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The Perspective of a Natural
Resource Manager
Christopher Hoving
April 7, 2008
My Perspective
• My thoughts
• Climate change one of
many interconnected
threats
• Ordered by temporal
scale
– Immediate, short-term
– Looming, long-range
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Biofuels
• Short term pain for
long-term gain?
• Loss of hedgerows
• Loss of CRP and “set
aside” land
– 32 million acres
– 20 Yellowstones
Which Natural Communities to
Restore?
• Climate change only one
of many variables
• Resist?
– Restore wetlands
– Bogs
– Rich, mesic forests
• Adapt?
– Restore prairies/savannas
• Create?
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Is Prairie Blazing Star Native?
• Why plant native?
– Adapted to Michigan
climate
– Current climate, past
climate, predicted climate?
• What species should I
include in a prairie seed
mix today?
• What about black locust?
No Modern Analogue
• Climate is complex
– Not just mean temperature
and annual precipitation
– Timing, pattern, CO2
fertilization may result in
communities with no
modern analogue
• How to measure
successful natural
resource management?
• Gross biodiversity?
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Invasive Species
• For a given natural area,
southern species will
appear to out-compete
natives
• Many native species will
be climate stressed
• Invasive exotics will
become more invasive
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Can We Plan for Climate Change?
• Habitat Conservation Plans,
Wildlife Action Plan,
Ecoregional Resource Plans,
Game Area Master Plans, etc.
• Managers have sense that
climate change should be part
of plans
– How?
• Many unknowns
– Probability of a given change
is greatest unknown
– Precipitation changes, for
example
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Can We Plan for Climate
Change?
• Long range plans
should assume:
– Less soil moisture
– Lower lake levels
David Kenyon, Michigan DNR
– Increased invasive
species, disease
threat
Endangered Species
• Invasive species is an
increasing threat.
• Can they all be saved?
– Resist / adapt?
– Concentrate on rarest?
• When is translocation
warranted?
– Where?
– How far?
– At what cost?
Chris Hoving, Michigan DNR
Changes to Wildlife Recreation
• Smaller deer
• Ice fishing
• Trapping
– Marten/fisher
• Waterfowl migration
David Kenyon, Michigan DNR