Technical Assistance in Cultural Landscape Climate Change Adaptation Approaches for the National Park System

Project ID: P15AC01669

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Oregon

Fiscal Year: 2015

Initial Funding: $11,750

Total Funding: $55,517

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Interdisciplinary

National Park: National Projects

Principal Investigator: Melnick, Robert

Agreement Technical Representative: Cussen, Stephen

Abstract: the goal of this project is to provide technical assistance to NPS in incorporating the methods and findings of the cultural landscapes climate change work with the concurrent NPS climate change vulnerability assessment and planning framework initiatives and related projects.

UO will provide technical assistance through the following:
• Collaboration meeting in Washington, DC (WASO) with the NPS Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator for Cultural Resources and WASO staff from natural, cultural, and facilities staff; and
• Collaboration meeting in Ft. Collins or Denver, Colorado, with staff of the NPS Climate Change Response Program and/or Denver Service Center.

Additional sessions will be identified in coordination with the NPS Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator for Cultural Resources. Possible venues/events include NPS-led scenario planning workshops, park-specific research or presentation opportunities, and partner-lead climate change-focused conferences or meetings. It is anticipated that each collaboration meeting will include the Principal Investigator and/or at least one of the research staff involved in the case study or vulnerability assessment projects, pending the specifics of the individual venue/event.

Material presented at the NPS-lead sessions will be presented (via well-organized slides and/or related handouts) so that participants at the venue/event can continue to learn from and refer to the materials for future work. The final product from this project will be a report containing a list of all sessions presented, copies of presentation materials, and recommendations following from discussions at the various events/venues for furthering the management of cultural landscapes by both natural and cultural resource managers in an era of climate change. Reports will be available to the public at the NPS Climate Change Response Program and NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training websites as well as future cultural resource climate change toolkit pages.

B. Objectives

Personnel from UO and NPS will collaborate to:

• Plan and deliver meetings on climate change cultural landscape adaptation approaches in
Washington, DC and Ft. Collins or Denver, CO; and
• Identify and deliver additional climate change cultural landscape adaptation sessions at
NPS or partner led-events.