Collaborative Development of a Framework to Assess NPS Cultural Resources Vulnerabilities to Climate Change in the Intermountain Region

Join this webinar to learn more about a collaboration between CASC researchers, the National Park Service and members of the Tribes in the Intermountain region to create a tool for assessing cultural resource vulnerability!

Webinar Date 

Tuesday, November 8 at 3 PM EST

Registration Link

Register here.

Summary 

Current planning for the stewardship and conservation of cultural resources in the national parks has been based on historical patterns in weather and material response. National Park Service (NPS) cultural resource managers are concerned that as the climate changes, these norms may no longer be applicable. As conditions and material responses change for natural and cultural resources, it will be more difficult to fulfill the NPS mission to ‘preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system.’

To prepare for potential future changes, the NPS Vanishing Treasures Program partnered with the University of Arizona and the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center to develop a framework to address climate change impacts on cultural resources in the NPS Intermountain Region. Project partners developed an interactive online vulnerability assessment tool that incorporates environmental factors and calculates resource sensitivity, using a novel approach for cultural resources building systems. The tool summarizes coarse spatial scale cultural resource vulnerability at both the park level and at a regional scale. An additional outcome of this collaboration is a National Park Service working group focused on climate change, consisting of NPS staff and members of Tribes in the Intermountain Region.

Resources 

Cultural Resources Environmental Assessment Toolbox (CREVAT)

More information: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/climate-adaptation-science-centers/science/upcoming-webinar-collaborative-development