This project will increase the understanding of how meadow restoration impacts hydrology and will inform management and investment decisions by the Forest Service by using restoration as a tool to build resilience under climate change.

In this project, scientists identified climate change refugia and connectivity between meadows across the Sierra Nevada and used data on persistence, stability, and genetic diversity of mammal populations to validate these hypotheses. Incorporating landscape features such as availability of water, topography, and roads, the project team developed a method to map well-connected meadows and examine the potential changes to the nature of those connections.

This project assesses vulnerability of 140 bird species that breed in the Sierra Nevada and will develop a peer-reviewed Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Sierra Nevada bird species that are most vulnerable to climate change. The Strategy will provide recommendations for actions that managers can take now and in the future to bolster resilience to climate change.

This project helps guide managers or planners in strategically integrating the challenges of climate change into their management of Sierra Nevada resources. The project conducted collaborative vulnerability assessments, spatial data analysis, and adaptation planning for focal resources.