Spring 2024 Science Seminars

The Southeast CASC hosts monthly virtual seminars to highlight the useful and used research supported by the Center. Below is the schedule of talks for the Spring 2024 semester, all at 1PM ET unless stated otherwise:

Jan 18, 10AM ET | Southeastern Plants Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Sarah Norris, Emily Coffey, and Carrie Radcliffe

This project, coordinated by the Atlanta Botanical Garden, is moving the dial forward for plant conservation at the regional and national levels by highlighting the critical role of plants in the face of our changing climate and integrating these activities with broader efforts to conserve wildlife. Identification of ecological systems will inform potential Conservation Opportunity Areas that can be addressed by State & Tribal Wildlife plans and Grants, as well as future iterations of the Southeastern animal RSGCN. These tools will promote more holistic conservation and set the stage for more inclusive and comprehensive and effective landscape conservation. This webinar is jointly hosted by the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SE CAS), and SE CASC.

Feb 15 | A Vivid CAnVAS: Visualizing Climate Projections for Status Species Assessments

Kathie Dello, Corey Davis, and Haven Cashwell

Among the challenges facing native plant and animal species across the Southeast, climate change is pushing many beyond the environmental conditions to which they’re adapted. To help inform US Fish & Wildlife Service scientists assessing such changes and threats, the North Carolina State Climate Office has developed a new web-based visualization tool to show projections of weather and climate parameters with known connections to endangered species. This presentation will cover the development of the CAnVAS tool and its applications for biologists investigating climate impacts on environmentally sensitive species.

March 21 | Climate-Driven Changes in Land Management Practices and Wildland Fire Smoke in the Southeastern U.S.

Megan Johnson

Many states and authorities are considering expanded use of prescribed fire to reduce dangerous fuel loads that could lead to catastrophic wildfire. However, few comparisons of air quality and population impacts from these fire sources have been made and the frequency of days with acceptable meteorological conditions for prescribed burning are expected to decrease due to climate change. We simulated current wildland fire smoke (PM2.5) concentrations and possible climate-driven changes over the span of a year with a chemical transport model using projected changes in wildfire burned area, projections of meteorological windows for prescribed burning, and survey responses from burners in the Southeast.

April 18 | Title TBD (eBird data, landscape modeling, and fire)

Samuel Flake

Abstract coming soon!

May 16 | Priorities and Opportunities for Enhancing Collaborative Wildlife Conservation in the Southeast

Kaitlyn Tiffany and Nils Peterson

Regional collaborations have the potential to maximize benefits to conservation, particularly in the Southeast US, a region especially vulnerable to climate change impacts and urban sprawl. We surveyed wildlife practitioners at the field biologist and administration levels from across the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (SEAFWA) region (n = 408). We will cover our findings and discuss ways that they can help decision makers identify key areas for investment in regional collaborative frameworks to enhance conservation at a greater scale.

June 20 | TBD: Future of Fire Fellowship Updates

Reetam Majumder

Abstract coming soon!