Thursday, August 6, 2009: 11:30 AM-1:15 PM
Nambe, Albuquerque Convention Center
WK 31 - The USA National Phenology Network: A Practical Tool for Research, Management and Education in the Face of Climate Change
This workshop will introduce participants to the programs and products of the USA National Phenology Network (NPN; www.usanpn.org), a new national biological science and monitoring program designed to increase our understanding of the effects of climate change on the phenology of natural ecological systems. Changes in phenology, i.e., the timing of seasonal plant and animal life history stages and behaviors, are among the most sensitive biological responses to climate change and affect virtually all aspects of ecosystems, from interspecific relationships to nutrient cycling. Moreover, phenological events are easy to observe and are often culturally important. This workshop will describe NPN programs focused on the phenology of plants and animals across scales ranging from individual organisms to landscapes and even regions. We will introduce participants to tools available to engage scientists, managers, students, and the public in phenological studies that will contribute to and utilize a new national database for phenology. In addition, we will describe, demonstrate, and discuss opportunities to integrate phenology, ecology, and climate change research into classrooms and citizen science programs. We will highlight a number of new self-directed, inquiry-based lessons available through the NPN webpage. The workshop will feature speakers who will introduce resources, methods, and case studies; the workshop will culminate in a discussion (either as a single large group or several small groups, depending on the number of participants) to address specific questions. Participants will leave the workshop with tools and techniques that they can bring to their own science, management, or education programs.
Organizer:	Abraham Miller-Rushing, USA National Phenology Network and The Wildlife Society
Co-organizer:	Jake Weltzin, USA National Phenology Network
Speakers:	Kathryn A. Thomas, US Geological Survey Lisa M. Benton, USA National Phenology Network Brian P. Haggerty, University of California, Santa Barbara Ellen G. Denny, USA National Phenology Network

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See more of The 94th ESA Annual Meeting (August 2 -- 7, 2009)