Master Watershed Steward Phenology and Watersheds Lori Anne

Master Watershed Steward Phenology and Watersheds Lori. Anne Barnett Education Coordinator

Objectives of today’s discussion: v Define phenology and explain its applicability to understanding changes in habitats v Understand the importance of recordkeeping. v Understand long-term phenology monitoring. v Challenge!

Skills you will gain: ü Observation ü Record-keeping ü Species & Life cycle identification

Opening Activity What do I KNOW about PHENOLOGY? ! What do I WANT TO KNOW? 5 minutes

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit: L. Barnett Photo Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, via Wikimedia Commons Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

Using nature as a guide Tradition and Lore November -Beaver Moon September – Harvest Moon Photo credit: B. Powell February – Full Worm Moon May – Full Flower Moon “Tribes kept track of seasons by giving distinct names to each recurring full moon. ” http: //www. farmersalmanac. com/full-moon-names/ Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise noted Photo credit: L. Barnett

Jefferson Thoreau Powell

Photo credit: Monticello Garden re-created

• Feeding times • Following brackish waters • Water temperature • Spawning times related to temp 55° - 68° F in Chesapeake Bay. April peak? Photo credit: E. Stemmy Chesapeake Bay Spring Season for Striped Bass = May 16 – June 16 Understanding outdoor recreation schedules

Acer rubrum (red maple); Photo credit: D. Hartel Observing the same individual through the seasons

Activity 2 INTRODUCTION to JOURNALING AND OBSERVATION 15 -20 minutes OUTDOORS

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate, & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

ion t u ib r t s Di Ab io t ic e t Ecology a m i l C ic ot Bi e d un b A c an

Climate is what you expect… …weather is what you get. -Mark Twain Climate Long-term average of daily weather in a given area. It is about… …time Weather Day-to-day changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.

BIOMES –World’s Major Communities Classified by major vegetation, adaptations to environment Optimum conditions= NICHE Desert Aquatic Forest Grassland Tundra

Life Zones y t i s r e v i d o i B http: //alliance. la. asu. edu/maps/AZ_biomes_web. pdf

Why is climate important to ecology? Climate drives what occurs where, what lives where, and how those species respond to their enviroment. Ecology

PHENOLOGY

ph. Renology ph. Onology – – a pseudoscience focused on measurements of the human skull and size of the brain a branch of linguistics concerned with the organization of sounds in language Just to be clear…

What is phenology? The science of the seasons • Blooms and buds • Hibernation, migration, emergence • Easy to observe Photo credit: P. Warren …it is the study of the timing of recurring plant and animal lifecycle stages, or phenophases, and their relationship to environmental conditions. Photo credit: L. Barnett

Who observes phenology? Photo credit: P. Warren • Scientists • Gardeners/Agriculturists • Land managers • Educators • Youth Photo credit: S. Schaffer Photo credit: C. Enquist

PLANT LIFE CYCLE Requires Optimum Conditions GREEN GROWTH

PLANT LIFE CYCLE Requires Optimum Conditions FLOWER

PLANT LIFE CYCLE SET SEED Requires Optimum Conditions

American kestrel Active Falco sparverius R e p r o d u c t i o n ©Wikimedia Commons

LARVA ADULT INSECT Complete Pupa PUPA www. askabiologist. asu. edu

ANIMAL >> Mammal, Bird, Snake, Insect Activity Reproduction Development Method Observable life cycle events or PHENOPHASES PLANT Leaves Flowers Fruits

Why are the timing of life-cycle events important? • SEASONAL CHANGE • Species interrelations Shifting weather and climate affect all of these

PHENOLOGY CLIMATE CHANGE

Phenology and Climate Change Research, spring timing and range A three-way mismatch EARLIER English Oak EARLIER Winter Moth SAME TIME EACH YEAR Pied Flycatcher Both et al. 2006 Nature

www. globalchange. gov

What to expect : Ø Drought Ø Increased heat Ø Decreased water flow Ø Rising sea levels Ø Extreme Events Possible solutions Ø Understand Species Response Ø Mitigation Ø Adaptation http: //nca 2014. globalchange. gov

Climate Change and Watersheds: Ø Decreased stream flow Ø Change in species Ø Increased nutrient load Possible actions Ø Monitor health of watershed Ø Mitigation to limit impacts of pollutants Ø Alternative water supply http: //www. epa. gov/sciencematters/climatechange/ccwatershed. htm

Why is a changing climate problematic? CHANGES in: • Arrival, birth, feeding • Shifting range boundaries Changing morphology • Extirpation or Extinction • Economic impacts http: //www. ipcc. ch/ Ecology

10 minutes

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate, & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

Primary goal • Create a standardized, longterm dataset for use in multiple types of research. UNDERSTAND HOW SPECIES AND LANDSCAPES ARE RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE. Mission • Make phenology data, models and related information available. • Encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to observe and record phenology. Photo credit: C. Enquist

Photo credit: L. Romano

Plant and animal species = 943 total 3727 observers reporting (11, 587 total) making 603, 073 observations 13, 249 sites, 6404 active sites As of 9/1/14

ANIMAL Activity Reproduction Active individuals Feeding Male combat Mating PLANT Leaves Young leaves Leaves Colored leaves Development Young individuals Dead individuals Method Individuals at a feeding station PHENOPHASES Flowers or flower buds Open flowers Fruits Ripe fruits Recent seed or fruit drop …How Many?

YES NO ?

Leaves Flowers Fruits Gambel Oak

Do you see…open flowers? Photo Credit: Utah State University Extension http: //forestry. usu. edu/htm/treeid/oaks/gambel-oak Photo credit: Evelyn Simak via Wikimedia Commons Open flowers : One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers. For Quercus gambelii, the male flowers will open once the initially compact catkin has unfolded and is hanging loosely' Female flowers are open when the pistils are visible, but will be very difficult to see where they are out of reach’.

Do you see…. . Flowers or Flower Buds? Less than 3 3 to 10 11 to 100 101 to 1000 1001 to 10, 000 Select the most appropriate bin Write the bin on the line More than 10, 000 What percentage of all fresh flowers are open? Less than 5% 5% - 24% Select the most appropriate bin Write the bin on the line 25% - 49% 50% - 74% 75% - 94% 95% or more

Photo from All About Birds Acorn Woodpecker

Breaking leaf buds Leaves Increasing leaf size Colored leaves Flowers or Flower Buds Open Flowers Fruits Ripe Fruits Recent fruit or seed drop DECIDUOUS PLANT PHENOPHASES

Breaking leaf buds Leaves Increasing leaf size Colored leaves Flowers or Flower Buds Open Flowers Fruits Ripe Fruits Recent fruit or seed drop DECIDUOUS PLANT PHENOPHASES

Activity 3 UNDERSTANDING PHENOPHASE DEFINITIONS 20 minutes INSIDE

Activity 3 After reviewing the definitions, discuss: 1. Something that you have seen before, or is familiar 2. Something that is confusing 3. Something you’d like to understand better

Data IN

Enter Observations Online Photo credit: S. Schaffer

You MUST have your account completely set up online first to use the mobile apps!

Data OUT

DATA DOWNLOAD Red maple (Acer rubrum) in 2013 collected via Nature’s Notebook http: //www. usanpn. org/data/visualizations

1. Data for Creosote in 2012 vs. 2013 2. Data for Ocotillo in 2013 Dark Grey = no data Light Grey=User entered “no” Color corresponds to phenophase

DATA DOWNLOAD https: //www. usanpn. org/results/data

RESULTS

7 day avera ge 2012. Primack, R. B, Miller-Rushing, A. J Sandhill crane and geese 2 -3 w e ek ave rage 61 years 1999. Bradley, N. L. , Leopold, C. A. , Ross, J. , Huffacker, W.

Nature's Notebook data on flowering of 6 species of deciduous trees and e. Bird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2012, ebird. org) data on a longdistance migratory bird, the Tennessee warbler Interannual patterns of phenological synchrony and overlap

Fall Webworm phenology • Timing – Fall • IPM, natural

"Snowman on frozen lake" by Petritap - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons @ Wikimedia Commons. "Spring in Somerville, NJ - 2012 File 3" by Siddharth Mallya - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons @ Wikimedia Commons "Owoce wisni" by Nova - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons @ Wikimedia Commons By Hans [CC 0], via Wikimedia Commons

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate, & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

Photo credit: L. Barnett

ü Record keeping ü Consistent protocols ü Useable, scale-able ü Citizen science ü Data output Photo credit: L. Barnett

American bullfrog Photo credit: T. Brown via Wikimedia Commons Eurasian watermilfoil Water Hyacinth Photo credit: Britton, N. L. , and A. Brown. , NRCS Plants B Photo credit: Hans Hillewaert via Wikimedia Commons

www. Co. Ra. HS. org Photo credit: L. Barnett

Activity 4 DATA COLLECTION 30 minutes - OUTSIDE

Activity 5 DATA ENTRY 20 minutes - INSIDE

Observing is experiencing Using nature as a guide Ecosystems, climate, & phenology USA National Phenology Network Master Watershed Stewards Next Steps Photo credit: P. Warren Photo credit: E. Alderson Photo credit: B. Powell

Phenology Climate & Weather Habitats Plant & People Connections Local Ecology & Biodiversity

Design a PHENOLOGY PROGRAM • What is your science question? • What outcomes, short and long term, do you want to achieve? • What are the activities you can do? • What are the resources you already have? • Who would be potential partners? Photo credit: L. Barnett

When are mesquite beans ready for harvest? Local Partners Volunteer Groups

You’re invited to connect with USA-NPN… • Sign up for a phenology e-newsletter (quarterly) • Join the Nature’s Notebook community and become an observer: Contribute to science while having fun! • Discover new tools and resources Lori. Anne Barnett lorianne@usanpn. org @loriannebarnett