BEYOND FLOODING:
CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS
LECTURE SERIES • • •
Olympia City Hall,
601 4th Ave E, Olympia
EFFECTS OF WEATHER
& STORMWATER RESPONSES
Wednesday, April 11
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
SPECIES SHIFTS & HABITAT
CHANGES
Wednesday, May 9
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE
& CLIMATE
Wednesday, June 13
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Climate issues, it’s complicated…. A warming climate will change the frequency and intensity of rainfall events we experience in the Puget Sound region. Scientists project wetter winters with more frequent and extreme rain events typically caused by “atmospheric rivers”. These changes are expected to increase the volume of stormwater runoff entering Puget Sound waterways. Also predicted are dryer summers affecting our streams and salmon runs, and increasing the risk of wildfire.
What does all of this mean and how will it affect us? Join us for our Climate
Conversations and find out!
City of Olympia stormwater engineer, Eric Christensen
will kick off our series with a talk on Effects of Weather and Stormwater Responses. Eric is City of Olympia’s Water Resources Engineering and Planning Manager. Eric’s team develops stormwater utility management and capital improvement plans and evaluates and revises City of Olympia’s regulatory codes and standards.
In May, Climate Conversations will continue with Species Shifts and Habitat Changes. We will have two speakers, Lynn Helbrecht and Jessica Halofsky. Jessica Halofsky is a research ecologist with the University of Washington and is affiliated with Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. Jessica pioneered one of the first climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation projects with Olympic
National Forest and Park. She is currently working on climate change science and adaptation projects across the western U.S.
Lynn Helbrecht currently serves as the Climate Change Coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, where her work revolves around developing and implementing strategies to ensure that agency activities are managing for a changing climate.
In June, our final talk of the series Effects of Wildfire and Climate will feature Josh Halofsky. Josh is a research scientist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Josh focuses on how natural disturbances, such as forest fires, can help inform forest-related management decisions. His talk will explore the past, present and possible future of Western Washington forests through a climate and wildfire lens. He will also discuss how our expectations for climate adaptation in these forests will differ from drier forests in Eastern Washington.
To register visit www.streamteam.info and click on “register”. For more information, contact Michelle at mstevie@ci.olympia.wa.us