Check out what the Resilient Restoration team has been up to since the launch of the project in October of 2020.
One year ago, we announced the launch of “Resilient Restoration: Advancing Ecological, Cultural, and Community Resilience with Tribal Nations in Southern California”, a project led by the Climate Science Alliance Tribal Working Group (TWG) in partnership with UC Riverside (UCR) and San Diego State University (SDSU).
What have we been up to?
Introduced the project and its partners to the Tribal Working Group: Research partners from both UCR and SDSU had the opportunity to present their work and get feedback from the workgroup, and have continued these discussions as the project develops.
Collaborated with TWG for preliminary sample collection: SDSU researchers gathered acorns from across the region to begin their greenhouse and genetic experiments on various oak species.
Created a list of culturally significant plant species: Based on multiple discussions, the TWG curated a list of native plant species across the Southern California region which informs the direction of the UCR climate impact modeling research.
Research Efforts Well Underway: Thanks to the early efforts to collaborate with the TWG, researchers at both SDSU and UCR have been able to curate their research based on the insights they received. SDSU’s greenhouse experiments have hundreds of oaks seedlings growing strong, while UCR’s modeling team is gathering data and running climate models on various species to assess how climate change may impact them.
Launched Stewardship Training Pathways: In order to support Tribal partners in careers around native plant propagation and wildland fire management, these pathways will offer courses for partners to explore new opportunities, or build on their existing foundations.
Participated in various outreach events: from the Nat Biodiversity Symposium, to the recent Pala Riparian Management Workshop, our team has been eagerly sharing our work with the community across a variety of public events.
What’s next for Resilient Restoration?
In our second year, we will begin to see results from SDSU’s greenhouse experiments and UCR’s modeling efforts. These data will help our collaborative team create a Resilient Restoration Guide for the region, and support the ongoing trainings of the Stewardship Program.
The Resilient Restoration project, funded by the California Strategic Growth Council's Climate Change Research Program, is a collaborative effort of the Climate Science Alliance's Tribal Working Group, University of California Riverside, and San Diego State University. The goal of the Resilient Restoration project is to support our partners to advance adaptation and resilience activities through the development of knowledge and supporting actions that enhance persistence of cultural practices with a focus on preserving the ecosystems and species that are integral to Tribal communities.
Thank you to the Climate Science Alliance Tribal Working Group members for your leadership role in the Resilient Restoration project and laying out our vision, priorities, goals, and deliverables.
Resilient Restoration is supported by California Strategic Growth Council’s Climate Change Research Program with funds from California Climate Investments—Cap-and-Trade Dollars at Work.