Yellowstone’s Tenth Biennial Scientific Conference Will Focus On Climate, Land Use, And Invasive Species Issues

Yellowstone National Park is inviting the public to learn more about their public lands and climate change by attending the Tenth Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The conference, “Questioning Greater Yellowstone’s Future: Climate, Land Use, and Invasive Species,” will be held in the park at Mammoth Hot Springs, October 11–13, 2010.

The goal of this conference is to generate discussion on changes in climate, land use, and invasive species that could dramatically alter the Greater Yellowstone’s public and private lands. Conference participants will explore key issues such as:
--How is the Greater Yellowstone climate likely to change in the near future and how do climate projections compare with historical patterns?
--What ecological changes are underway as a result of changing climate and land use, and what will be the consequences for human and natural systems?
--In what ways do increasing demands on public and private lands threaten a sustainable future?
--Which nonnative species pose the greatest threat for the region and what are some of the anticipated environmental, social, economic, and human-health consequences of invasive species?
--What new administrative, technological, and scientific tools and strategies are required to address the challenges of changing climate and land use and the threats from invasive species?

Featured speakers at the conference include:
Dr. Marcia McNutt, Director, US Geological Survey;
Dr. Stephen Gray, University of Wyoming Water Resources Data System, and Wyoming State Climatologist;
Dr. Andrew Hansen, Montana State University;
Dr. Bob Gresswell, US Geological Survey;
Dr. Göran Ericsson, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences;
Dr. Mary Meagher, retired National Park Service biologist;
Dr. Judith Meyer, Department of Geography, Geology and Planning, Missouri State University.

In addition, 47 papers and more than 20 posters will be presented by academic researchers and land managers from across the United States. The conference is open to the public, and registration is required.

Conference sponsors include the US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center; US Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain Prairie-Region, Office of Landscape Conservation; Montana State University; Yellowstone Association; University of Wyoming Ruckelshaus Institute; Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit; University of Wyoming-National Park Service Research Center; Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service); Canon U.S.A., Inc., the Yellowstone Park Foundation, and the Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center.

For more information, visit: http://www.greateryellowstonescience.org/gyesciconf2010, or call 307-344-2230.