watervulnerability

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest Watershed Vulnerability Assessment, Rocky
Mountain Region (R2)
What tools were most useful?
Examples from other units of methods used to deal with different aspects of the analysis were helpful.
Similarly, examples of vulnerability assessments in general were useful because they provided methods to
rank different data.
ArcGIS was the most useful tool to display and evaluate all the spatial data. Microsoft Excel was a useful
tool to manipulate and summarize tabular data, as well as display modeled outputs. People with expertise
in these programs are necessary in the team makeup.
What tools were most problematic?
On the GMUG, while we had a relative wealth of information related both to the spatial resource data and
climate change predictions, we lacked the knowledge to identify and evaluate the implications of
predicted climate changes to our resource values of concern beyond a very general level. Forests
completing watershed vulnerability analyses should be teamed up with research station personnel who
can provide expertise in interpreting the climate change implications portion of the vulnerability
assessment. It was clear that previous work between the Sawtooth NF and Boise research station had
created a high level of understanding about the implications of climate change predictions, and familiarity
with tools available to evaluate where changes are likely to occur and what the impacts of those changes
may be.
PROJECT TEAM
Carol Howe, Resource Information Specialist (GIS), Climate Change Coordinator
John Almy, Forest Hydrologist
Clay Speas, Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants Program Lead
Warren Young, Forest Soils Scientist
Ben Stratton, Hydrologist
Steven Jay, Hydrology Technician
Sherry Hazelhurst, Deputy Forest Supervisor
PROJECT CONTACT
Carol Howe
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
2250 Hwy 50
Delta CO, 81416
970-874-6647
chowe@fs.fed.us
REFERENCES
Barsugli, J.J. and L.O. Mearns. Draft 2010. Climate and Hydrologic Change Scenarios for the Upper
Gunnison River, Colorado. Prepared for The Nature Conservancy in support of the southwest Climate
Change Initiative’s Climate Change Adaptation Workshop for Natural Resource Managers in the
Gunnison Basin.
110 Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change