Conf. Announcement

Program Info

Mentoring Workshop

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Conference Field Trips

2009 ACR Environment and Public Policy Section Conference

Managing Climate Change through Collaborative Governance:

The Use and Practice of Environmental Conflict Resolution

in Addressing Policy Changes Globally and Locally

University of Denver

June 11 - 13, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Mesa Lab & Dinner at Boulder’s Dushanbe Teahouse, Boulder, CO

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Climate Change in Our National Parks: Integrating Research, Communication  & Collaboration at Rocky Mountain National Park

2009 ACR/EPP Environment and Public Policy Conflict Resolution Conference

Field Trip:

Explore the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Mesa Lab

& Enjoy Dinner at Boulder’s Dunshabe Teahouse

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Boulder, Colorado

Located at the west end of Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, Colorado, is the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a working research laboratory specializing in understanding climate change, weather and meteorology.  NCAR’s laboratory offers a wealth of hands-on educational exhibits that visitors are welcome to explore on their own, including the Climate Gallery.  The Climate Gallery offers visitors a dynamic and comprehensive view of Earth’s climate conditions today, “Climate Now,” in prehistoric times, “Climate Past” and the laboratory recently completed and added “Climate Future” to the exhibit. Visitors can also explore the Weather Gallery to get a firsthand look at weather phenomena, NCAR research, and the instruments used by atmospheric scientists to better understand weather and climate.

The inspiring setting of the laboratory is worth a visit in itself. After enjoying the exhibits inside the building, walk along the self-guided Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail.  The laboratory invites you to explore this .4 mile loop, with 11 interpretive viewpoints.  Each sign along the trail explains a facet of the wild and varied meteorological conditions experienced in the Boulder area.

After exploring NCAR, Attendees enjoyed a unique dining experience at Boulder’s Dushanbe Teahouse. The teahouse was a gift from the mayor of Dushanbe, Tajikistan – Boulder’s sister city in Central Asia. More than 40 artisans handmade the decorative elements of the teahouse in Tajikistan, then shipped it piece by piece to Boulder, where the entire building was constructed by hand. With more than 100 teas to choose from and a gourmet menu, you are sure to have a worldly experience.

Another distinctive feature of Boulder is the Pearl Street Mall. The Pearl Street Mall is a charismatic four-block pedestrian mall. Colorful flowers fill the square gardens and the unique, local shops on the Mall will draw you in. There is a great selection of art galleries, jewelry stores, clothing stores and much more. And on a Saturday evening, you are sure to encounter live entertainment and fabulous people-watching.

2009 ACR/EPP Environment and Public Policy Conflict Resolution Conference

Field Trip:

Climate Change in Our National Parks: Integrating Research, Communication & Collaboration

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Rocky Mountain National Park

The western United States has shown sharp warming trends over the past 30 years, and climatologists and ecologists are working to understand the potential climate changes anticipated for the Rocky Mountain National Park. The field trip introduced conference attendees to the delicate and unpredictable nature of climate change impacts on natural systems and the organizational challenges inherent in protecting federally managed ecosystems.  Interactive presentations and discussions of climate change research and organizational capacity-building were integrated with an easy-moderate three-mile hike, and short driving tour of the Park’s landmark features – including the Park’s melting glaciers along Trail Ridge Road. 

Colorado State University professor, Jessica Thompson, co-lead the tour with one of the Park’s leading resource researchers.  Thompson has been helping to facilitate overcoming organizational challenges to climate change management for the National Park Service. Due to historic and institutional structure, federal agencies, like the National Park Service, are not organizationally prepared to tackle such dynamic, interdisciplinary issues.  Thompson will explain the collaborative capacity-building process that has culminated with the creation of a climate change response strategy, soon to be implemented across the entire agency.

While on the field trip, conference attendees learned about Rocky Mountain National Park’s signature alpine tundra, and how it is at risk as the underlying permafrost melts. Park scientists explained how this loss of stored water could affect stream flows along the Front Range and cause damage to the historic Trail Ridge Road. Reduced stream flow may also hinder reproduction of the Greenback Cutthroat Trout, while aquatic diseases and non-native plants like cheatgrass are more likely to spread with warmer temperatures. Wetlands, which are crucial centers for biodiversity in the Park, are also at risk from long term warming. Possible reduced precipitation and human impacts, like pollution, will threaten the vitality of these wetlands. Many species will be affected; Park scientists already predict that there will be fewer pikas and ptarmigan found on the alpine tundra.Attendees saw evidence of these ecological shifts as they explored Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park.

Questions about the conference? 

Please call (303) 871-7685 or e-mail cricrp@du.edu