addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

ultimately result in reduced water supply. Flood events also put additionalpressure on water infrastructure. These impacts increase the chance of floodingalong waterways. Flooding and damage to infrastructure can put large populationsat risk (CDPH, 2008), particularly the elderly and children less than five years ofage, who are isolated or dependent on others for evacuation (English et al., 2007).The loss of snowpack will also have detrimental economic consequences as it is aprimary draw for the tourist industry in the region, particular in Mammoth Lakes.Employees of this industry may become more economically vulnerable becauseof unstable working conditions.Public Health, Socioeconomic, and Equity ImpactsInyo County is one of California’s counties with the highest proportion ofelderly living alone in the state, although the absolute number is relatively smallerthan in more urban areas (English et al., 2007). Extreme heat events are lesslikely to occur in the Southeast Sierra region than in other parts of the state.However, when extreme heat events do occur, vulnerable populations may beseverely affected because of a historic lack of adaptive capacity having to do withhistorically milder temperatures.Additional Resources• Wildfire Resources• x California Fire Science Consortium, Sierra Nevada Module: http://www.cafiresci.org/homepage-sierra-nevada/• x Northern California Prescribed Fire Council: http://www.norcalrxfirecouncil.org/Home_Page.html• x SoCal Society of American Foresters: http://norcalsaf.org/• x California Fire Alliance: http://cafirealliance.org/• x California FireSafe Council: http://www.firesafecouncil.org/• Biodiversity and Ecosystems• x Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/• x California Department of Fish and Game. 2007. California Wildlife:Conservation Challenges - California’s Wildlife Action Plan. Sacramento.Retrieved from http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/wap/report.html• x The Wildlife Action Plan divides the state into regions. The Sierra Nevadaand Cascades and Mojave Desert Regions overlap with the SoutheastSierra region.PAGE 84APG: UNDERSTANDING REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS