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Aquatic Habitat Stream Classification Team: River classification information is needed to develop and implement instream flow standards and management recommendations so that environmental flows can become integral to all water management decisions from the onset. This project will develop a hierarchical classification for stream and river systems and a GIS map for aquatic ecosystems within the Appalachian LCC. The classification will identify and consistently map ecologically similar types of rivers and streams using a hierarchical set of geomorphic and hydrologic variables deemed appropriate by independent peer reviews and relevant to the spatial scale of management.

Riparian Restoration Team: Provision of shade via riparian restoration is a well-established management adaptation strategy to mitigate against temperature increases in streams. Effective use of this strategy depends upon accurately identifying vulnerable, unforested riparian areas in priority coldwater stream habitats. The RPCCR is a web-based tool currently under development which is designed to allow managers to rapidly identify these high-priority riparian restoration targets. The objective of this project is to complete development of the RPCCR, link it with the Appalachian LCC website, and integrate it with ongoing stream temperature monitoring and modeling efforts within the Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC) and participating Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.

Energy Forcasts Team: The rapid pace of new energy development coupled with more aggressive methods for extracting traditional fuels pose substantial risks to some of the Appalachians most cherished lands, waterways, and wildlife. Currently, little effort has been paid to the effect of energy development on the swaths of relatively intact, recovering forest habitat that define the Central Appalachian Region. This project employs land use change build-out scenarios from future energy development demand to quantify future impacts on forest habitats across the Appalachian LCC.

Data Needs & GIS Team: Conservation planning is a rapidly maturing field in applied ecology. Numerous methods and data sources have been developed, serving multiple scales and conservation planning goals. There is an extensive academic literature, web presence, and track record of practical application to draw upon in order to conduct conservation planning for the Appalachian LCC. We propose to review conservation planning tools, data needs, and integrative processes for the Appalachian LCC and provide packages of available data, as well as interpretive text. We will review the Interim Steering Committee conservation planning goals and based on those, prioritize and justify gaps that need to be filled.

Climate Change Vulnerability Team: Future climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies will be dependent on the best available projections of how the regional climate will change and on estimates of the impacts those changes will have on the region’s natural and cultural resources. Thus understanding the vulnerability of various species and habitats within the Appalachian LCC to climate change is of critical importance. This project will compile climate change vulnerability assessments and other relevant information on vulnerable species and habitats, discern the various methodologies and criteria used in these assessments, and use a team of exert peer reviewers to recommend the most efficient, effective, and appropriate methods for adoption by the Appalachian LCC for conservation and adaptation planning. The recommended method will then be deployed, resulting in vulnerability assessments for a suite of key species/habitats selected in consultation with partners of the Appalachian LCC.

Aquatic Ecological Flows Team: The emergence of hydraulic fracturing has led to the rapid expansion of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale deposit in portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Millions of gallons of water are needed per fracturing event and will likely put a substantial strain on regional surface and ground water supplies, as well as lead to changes in stream flow that may alter available habitat for freshwater biodiversity and other ecological processes in adjacent freshwater ecosystems. There is a great need for the development of region-wide flow policies to protect stream ecosystems and enhance long-term management of aquatic resources. To that end, this project will develop model(s) that predict ecological responses to flow alteration within the Marcellus Shale region of the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC).

Cave Classification and Mapping TOT: This is a private Work Space for invited experts to participate in management of the Cave Classification and Mapping project funded by the Appalachian LCC in FY13. The vendor, American University, will report quarterly with updates, process details, any issues, interim products, and eventually final deliverables. It will be the role of this group to carefully review each submission, discuss status and content with other members, make suggestions for improvements, and assist LCC staff in ensuring that the final product is a high quality one. All folders and content within this Work Space can only be seen by registered members of the group; however, appropriate content will be made public on this website once approved by the Team.