Below is a state-by-state look at how accelerating climate change is impacting or may impact fish and wildlife across America. The series provides a snapshot of the broad scope of changes and emerging trends we’re just beginning to understand, as well as collaborative efforts to respond across the nation.
-
Alaska: Across the Wildest State, Climate Change Threatens Many Species and Habitats
With an area of more than 375 million acres extending 2,000 miles from east to west and 1,100 miles from north to south, Alaska dwarfs other states....
-
Pennsylvania: Climate Change Brings Uncertain Future for Bog Turtle
In October 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Pennsylvania, in part, to protect the federally threatened bog turtle. Climate change, however, could amplify existing threats to the turtle’s fragile habitat....
-
Colorado: Partners Work to Offset Effects of Shrinking Snowpack
Diminishing snowpack in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains due to warming temperatures has partners joining forces to lessen impacts on the region’s ski industry, wildlife resources and quality of life....
-
Iowa: The Power of the Prairies
Biologists at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Iowa have been studying carbon sequestration on the prairie for more than 15 years. Their research has been the springboard for a national research effort based on the idea that grasslands have the capacity to store large amounts of carbon....
-
New York: Invasive Insect Infestations Spread Further North, Threatening Hemlock Forests
In New York, climate change may make it easier for an invasive species to continue its spread to hemlock forests further to the north....
-
Arkansas: Warming Trends Are Changing the Hunt for Waterfowl
Researchers have quantified what many hunters already knew: fewer ducks are spending the winter in Arkansas and four other Southeastern states. A 50-year analysis of duck data shows warmer temperatures are a key factor in the change....
-
Kansas: Restoring For the Future
In the state popularized by the film “The Wizard of Oz,” partners aren’t just dreaming about a better world over the rainbow. They’re joining forces to fight climate change and provide a home for wildlife – now and in the future....
-
Rhode Island: Refuges Go Green for a Brighter Future
Rhode Island national wildlife refuges are working toward a brighter future by conserving energy and reducing their carbon footprint through use of alternative energy sources, natural lighting and recycled materials....
-
North Dakota: Climate and Disease Take Toll on American White Pelicans
Each April and May, in a rite of spring, American white pelicans begin arriving in their Northern Plains breeding grounds from the Gulf of Mexico. But for the last several decades, something has put the large birds ahead of schedule. That something, researchers believe, is warming tied to climate change—and it's contributing to more deaths of pelican chicks from severe spring storms....
-
New Hampshire: Warming Climate May Intensify Tick Threat to Moose
The biggest threat to moose in New Hampshire is smaller than the eraser on a pencil. A 2001 study by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department found that winter ticks accounted for 41 percent of all moose deaths in the state during a five-year period. That was nearly the same percentage of moose killed by hunting and moose-vehicle collisions combined. Climate change is likely to intensify this threat....
-
Illinois: A Blueprint for Change Unites Conservation Partners
Rising annual temperatures. Earlier springs. Later falls. Warmer winters. More frequent heavy rains. These are some of the ways climate change is expected to affect the Midwest. Chicago Wilderness, a multi-state alliance of more than 250 organizations from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, has developed a blueprint for cooperating organizations to plan for change in the future....
-
New Jersey: New Tools Help E.B. Forsythe NWR Assess Habitat Impacts
E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Jersey is using new assessment tools to determine the value of shoreline habitats, their vulnerability to climate change and the effects of traditional stressors – information that can help managers plan for change....
-
Alabama: Small Changes Can Spell Big Trouble for Vulnerable Species
More than 130 of Alabama’s species are listed as threatened and endangered, placing the state behind only Hawaii and California. With so many fragile animals in their care, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists take climate change seriously. That’s because a slight difference in temperature can affect the survival of a species....
-
Washington: Tide Returns to Nisqually Estuary
River delta restoration projects are considered crucial to provide increased resiliency to large estuary systems – a key tool for adaptation in the face of climate change and related impacts of sea level rise. The Nisqually estuary in Washington State is a shining example....
-
Michigan: Nesting Behavior May Provide Clues to Climate Change Effects in Bald Eagles
More than a half century of research has shown that bald eagles along Michigan’s shorelines and rivers are gradually beginning to nest earlier each season -- a potential indication of this iconic species’ response to changes in climate in the upper Midwest....
-
Virginia: Researchers use high-tech tools to predict and plan for sea level rise at Chincoteague
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area and one of the top ten birding hotspots by the National Audubon Society. But, the nation's most-visited refuge faces profound threats from a warming climate. Managers are using sophisticated tools to predict the effects of sea-level rise at this popular destination for wildlife and people....
-
Hawaii: Working Together to Save Coral Reefs
Tropical coral reefs are among the world’s most diverse ecosystems, harboring thousands of species in a complex community built by living corals. But in the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands, as elsewhere, these ecosystems are declining because of human impacts, including climate change....
-
Georgia: Restoring a 'Wonder Tree' in a Changing Climate
Federal biologist Laurie Fenwood calls the longleaf pine “the wonder tree,” because of its versatility and ability to survive in a variety of extreme conditions, ranging from strong winds to beetle infestation. The longleaf may also have the ability to serve as the centerpiece of carbon sequestration efforts in the Southeast. These characteristics make the longleaf pine well-suited for a changing climate....
-
Utah: Managing Water Resources for Fish, Wildlife and People
In the face of a warming climate and persistent drought, people and wildlife along the Colorado River and its tributaries in Utah and other Upper Colorado River basin states are benefiting from cooperative efforts to recover four species of endangered fishes while effectively managing water for human uses....
-
Maryland: Restoring Native Forests Helps Animals Adapt at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is the first national wildlife refuge in the nation to develop a comprehensive strategy to adapt to sea-level rise before it is too late....
-
South Dakota: No Ducking Climate Change Impacts to Wetlands
The mallard feeding at the local park; the flock of northern shovelers passing overhead; and the nesting pair of blue-winged teal – all common wetland birds – depend on the rich habitat of North America's wetlands. Learn how climate change is affecting wetlands in South Dakota and the Prairie Pothole Region and how can new climate models help resource managers understand and respond to these changes....
-
Tennessee: Joint Venture Strives to Determine the Effects of Climate Change on Brook Trout
Changes in water temperature and the unpredictability of a changing climate are complicating already challenging efforts to restore and rebuild populations of Southern Appalachian brook trout across East Tennessee and its southern range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with its partners in the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture to change that and develop the science needed to restore populations of brook trout and strengthen their long-term sustainability in cold-water fisheries so popular among anglers....
-
Oklahoma: Warmer Stream Temperatures Could Test Rare Water Species
Water pollution, agriculture runoff and the construction of dams and reservoirs have already shrunken habitat for rare fish and mussel species in Oklahoma. A historic drought is compounding the problem. And now, biologists speculate the fish and mussels could face another potential stressor: rising stream temperatures as a result of climate change....
-
Connecticut: Shoring Up a Disappearing Island for Endangered Roseate Terns
The roseate tern is a federally endangered seabird whose favored nesting areas are found on rocky offshore islands and barrier beaches along the north Atlantic coast. The tern is losing some of its prime seacoast habitat because of erosion that may be compounded by climate change....
-
Florida: Climate Change and the People Factor
As biologists and conservationists start to grapple with safeguarding wildlife in the face of accelerating climate change, they’ll need more than a few computer models and forecasts....
-
Oregon: Preparing for Change on the North Pacific Coast
Coastal and marine environments in Oregon and throughout the North Pacific region are rich in natural wealth, scenic beauty and quality of life. They are also among the first places being affected by climate change and other environmental stressors....
-
Nevada: Negotiations Ensure Solar Array Won’t Sap Refuge Water
In southwestern Nevada, the nation’s need for renewable energy converges with climate change and a national wildlife refuge’s efforts to fulfill its mission....
-
Indiana: Climate Change Raises Stakes in Efforts to Conserve Endangered Indiana Bat
Midwest bat populations already faced serious threats, such as the loss of habitat to development, when they were struck three years ago by a deadly disease known as white-nose syndrome. The disease is still killing bats, the endangered Indiana bat among them. Scientists fear climate change could add to stressors on the imperiled species....
-
Vermont: Bicknell’s Thrush Faces Multiple Climate Change Threats
Vermont's mountain peaks are like a chain of islands separated by a sea of unsuitable habitat for the Bicknell's thrush. As the climate warms, the state's high elevation evergreen forests are shrinking. The thrush also faces the probability of migrating north after their food supply peaks and the additional danger of more hungry red squirrels raiding their nests....
-
Texas: In Face of Climate Change, Coast Is Not Clear for Whooping Cranes
Even though a record-breaking 281 whooping cranes wintered this past season at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast of Texas, climate change is a major concern for the charismatic endangered species....
-
Mississippi : A Terrapin’s View of Climate Change
The 10,216-acre Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge is under threat from the very thing that gives it life – the Gulf of Mexico and its changing sea levels....
-
Wyoming: "Perfect Storm" Fuels Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic
Lodgepole pine forests in parts of Wyoming and other areas of the Intermountain West are being infested by the native mountain pine beetle – a voracious bug smaller than your little fingernail that is thriving in a warming climate....
-
Minnesota: Warmer Temperatures Take a Toll on Minnesota Moose
Minnesota’s iconic moose might be the seven-foot-tall, 1,000 pound version of the canary in the coal mine. The large antlered animal appears on the verge of being pushed out of its southernmost historic range by climate change and other stressors....
-
Maine: Rising Temperatures and Declining Snowfall Spell Trouble for Canada Lynx
With temperatures predicted to rise in the coming years, the deep snow cover that the Canada lynx depends on may be significantly reduced, eliminating its competitive advantage over other predators....
-
West Virginia: Reforestation Helps the Cerulean Warbler, Reduces CO2
The forests of West Virginia are home to the breeding grounds for the cerulean warbler, a bright blue songbird famous for its distinctive call. Unfortunately for the cerulean warbler, those same West Virginia forests are also home to coal mining operations....
-
Nebraska: Wetland Studies Provide Insight into Bird Habitat in a Changing Climate
During spring migration, as shorebirds, waterfowl and waterbirds make their way from wintering habitats to their northern breeding grounds, the broad Central flyway migratory corridors constrict in central Nebraska, funneling millions of birds through the state’s Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex. ...
-
Kentucky: For Bats Imperiled by a Mystery Disease, Climate Change is One More Unknown
Much as water gouges Kentucky’s limestone caverns, white-nose syndrome is cutting through North America’s bat populations....
-
Ohio: A Kid's-Eye View of Climate Change
Climate change is a complicated, complex issue. But for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff in Ohio, teaching kids about climate change can be as simple as child’s play....
-
New Mexico: Getting Off the Electric Grid
What did San Andres National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Mexico -- winner of a 2008 Department of the Interior Environmental Achievement Award and a Department of Energy award -- pay for electricity in mid-February to mid-March this year?...
-
Wisconsin: Forward Thinking to Restore Native Prairie
An innovative program to restore native prairie and slow the spread of non-native species while also developing renewable energy sources is living up to Wisconsin’s state motto “Forward” – taking bold steps to ensure sustainable natural resources into the future....
-
North Carolina: Working with Nature to Prepare for the Change
What can we do about climate change? One thing we can do is prepare for it, by working with Mother Nature. At the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, where rising seas are eroding the shoreline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy are giving the Albemarle Peninsula a fighting chance....
-
Montana: Helping Wildlife Make "Connections" on the Landscape
Biologists in Montana and other Rocky Mountain states are looking for ways to identify and maintain connected areas that can help wildlife adjust to changes in climate....
-
Delaware: Betting on Survival in Delaware Bay
Not far from the casinos of Atlantic City, a different kind of wager takes place each May along the shores of Delaware Bay....
-
Arizona: As Vegetation Moves to Higher Elevations, What Happens to the Pollinators?
Bees do it. Flies do it. Pollinate, that is. But what happens when the piñon and Ponderosa pines and aspens of northern Arizona -- vegetation pollinators call home -- move up the mountain as precipitation patterns change due to climate change....
-
California: Incorporating Climate Change into Planning California’s Bay-Delta Future
As federal, state and local experts continue to examine the factors contributing to the recent decline of California’s Bay-Delta ecosystem, the effects of climate change have surged to the forefront of study....
-
Idaho: Streamflow Responses to Climate Change - Why Elevation and Geology Matter
The hydrological veins of the Pacific Northwest run deep. They unify the region by connecting the glaciers of its high volcanoes to its fertile valleys to the Pacific Ocean....
-
Louisiana: Re-planting Forests, Reducing CO2 and Saving Wildlife
Over the last century, the bayous, swamplands and forested wetlands of Louisiana were cleared, channeled and drastically altered to make room for farms and industry. As development spread, the state’s wildlife – including ducks, songbirds and the Louisiana black bear -- have seen their habitats shrink apace....
-
Missouri: Climate Concerns Add to Challenges Facing Sturgeon Recovery Efforts
Above-average fluctuations in rainfall, snowmelt and runoff in the lower Missouri River are complicating U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service efforts to recover endangered pallid sturgeon, one of the continent’s largest freshwater fish....
-
Massachusetts: Changes at Walden Pond
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is located in Concord, Massachusetts. The area was home to a dedicated naturalist in the mid-1800s. He built himself a house on 14 acres of woods on the bank of Walden Pond....
-
South Carolina: A Closer Look at Sea Level Rise on Cape Romain
The sign warns visitors to keep their dogs off the refuge. It made sense until 2009, when the sea swallowed the island it sat atop....
