WaterSMART Applied Science Grants for the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative

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CooperativeResource managers concerned with conservation of natural and cultural resources are faced with increasing management challenges. Such challenges may include water scarcity, land-use conversion, impacts to traditional or historical resources, sensitive species protection and recovery, invasive species, and a range of other complex issues—all of which are amplified by climate change. In response, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is participating in the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC). This effort represents a broader vision of conservation that includes working with partners across landscapes to ensure that science capacity is in place to enable resource managers to successfully address these 21st century conservation challenges. The LCCs are management-science partnerships that inform integrated resource management actions addressing climate change and other stressors within and across landscapes. LCCs bring together science and resource conservation to support and complement adaptation strategies addressing climate change and water conservation. Each LCC functions within a specific landscape, but it also will be a part of a national and, ultimately, international network. LCCs are true cooperatives formed and directed by land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources managers and interested public and private organizations. The process of developing project categories discussed below began with the Southern Rockies LCC Steering Committee establishing key resources of interest to the LCC. The Southern Rockies LCC Science Working Group then worked at developing priority science needs based on these resources. The science needs serve the purpose of guiding and organizing the LCC’s science delivery efforts related to priority resource management issues. Recognizing that the LCC is addressing natural and cultural resource issues that do not necessarily connect to water management, not all of the science needs listed below are applicable under this FOA. The full list is provided below to provide the reader with a full perspective of issues the Southern Rockies LCC is looking to address. The types of projects eligible for funding are more fully described in section III.C, below.FY 2012 Southern Rockies LCC Science Needs: A. Develop a model to inform management decisions related to habitat protection/preservation for desired population numbers of riparian obligate and wetland speciesB. Assessment of vulnerability to reduction in habitatC. Assessing species/population vulnerabilities through identification of migration and connectivity corridors, and identification of adaptation strategiesD. Identification of changes in source-water runoff and resultant changes to surface/groundwater interactionE. Incorporate climate change projections & ecological flow needs into hydrological models in order to develop water supply scenarios that would inform decisions about water allocation to meet human and ecological needsF. Data Management and Spatial Data: data cataloging and acquisition of spatial data to aid in identification of LCC focal resources and associated needs

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