Testing a Marine Invasive Species Risk Assessment Tool for Hawaii
Date: Monday, August 3rd
Time: 9am to 12pm
Location: UHH Lab 104
Contact:
Rachael Wade, Christy Martin || christym@rocketmail.com
The development of a scoring system to assess the risk of a species becoming invasive was first developed and implemented in 1994 with the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA), which was soon adapted for use in New Zealand. Since that time, the basic framework of the WRA has been adapted and adopted for use in a growing number of countries and regions worldwide, including Hawaii. However, accurate risk assessment systems for other taxa are few and far between. In 2014, we began work transitioning a marine invasive species risk assessment tool specially designed by Dave Gulko for Caribbean nations, to a Hawaiʻi-based tool that will be freely available for use. The Caribbean Marine Invasive Species Risk Assessment tool is based on the WRA and its scoring system, but uses a weighted logic model that leads the user through a series of questions and results in suggested management actions based on magnitude of risk. This workshop targets marine resource managers, researchers, and specialists to help test the tool and provide feedback. Once finalized, the tool will have a wide range of applications and will fill a critical gap in marine resource protection. It will provide a consistent, defendable, and peer-reviewed process for assessing risk and consequence that will support decision-making on policies and response to non-native marine species.The workshop will be led by Graduate Assistant Rachael Wade, with direction from co-PI’s Dr. Curt Daehler and Dr. Alison Sherwood, and with support of Christy Martin, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species.
The West Hawaii Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program: Building Partnerships to Support Science and Management of West Hawaii’s Marine Ecosystem
Date: Monday, August 3rd
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Location: USFS
Contact: Jamison Gove || jamison.gove@noaa.gov || Registration form
Home to diverse marine wildlife including ornamental fish, vibrant coral reefs, sea turtles, cetaceans and manta rays, West Hawai’i is also home to eco-tourism, aquaculture industry, and recreational and aquarium fisheries. The balance between natural ecosystem processes and human activities is critical in order to sustain ecosystem health. The Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) program was established to conduct interdisciplinary scientific research that directly supports the management of marine ecosystem structure, function and processes while maintaining ecosystem services that are important to human populations.
A key priority for the IEA is to build partnerships in order to share knowledge and information on West Hawai‘i. This workshop seeks to engage community members, resource managers and policy makers to formulate a more comprehensive understanding of the interactions within and influences on West Hawai‘i’s marine ecosystem.
The first part of this workshop will provide attendees with an overview of the IEA and a summary of information collected from group-based discussions during the Science Symposium on West Hawai‘i’s Marine Ecosystem, held in Kailua-Kona in September 2014. The second part will entail break-out groups that work towards the development of a Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model; a systems-thinking tool that can be used to clarify interactions between land and coastal habitats, identify all possibilities available to accomplish management objectives, and illuminate the trade-offs that are associated with each possibility. The outcomes of this workshop will highlight the relationships between marine ecosystems and human activities and elucidate how local communities rely upon and benefit from West Hawai’i’s marine ecosystem.
Climate-Driven Changes to Dominant Vegetation in the Hawaiian Islands: Modals and Applications
Date: Monday, August 3rd
Time: 11:00am
Location: Room W-201, Bldg 354, Student Services (in person)
Meeting Number: 712 847 152, no password
Instructions: (online webinar)
About 10 minutes before it is time for the meeting…
- Go to https://usgs.webex.com/usgs/j.php?MTID=mc7d348efbfcdac463ce58d5ce8935e23
- If requested, enter your name and e-mail address
- To hear the speaker, you must call the teleconference: Call 855-547-8255 plus 71487# when prompted
As managers grapple with how to protect their resources in a changing environment, forecasting the shifts in populations and community structure for native and non-native species becomes a useful tool for future planning. In search of these answers, Dr. Price’s team compiled quantitative vegetation records from over 5,000 locations and developed novel correlative species abundance models to identify trends and estimate baseline and future projected shifts in key native plant species in the Hawaiian Islands. This tool can be applied in order to assess habitat quality, define specific ecological restoration objectives, and identify the potential for key invasives to threaten a site (even where they are presently not found). Future projected abundances can enhance conservation planning both by anticipating where native species populations may increase or decrease and by identifying areas where invasives may extend their range.
Building Mālama ‘Āina: A Participatory Approach to Adult Education and Conservation Action
Date: Monday, August 3rd
Time: 1pm to 4pm
Location: Hale ʻŌlelo 217, 218, 219
Contact: Jill Korach || korachjk@miamioh.edu
Few doubt the importance of personal choices and how these impact the natural world around us. Increasing our focus on malama ‘aina, caring for and nurturing the land, can only better human and ecological communities of Hawai’i Island and worldwide. Earth Expeditions (EE) offers unique first-hand opportunities for adult learners to gain new skills in participatory education, engage in inquiry and community-based learning – centering on conservation action. Students join an alliance of cutting-edge organizations, educators, researchers, and community innovators worldwide as a part of this multidisciplinary graduate program.
In addition to working, learning, and contributing to pivotal ecological and cultural important places, EE students engage in personal action projects – developing new approaches to address vital conservation issues. Building relationships with leading educators and community leaders including Three Mountain Alliance, Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project, Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, San Diego Zoo Global and others, students develop a clearer understanding of personal responsibility (kuleana) and how we can each make a difference. Through collaboration, public engagement, and shared programs like Nā Kiaʻi Kūmokuhāliʻi (forest guardians), our students, alumni, and global partners are forging new paths to a more sustainable future.
Participating in biocultural field experiences can offer far-reaching educational and personal impacts such as greater knowledge of local conservation issues, deeper personal connections, and inspirational basis for future conservation education projects. Join us and experience the power of participatory learning through hands-on activities, hear directly from students, participate in discussions, and learn more about Project Dragonfly’s Earth Expeditions program.
Introduction to Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA)
Date: Monday, August 3rd
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Location: USFS
Contact:
Jennifer Metz Kane || jmkane@hawaii.edu
Judy Lemus || jlemus@hawaii.edu
This introductory “Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences” (COSIA) training will offer participants a basic understanding of ocean literacy, foundations of learning, and western and traditional approaches to science. Through a framework that links these two knowledge systems, participants will learn about techniques that can improve their ability to communicate about science concepts to diverse audiences; engage in reflective activities that will help them to understand their own learning about science; and receive resources to help further their knowledge in ocean science communication.
Recapturing Kuleana: Reigniting Community-Based Stewardship and Rebuilding Our Collective Capacity to Mālama from Mauka to Makai
Date: Thursday, August 6th
Time: 8:15am to 10:15am
Location: Gym
Contact: Manuel Mejia || mmejia@tnc.org
The values of kuleana (right & responsibility) and malama (caring) for our precious lands and waters have been eroding in Hawaii in the face of rapid change. A lot of solutions to our sustainablity challenges today can be found in traditional ways of management once practiced throughout the archipelago. The Maui Nui Makai Learning Network and its community members still carry these values and knowledge of caring for their places. Through this workshop, kupuna (elders) from the Maui Nui Network will inspire and share their knowledge, wisdom and practical advice on how to revive cultural traditions and integrate these stewardship values with an empirical and science-based approach to inform resource management in today’s reality. Training will be hands-on and focused on 4 key areas: rebuilding pride in place; fisheries management; resource monitoring and building broad-based support for conservation and food security.
Using Cloud-Computing Resources for Field Mapping and GIS Analysis
Date: Friday, August 7th
Time: 9am to 12pm
Location: UHH Lab 103
Contact: Craig Clouet || cclouet@esri.com
Technology has changed the way conservationist and the general community as a whole use and maage geospatial data. It is no common for people to use smart phones or tablet computers to do everything from field data collection, to GIS analysis and visualization. This workshop will examine the current state of technology, with a focus on the technology as implemented by Esri, the world leader in GIS.
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems for Environmental Conservation and Research
Date: Friday, August 7th
Time: 9am to 12pm
Location: UHH Lab 104
Contact: Ryan Perroy || rperroy@hawaii.edu
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are transforming environmental research and conservation efforts worldwide, offering scientists and land managers a powerful means of collecting high resolution spatial data and imagery at a relatively low operational cost. This 2 hour introductory workshop will cover some UAS basics and the hurdles an organization needs to overcome to safely and legally integrate UAS operations into their workflows. The workshop will consist of presentations, live demonstrations with UAS platforms, hands-on UAS simulations, and exposure to image processing with UAS-derived data.
Eyes of the Reef: A Community-Based Network to Enhance Public Involvement in Management of Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystems
Date: Friday, August 7th
Time: 9:30am to 11:30am
Location: USFS
Contact: Amanda Shore-Maggio || ashore@hawaii.edu
Hawai‘i’s reefs span an enormous geographical area, making it difficult for resource managers to detect and respond to threats to coral reef ecosystems. Therefore, reef users are essential in helping managers monitor reefs, providing the critical mass of ‘eyes on our reefs’ needed to detect and respond to events in a timely manner. In 2009, the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) developed Hawai‘i’s Rapid Response Contingency Plan (RRCP), a three-tiered plan that provides a framework for managers to respond to unusual events of coral disease, coral bleaching, and Crown-Of-Thorns-Starfish (COTS). It includes the Eyes of the Reef (EOR) Network, a community-based early reporting and education program developed to educate and engage stakeholders in identifying and reporting outbreak events. The Eyes of the Reef network has been successful in alerting DAR and ocean users to coral disease outbreaks on O‘ahu (2010) and Kaua‘i (2012) and has been vital in mapping out the extent of a recent coral bleaching event across the Hawai‘ian Islands (2013). The Eyes of the Reef Network offers free trainings to give people with all levels of ocean knowledge – community members, reef users, tourists, fishers, commercial operators, scientists, reef managers, marine science educators – the skills to identify and report threats to Hawai‘i’s reefs.
