New Climate Change Videos Available On Web

Two new videos on climate change in the parks are now available on the web – “Cascading Effects: Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest” and “Rising Tide: Hawai’i Parks In Peril.”

These videos were funded through the Pacific West Region Challenge Cost Share Program in FY 2007 and completed in partnership with the MFA in science and natural history filmmaking program at Montana State University. A third video on desert ecosystems is currently in production.

The video project was conceived by park science advisor Regina Rochefort and education specialist Paula Ogden Muse and Pacific West Region natural resources program lead Kathy Jope as a means to communicate park science to the public and staff. Other National Park Service staff made significant contributions to these videos. These include the people seen in the videos as well as Darcy Hu, Larrry Basch, Jade Moniz-Nakamura, Debra Hughson, Danette Wu, Leigh Welling, and Jane Rodgers.

Here are summaries of the two documentaries:

“Cascading Effects: Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest” – Examining the sublime landscapes of North Cascade, Mount Rainier, and Olympic National Parks, researchers shed light on emerging indications that climate change is real and predict how warming temperatures will affect the natural resources and timeless beauty of the region. As glaciers melt and the winter snow-pack decreases, what is the fate of the aquatic ecosystems and cold water fish that depend on runoff during the hottest and driest parts of the year? How will enormous amounts of unstable sediment exposed by retreating ice-sheets on Mount Rainier affect the roads and infrastructure of that park and beyond? Will pine beetle infestations and larger forest fires become widespread in the approaching future? Part I can be found at: http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=178. Part II can be found at: http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=179

“Rising Tide: Hawai’i Parks in Peril” – How will the coral reefs, monk seals, native plants, and honeycreepers of Hawai'i deal with climate change? Local researchers working in the island chain's stunning national parks tell us their concerns for wildlife, key habitats, and cultural resources. http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=181

These new films will be on display and DVD copies will be available at the George Wright Society Biennial Conference (www.georgewright.org) that will be held in Portland, Oregon, from March 2nd to March 6th.

For additional information about the videos or to request a DVD of the video, please contact Regina Rochefort at regina_rochefort@nps.gov or (360) 854-7202.

Additional information about MFA in science and natural history filmmaking program at Montana State University is available at http://naturefilm.montana.edu/index.php.