The California Department of Fish and Game will co-host the first of five public information sessions to address the national threat of climate change.

The discussion will be held Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at California State University, Sacramento in the Willow Room Suites of Modoc Hall.

The session also is sponsored by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and will center on the draft National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy.

The draft national strategy came out of a partnership of federal, state and tribal fish and wildlife conservation agencies and is describe as an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive response to the pressures of climate change.

It is available for public review and comment through March 5 at www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov.

The site also provides instructions for submitting comments and the dates and locations of all five public sessions and two Webinars.

Department of Fish and Game Chief Deputy Director Kevin Hunting, a member of the steering committee, will present opening remarks at Tuesday’s session. He said the strategy offers a platform for enhanced coordination and cooperation in tackling the challenges associated with climate change.

“The draft outlines a sound set of goals, strategies and actions that address resource management challenges that a warming climate presents,” said Hunting. “Many of these actions have been called out in existing statewide climate adaptation planning strategies, such as the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy, and further solidify the importance of these key goals and actions we’re taking at the state level.”

The adaptation strategy represents a draft framework for unified action to safeguard fish, wildlife and plants, as well as the important benefits and services the natural world provides the nation every day, including jobs, food, clean water, clean air, building materials, storm
protection and recreation.

In 2010, Congress called for a national, government-wide strategy to be developed by the President’s Council on Environmental Quality and Interior.

The council assembled an unprecedented partnership of federal, state and tribal fish and wildlife conservation agencies to draft the strategy.

This partnership includes the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, representing state fish and wildlife
agencies.

Teams composed of more than 100 diverse researchers and managers from across the country participated in the drafting for the partnership.

Each team focused on an ecosystem-based section of the strategy: freshwater/inland water systems, coastal systems, marine systems, forested systems, and grassland and scrub-land systems (including deserts and tundra).

The teams ensured that the strategy was developed with a thorough understanding of the ecological implications of climate change on major natural systems.

Other public sessions are planned for Madison, Wis., Charleston, S.C., Anchorage, Alaska and Albany, N.Y.

To register for these meetings and for more information on the public comment process, visit www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/public-comments.php.

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