --> 00:01:41,900
what kind of land
management practices we can

48
00:01:41,900 --> 00:01:45,200
incorporate or adapt
in order to increase

49
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:46,730
climate mitigation and

50
00:01:46,730 --> 00:01:49,415
adaptation within
the organization.

51
00:01:49,415 --> 00:01:51,440
In lastly, we hope to

52
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,690
identify communities
of concern

53
00:01:53,690 --> 00:01:55,490
within the region
and find ways

54
00:01:55,490 --> 00:01:58,560
to best protect
these communities.

55
00:01:59,230 --> 00:02:02,000
First thing that we
wanted to look at was

56
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,225
how is climate expect
it to change in Oregon.

57
00:02:05,225 --> 00:02:06,935
So like the rest
of the globe,

58
00:02:06,935 --> 00:02:09,560
we're expecting increases
in temperatures.

59
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,600
And these make
these increases

60
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,160
in temperatures
are mainly going

61
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:15,080
to affect the
summer season with

62
00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:16,400
the largest increases in

63
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,470
temperatures
occurring them.

64
00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:21,635
And then as far as annual
precipitation goes,

65
00:02:21,635 --> 00:02:25,160
there's really not
much change annually,

66
00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:26,450
but we will experience

67
00:02:26,450 --> 00:02:28,085
a lot of seasonal changes.

68
00:02:28,085 --> 00:02:31,205
So summers are going
to get much drier.

69
00:02:31,205 --> 00:02:32,510
And with this comes

70
00:02:32,510 --> 00:02:35,105
increased drought
and wildfire risk.

71
00:02:35,105 --> 00:02:37,325
And then winters are
going to get wetter

72
00:02:37,325 --> 00:02:39,890
with increased
precipitation and

73
00:02:39,890 --> 00:02:42,650
a shift in
precipitation falling

74
00:02:42,650 --> 00:02:46,369
more so as red
enlists as snowfall.

75
00:02:46,369 --> 00:02:49,370
So with this
shift to rain,

76
00:02:49,370 --> 00:02:50,960
dominant precipitation are

77
00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,030
mountains receive
less snow,

78
00:02:53,030 --> 00:02:54,710
therefore decreasing
the amount

79
00:02:54,710 --> 00:02:56,300
of snowpack that's there.

80
00:02:56,300 --> 00:02:58,730
And this has a really
strong impact on

81
00:02:58,730 --> 00:03:01,100
our summer season
because that decreases

82
00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:03,230
the amount of summer

83
00:03:03,230 --> 00:03:04,820
flows coming from us know

84
00:03:04,820 --> 00:03:07,190
back in this
further exacerbates

85
00:03:07,190 --> 00:03:08,840
the dry conditions that

86
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:10,985
we're expecting
for the future.

87
00:03:10,985 --> 00:03:14,180
And then lastly, we,
like Garrett mentioned,

88
00:03:14,180 --> 00:03:15,860
are expecting
an increase in

89
00:03:15,860 --> 00:03:17,240
heat wave intensity and

90
00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,040
frequency in the summers.

91
00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,930
And then we're
also experiencing,

92
00:03:20,930 --> 00:03:23,885
are intending to
experience an increase

93
00:03:23,885 --> 00:03:27,425
in a night time
temperatures in the summer,

94
00:03:27,425 --> 00:03:30,260
which has a pretty
strong impact

95
00:03:30,260 --> 00:03:33,389
in terms of the
effects of heatwaves.

96
00:03:34,090 --> 00:03:36,395
So now we want to look at

97
00:03:36,395 --> 00:03:37,820
what kind of impacts,

98
00:03:37,820 --> 00:03:41,165
what these effects have
unspecific systems.

99
00:03:41,165 --> 00:03:43,190
So as far as forest scale,

100
00:03:43,190 --> 00:03:45,020
we're expecting forest to

101
00:03:45,020 --> 00:03:48,020
become drier and
also hotter.

102
00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:49,355
So both of these things

103
00:03:49,355 --> 00:03:51,905
increase the drought
and wildfire risk.

104
00:03:51,905 --> 00:03:53,960
So we expect both
of those things to

105
00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,065
them become more
frequent in the future,

106
00:03:57,065 --> 00:03:59,195
specifically in
the summertime.

107
00:03:59,195 --> 00:04:04,100
And then when a wildfire
disturbs an area,

108
00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:07,370
we're left with
less growth

109
00:04:07,370 --> 00:04:09,200
and these seedlings
that are trying to

110
00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,140
repopulate the area
in the seedlings will

111
00:04:12,140 --> 00:04:13,910
now be trying to grow

112
00:04:13,910 --> 00:04:16,085
in more harsh
environments.

113
00:04:16,085 --> 00:04:17,450
And so that actually

114
00:04:17,450 --> 00:04:19,550
increases signaling
mortality and

115
00:04:19,550 --> 00:04:21,320
has a pretty
strong effect on

116
00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,725
post wildfire regeneration
in the future.

117
00:04:24,725 --> 00:04:28,685
We also know that when
plants are stressed,

118
00:04:28,685 --> 00:04:30,890
it essentially
opens the door for

119
00:04:30,890 --> 00:04:32,330
other disturbances to come

120
00:04:32,330 --> 00:04:35,330
in and negatively
impact the plants.

121
00:04:35,330 --> 00:04:37,190
So we're expecting
this effect

122
00:04:37,190 --> 00:04:38,765
to take place with

123
00:04:38,765 --> 00:04:41,060
the drought stress
and also temperature

124
00:04:41,060 --> 00:04:43,370
stress affecting
the plants,

125
00:04:43,370 --> 00:04:44,990
and therefore increasing

126
00:04:44,990 --> 00:04:47,735
the vulnerability
to insects,

127
00:04:47,735 --> 00:04:51,830
to diseases and to
invasive species.

128
00:04:51,830 --> 00:04:54,530
And then the last
thing, we expect

129
00:04:54,530 --> 00:04:57,425
his plans to shift
their distribution,

130
00:04:57,425 --> 00:04:59,390
trying to go into cooler

131
00:04:59,390 --> 00:05:01,460
and wetter environments as

132
00:05:01,460 --> 00:05:02,705
the climate is changing.

133
00:05:02,705 --> 00:05:05,825
So plants are going
to shift north

134
00:05:05,825 --> 00:05:07,400
and they're also going to

135
00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,620
shift towards
higher elevations.

136
00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,335
So as far as
agriculture goes,

137
00:05:15,335 --> 00:05:17,570
agricultural crops
will overall

138
00:05:17,570 --> 00:05:19,340
experience a decrease in

139
00:05:19,340 --> 00:05:21,300
crop yield and quality.

140
00:05:21,300 --> 00:05:22,930
And this is mainly due to

141
00:05:22,930 --> 00:05:24,100
the drought stress and

142
00:05:24,100 --> 00:05:25,270
the temperature
stress that

143
00:05:25,270 --> 00:05:26,590
they will experience.

144
00:05:26,590 --> 00:05:27,910
And as I mentioned
earlier,

145
00:05:27,910 --> 00:05:29,590
that decline and snowpack

146
00:05:29,590 --> 00:05:31,180
really plays a
big role in this.

147
00:05:31,180 --> 00:05:33,970
Because not only
will plants

148
00:05:33,970 --> 00:05:35,530
require more water with

149
00:05:35,530 --> 00:05:36,850
an increase in
temperature,

150
00:05:36,850 --> 00:05:38,635
but there is less water

151
00:05:38,635 --> 00:05:40,825
to be had in the
growing season.

152
00:05:40,825 --> 00:05:43,690
So it further
exacerbates be

153
00:05:43,690 --> 00:05:45,640
the stress on
the irrigation

154
00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,995
systems for these crops.

155
00:05:47,995 --> 00:05:50,260
And the changes in

156
00:05:50,260 --> 00:05:52,750
climate will also
reduce soil health

157
00:05:52,750 --> 00:05:55,690
and increased heat
related illnesses for

158
00:05:55,690 --> 00:05:58,855
both livestock as
well as farm workers.

159
00:05:58,855 --> 00:06:01,434
And similar to forests.

160
00:06:01,434 --> 00:06:04,120
These drought stress
and temperature

161
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,525
will increase
vulnerability to pests,

162
00:06:07,525 --> 00:06:11,150
to insects, and
also to weeds.

163
00:06:12,930 --> 00:06:15,220
And then when looking

164
00:06:15,220 --> 00:06:17,380
at impacts on
specific systems,

165
00:06:17,380 --> 00:06:18,430
we also looked at

166
00:06:18,430 --> 00:06:20,740
wetlands and
riparian regions.

167
00:06:20,740 --> 00:06:22,630
In these two regions are

168
00:06:22,630 --> 00:06:24,490
very dependent on
precipitation.

169
00:06:24,490 --> 00:06:26,470
So as precipitation
patterns

170
00:06:26,470 --> 00:06:27,700
change in the future,

171
00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:30,624
so are the
hydrological patterns.

172
00:06:30,624 --> 00:06:32,320
I'm going to change in

173
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,630
the wetland and
riparian areas.

174
00:06:34,630 --> 00:06:37,660
So we expect that
wetlands are going

175
00:06:37,660 --> 00:06:41,800
to have less
time being wet.

176
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,160
It actually increased
risk of drying out.

177
00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:46,710
So they'll spend more time

178
00:06:46,710 --> 00:06:49,580
dry then they will
let in the future.

179
00:06:49,580 --> 00:06:51,380
And they will also have

180
00:06:51,380 --> 00:06:54,185
an increase in water
temperatures as well.

181
00:06:54,185 --> 00:06:57,125
And that can have a
negative impact on any of

182
00:06:57,125 --> 00:06:58,880
the species that
are dependent

183
00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,680
on these waters
and these regions.

184
00:07:02,050 --> 00:07:05,255
And as far as
riparian areas go,

185
00:07:05,255 --> 00:07:07,490
we expect an increase in

186
00:07:07,490 --> 00:07:08,870
flooding and an also an

187
00:07:08,870 --> 00:07:10,220
increase in
drought severity.

188
00:07:10,220 --> 00:07:12,680
So we kind of have
this increase in

189
00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,010
both extremes for
riparian areas.

190
00:07:16,010 --> 00:07:19,370
And then also an
expected reduction in

191
00:07:19,370 --> 00:07:20,765
groundwater recharge

192
00:07:20,765 --> 00:07:23,150
and a reduction in
nutrient cycling,

193
00:07:23,150 --> 00:07:24,890
which are both
important for

194
00:07:24,890 --> 00:07:28,410
these riparian areas
to maintain health.

195
00:07:28,780 --> 00:07:30,860
So now that
we've looked at

196
00:07:30,860 --> 00:07:32,765
the impacts of
these regions,

197
00:07:32,765 --> 00:07:34,085
we really want to know

198
00:07:34,085 --> 00:07:35,930
how can we reduce
these impacts,

199
00:07:35,930 --> 00:07:37,580
knowing that climate
change is going

200
00:07:37,580 --> 00:07:40,565
to negatively affect
these regions.

201
00:07:40,565 --> 00:07:43,610
So in terms of land
management practices,

202
00:07:43,610 --> 00:07:45,620
we have two main
categories that we

203
00:07:45,620 --> 00:07:48,335
can reduce the
climate impacts.

204
00:07:48,335 --> 00:07:50,165
The first one
is mitigation.

205
00:07:50,165 --> 00:07:51,620
In this refers to

206
00:07:51,620 --> 00:07:54,410
the actual reduction
of atmospheric carbon.

207
00:07:54,410 --> 00:07:55,565
So in our case, that would

208
00:07:55,565 --> 00:07:57,950
be sequestering carbon.

209
00:07:57,950 --> 00:08:01,460
And the main way that
we can do this is

210
00:08:01,460 --> 00:08:05,360
by adapting
agricultural practices.

211
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,705
So we want to increase
the amount of,

212
00:08:08,705 --> 00:08:11,495
of hard then that's
also going up.

213
00:08:11,495 --> 00:08:13,430
And we can do this by

214
00:08:13,430 --> 00:08:15,320
reducing soil disturbance.

215
00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,330
So we can go to a no till

216
00:08:17,330 --> 00:08:20,930
practice or reduce tiling
as much as we can.

217
00:08:20,930 --> 00:08:23,465
And also incorporate
cover cropping

218
00:08:23,465 --> 00:08:26,660
in crop rotation
into the practices.

219
00:08:26,660 --> 00:08:28,490
We can also look into

220
00:08:28,490 --> 00:08:30,665
incorporating
BioShock and manure.

221
00:08:30,665 --> 00:08:32,180
And those are good
ways to increase

222
00:08:32,180 --> 00:08:35,250
the amount of carbon
stored in the soils.

223
00:08:36,910 --> 00:08:39,080
And then other ways to

224
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:40,535
mitigate climate include

225
00:08:40,535 --> 00:08:42,020
protecting and restoring

226
00:08:42,020 --> 00:08:44,420
high carbon storing
ecosystems.

227
00:08:44,420 --> 00:08:46,025
So this includes wetlands.

228
00:08:46,025 --> 00:08:48,350
Wetlands are really
important because they

229
00:08:48,350 --> 00:08:51,020
actually slow the rate
of decomposition,

230
00:08:51,020 --> 00:08:53,300
which therefore
stores carbon

231
00:08:53,300 --> 00:08:55,610
within the biomass
in the region.

232
00:08:55,610 --> 00:08:56,990
And then we know that

233
00:08:56,990 --> 00:08:58,310
old growth forests store

234
00:08:58,310 --> 00:09:00,980
a lot of carbon and
also riparian areas.

235
00:09:00,980 --> 00:09:02,945
So as far as

236
00:09:02,945 --> 00:09:06,470
assisting in reducing
climate impacts,

237
00:09:06,470 --> 00:09:07,880
these regions should be

238
00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:09,290
prioritized in terms of

239
00:09:09,290 --> 00:09:11,405
protection and
restoration.

240
00:09:11,405 --> 00:09:13,685
And then we can always
plant more trees.

241
00:09:13,685 --> 00:09:14,960
So that includes a forest

242
00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,450
station and reforestation.

243
00:09:17,450 --> 00:09:24,530
As far as adaptation
to increase you sorry,

244
00:09:24,530 --> 00:09:26,840
I cut is actually

245
00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,659
increasing the
ecosystem resiliency.

246
00:09:29,659 --> 00:09:30,935
So there are many
ways to do that.

247
00:09:30,935 --> 00:09:32,600
The most important,
I would say is

248
00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,015
habitat connectivity
and also

249
00:09:35,015 --> 00:09:38,700
increasing biodiversity
within the region.

250
00:09:38,950 --> 00:09:41,610
And that is all.