UA, federal agency renew climate science partnership
Michael DeLue
907-474-5968
Sep. 25, 2023
Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center graduate student Maggie Harings is studying eDNA and how it might be used to estimate fish populations in Alaska's rivers.
The 鶹 will continue to host the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center after renewing an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS will provide $11.4 million to fund the center during the next five years.
The center, part of a national network, provides regionally relevant climate science
to support climate change adaptation. It connects government agencies, researchers
and local decision-makers.
The 鶹 Fairbanks has hosted the center, which was the first in the
nation, since 2010. Scott Rupp, a UAF wildfire scientist, and Steve Gray, a USGS hydrologist,
lead efforts to provide adaptation science to managers of Alaska’s land, water, fish,
wildlife and cultural heritage resources.
Recent projects have focused on Alaska’s changing berry harvests, landslide risks
along national park roads and glacier lake outburst flooding near Juneau.
UAF will continue as the university host, while UA Anchorage and UA Southeast serve
as consortium partners.
“The science happening in collaboration with the universities is helping land managers
make better decisions in the face of a changing climate,” said Gray, the USGS regional
administrator for the center. “That’s not just here in the Department of the Interior
either. Our work is helping other federal agencies, state agencies and local land
managers make better decisions too.”
The new hosting agreement coincides with new leadership. Patrick Lemons will become
assistant regional administrator for the center at the USGS office in Anchorage.
Lemons was chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Marine Mammals Management
Office from 2016 to 2023. The office is responsible for the conservation of polar
bears, northern sea otters and Pacific walruses. His understanding of regulatory research
needs will provide a new and powerful perspective to the center.
“I’m excited to innovate on how we serve our managing partners in Alaska,” Lemons said. “What’s the best way to maintain clear and open communication with local, state and federal managers? How do we best turn their questions into research priorities?”
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