This document discusses conservation strategies for South Kingstown, Rhode Island in the face of climate change. It identifies key habitats in the area, including cold water streams, agricultural lands, and upland forests, and assesses their sensitivity to climate impacts like increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. Non-climate stressors like invasive species and habitat loss are also discussed. The document provides tools for land trusts to evaluate climate vulnerability and identify management actions to enhance resilience, including a pilot project example, GIS maps, and lists of actions. Contact information is provided for further climate adaptation resources.

1. Conservation in the Era of Climate
Change: South Kingstown Case Study
Clara Rubin, Don Robadue, Pam Rubinoff
URI Coastal Resources Center/RI Sea Grant
Steve Wood
S. Wood Pam Rubinoff
C. Ansel

2. Changing Climate: Here and Now
Pawcatuck River in Westerly, March 2010
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, 2012
http://www.ctcameraeye.com/?p=2555
USDA, 2012

3. Understanding Vulnerability
• Exposure
• Sensitivity
• Capacity
• Habitats

4. Building on Existing Resources
CLIMATE CHANGE
AND MASSACHUSETTS
FISH AND WILDLIFE:
• Climate Change and Volume 2
HABITAT AND SPECIES
Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife VULNERABILITY
• Connecticut Climate Change
Adaptation Report
• RI State Wildlife Action Plan,
2005
• RI Low Impact Design Manual

5. Non-climate Stressors
Climate change heightens
importance of addressing
these problems:
• Colonizing invasive species
Common reed, Phragmites australis
• Expanding development http://swamp.osu.edu/flora_fauna/ORWplants.html
• Habitat fragmentation and loss
• Water quality and quantity
issues
• Decreasing riparian buffers
• Loss of wetlands
Maine Sea Grant

6. What is Important to the Land Trust?
• Different areas/goals:
origin of “focal areas”
• Property-by-property
management may be
limiting
• Adaptation strategies
may need to be larger-
scale landscapes

7. Habitats
• Freshwater aquatic
• Forested swamps &
wetlands
• Beaches & tidal
marshes
• Terrestrial uplands
• Upland forests
• Agricultural lands

8. Cold Water Streams
• Key drivers
– Increasing temperatures
– Changing precipitation
patterns
• Sensitivity: High
– Endangers cold-water
dependent species http://www.asergeev.com/pictures/k/Rhode_Island_Parks.html
– Vulnerable to invasive species
• Management & protection actions

9. Agricultural Lands
• Key drivers
– Increased temperatures
– Shifting weather patterns,
more extreme weather
• Sensitivity: Medium
– Vulnerable to pressure from
invasive species and pests
– Precipitation variability leads
to droughts and flooding
• Management & protection actions

10. Upland Forests
• Key drivers
– Increasing temperatures
– Variations in precipitation
• Sensitivity
– Vulnerable to invasive species,
pests, diseases
– Drought leading to increased
frequency and intensity of forest
fires
• Management and protection Browning Woods Farm,
actions SKLT parcel

11. Tools for you to use
• SKLT Pilot example and application
• Habitat sensitivity summary
• Maps on ArcGIS viewer
• List of Management/protection actions
• Resource links
• Climate change summary
• Webpage: RI Sea Grant Climate
•

12. http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/Climate
http://www.facebook.com/rhodeislandseagrant
Clara Rubin crubincr@gmail.com
Pam Rubinoff rubi@crc.uri.edu