February 2014
February 3, 2014
Dear Friends, 

We're pleased to share this latest roundup of news and events from around the Crown. 

In next month's issue, we have more information to share about the Roundtable's 5th Annual Conference, which will be held in Waterton, Alberta, on September 10-12, 2014.  

In addition, we'll provide a summary of the 16 diverse projects selected in the latest round of Adaptive Management Initiative grants. These on-the-ground projects are helping shape the future of our communities and landscapes in a way that sustains and enhances the Crown's conservation, community, and cultural values. In the coming months, you can follow these projects on our website at www.crownroundtable.org.
 
If we've missed your important news and meetings, please contact us with updates. 

Friends of the Crown
Friends of the Crown is an informal network of people and organizations that support the Statement of Values and Principles. 

Become a Friend of the Crown and join a network of organizations & individuals working to enhance the Crown of the Continent - 
"Common vision and values encapsulate the core identity of a culture. 

[We are] proud to support this effort to clarify critical land use and stewardship understanding in order to create a sustainable, resilient, and positive future for our collective communities in the Crown." 

- Friend of the Crown



Roundtable Leadership Team:
 
Clayton Matt
Culture Co-Chair, 
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes 
 
Stephen Legault 
Conservation Co-Chair, 
Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative
 
Anne Dahl
Swan Ecosystem Center
 
Ian Dyson 
Crown Managers Partnership,
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development 
 
Shannon Frank 
Oldman Watershed Council 
 
Dorothy First Rider 
Kainai / Blood Tribe 
 
Dave Hillary 
Kootenay Conservation Program 
 
Alan Rollo
Sun River & Teton River Watershed Groups
 
Erin Sexton
Crown Managers Partnership, 
The University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station 
 
John T. Shannon 
U.S. Forest Service Regions 1 & 4 
 
Jim Stone
Blackfoot Challenge
 
Paul Travis
Glacier National Park Conservancy 
 
Melissa Weatherwax
Blackfeet Nation
 
Matthew McKinney
Roundtable Co-Director,
Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
 
Gary Tabor
Roundtable Co-Director, 
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Neighborhood News

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has acquired riparian property along the Flathead River, an additional 147 acres through an exchange with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which purchased the property from a willing landowner in 2011 using Bonneville Power Administration fisheries mitigation funding. See this and more Flathead news in the current edition of

River to Lake News.  
 

This month researchers at the University of Calgary, together with the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) and Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD), will hold an experimental citizen dialogue on water, climate change and impacts both on the Oldman Watershed and regionally. Find more here.


New invasive weed detected on Flathead Indian Reservation

Authorities from three counties and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are asking people to be on the lookout for medusahead. The invasive weed has been detected in the north Valley Creek area of theReservation. It is capable of drastically reducing the livestock carrying capacity of rangeland. January 16, 2014, The Missoulian.

 

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This section features stories and updates from people and groups working around the Crown. If you didn't get a chance to speak at the 2013 conference or weren't able to attend, it's not to late to share -- Submit your story today!
 
Updates and stories will be included on a first come, first serve basis.
Regional News

Big footprint: Study finds Alberta leads in disturbing natural landscape. A national study suggests that Alberta has disturbed more natural landscape than any other province. The analysis by Global Forest Watch combines government data, satellite imagery and cropland maps to look at human intrusions in the last decade into all major Canadian ecozones. Those disruptions included everything from roads to seismic lines to clearcuts to croplands. 

Alberta leads in the amount of land disturbed at about 410,000 square kilometres. Almost two-thirds of the province--62 per cent--has seen industrial or agricultural intrusion. The Canadian Press, January 14, 2014.

 

Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission releases report on CSKT water compact. The Commission details impact of off-reservation claims if the compact fails next legislative session. Review the reporthere. The Missoulian, December 17, 2013. 

  

The Alberta Invasive Plant Council expands focus to include animals. The Alberta Invasive Plant Council has blossomed into the Alberta Invasive Species Council, with a change of name and an expanded mandate.The freshwater mussel species, native to Asia, are well established in the United States and slowly spreading north and east. A concerted effort is underway to keep them from becoming a major problem in Canada.The list will soon be updated to include zebra and quagga mussels and possibly rats and wild boar. The Western Producer, January 9, 2014.

 

Alberta hawks weather climate change with help from researchers. A team of researchers at the Univerity of Alberta is helping endangered Alberta hawks weather the storm of climate change. Read more here.

 

What a new water plan could mean for state climate policy. Members of the Montana legislature's Water Policy Interim Committee heard presentations from several prominent state climate scientists on the future of agricultural water use. These addressed the changing of Montana's mountain snowpack, key stresses on the state's water sources, and projections of future water supply. NPR, January 7, 2014.

 

Snowshoe hare study provides documentation of climate-change adaptation. In the  backcountry of the Seeley-Swan Valley, researchers are looking for snowshoe hares, tough to see against a winter landscape. Yet as the climate warms and the snow comes later and melts sooner; Whether the animal can adapt to the changes remains uncertain, and success or failure may implicate the future of the threatened Canada lynx. Ravalli Republic, January 14, 2014.
Beyond the Region
North Fork Watershed Protection Act clears US House panel. A bill aimed at protecting national forest lands west of Glacier National Park cleared a key House Committee Tuesday, drawing praise from local supporters. Daily Interlake, January 29, 2014. 
 
Three Canadian Cities Chosen as Green Leaders in Global City Challenge. Edmonton, North Vancouver and Surrey, have been chosen finalists in WWF's Earth Hour City Challenge 2014, selected by an international jury of sustainability experts for impressive city actions on climate change. The Canadian finalists were selected from 11 participating cities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, demonstrating strong commitments to a greener, renewable future. Marketwired, January 17, 2014.

British Columbia's economy to benefit from exports and energy projects: RBC Economics. BC's economy is expected to benefit from improving exports and the proposed multi-billion dollar projects in the energy sector in 2014 following a year of moderate growth in 2013, according to the latest RBC Economics Provincial Outlook. RBC anticipates provincial real GDP growth of 1.2 per cent in 2013, 2.4 per cent in 2014, and 2.8 per cent in 2015. Wall Street Journal, December, 2013.
Publications
Alberta Environment and Resource Development announces its draft of the Draft South Saskatchewan Regional Land Use Plan. You can download a copy at the AERD website.
 
The December 2, 2013 edition of the Journal of Conservation Biology contains a Special Section: Incorporating Climate Change into Risk Analyses under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (Conservation Biology, Volume 27, No. 6, 1138-1146). View the table of contents. 

 

The National Wildlife Federation recently published a report on the impact to wild game in the United States from climate change. You can view Big Game Wildlife: Nowhere to Run in a Warming World here.

 
Map: Priority areas between Yellowstone and the Yukon. In a map generated by the Vancouver Sun, check out the 10 priority areas of the Y2Y international landscape, and the Crown of the Contentint context in this larger region.  
 
National Geographic Maps and the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Council are undertaking the first revision in six years of the Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide, and seek your input. Find out more. 
Upcoming Events
University of Calgary professor leads climate water talks in Lethbridge. Gwedolyn Blue will lead a citizen panel on water and climate change on February 22, 2014. The Alberta Climate Dialogue will host an event at the University of Lethbridge. 
 
Series linked to Wilderness Act's 50th. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, a four-part speaker series is planned in Kalispell, Montana. Presentations will focus on the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex (the crown jewel of the federal wilderness system) and the value of wildlands. See the schedule here.
 

NorthWestern Energy seeking to fund conservation projects. Applications are due by 5 p.m. February 28, 2014 for eligible conservation projects that will reduce carbon emissions or promote the incremental absorption of carbon from the atmosphere. Check here for more information.

 

The Crown Managers Partnership (CMP) will hold its 14th annual forum in Missoula, Montana on March 17-19, 2014. The forum is titled Climate Change Adaptation in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. For more information, visit the CMP website.

 

The 85th annual conference of the Northwest Scientific Association is slated for March 26-29, 2014 at the University of Montana in Missoula. A joint meeting with the UM College of Forestry & Conservation Plum Creek Lecture Series, Montana Wetland Council, U.S. Forest Service, and the Northwest Lichenologists, the theme is: The Future of Forests and Forest Management: Change, Uncertainty and Adaptation. Invited keynote speakers include Dr. Steve Running and Dr. Richard Waring. Click here to learn more.

 

The spring meeting of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Education Consortium (COCEEC) is on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at the Swan Ecosystem Center in Congdon, Montana. Also, the 2014 Minigrant Applications will be posted on the COCEEC website in mid-February.  

 

Alberta to host World Economic Forum on climate change in April. Alberta will play host this spring to a World Economic Forum on energy and climate change. The event, to be held April 24-25 in Lake Louise, will bring in more than 100 global leaders from the worlds of business, academia, and government. Canadian Press, January 21,  2014.

 

The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station is pleased to announce a new webinar series, Invasive Plants - Issues, Challenges, and Discoveries. This free interactive series, which includes seven webinars, will provide attendees with cutting-edge information about invasive plants and their management.   

 

Save the date for the 2nd North America Congress for Conservation Biology to take place July 13-16, 2014 in Missoula, Montana.To learn more about key dates for this event, visit the conference website.

 

The 2nd annual First Stewards Symposium is slated for July 21-23 in Washington, DC. Panels of tribal leaders and tribal and Western scientists will examine how native people and their cultures have adapted to climate change for thousands of years, and what their future--and that of the nation--may hold as the impacts of climate change continue. See the website for details.

 

 

Find more about Under Western Skies 3 to be held September 9-13, 2014 at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. The theme is environments, technologies and communities. See the conference website.

 

UM lecture series to explore water. Titled "Western Rivers: Connecting Landscapes and Livelihoods", the 16th annual community lecture series at the University of Montana will bring together professors across several disciplines, including humanities, law, and science to discuss historical, legal, and conservation issues around the topic of water. The Missoulian, January 12, 2014.

 

Save the date for The Columbia River Basin: Learning from Our Past to Shape Our Future to be conducted in Spokane, Washington on October 21-23, 2014. Check here for updates.

 

 For more upcoming events, visit these comprehensive calendars:
The Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent provides a monthly newsletter to help connect people and organizations to news and events around the Crown. 
 
If you have an event or news item, an update from your group, or just a great picture to share, please send that information to Sue@climateconservation.org by February 24 for inclusion in the March 2014 newsletter.