Critical Ecosystems Workshop

June 17-20, 2002
Keystone, Colorado

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Scientists from EPA (regions, program offices, and the Office of Reserach and Development) and invited speakers from academia, non-governmental organizations, and other Federal agencies presented methods, current research, and case studies on critical ecosystem assessment. The breakout session focused on identifying data needs that support the Science Advisory Board (SAB) Framework (Session IV). Participants heard various perspectives from EPA program offices and other Federal agencies during two panel discussions held in Session VI. The last session included a presentation summary of the first Ecosystem Stewardship Enterprise (ESE) Steering Committee (SC) meeting held on June 19, 2002 in Keystone, Colorado.

Attendees: 72, including about 35 from the Regions and 18 from ORD.

Workshop Report (PDF, 143pp, 420KB)

Presentations

Session I: The Importance of Developing a Regional Critical Ecosystems Approach

Welcome (PDF, 10pp, 3.8M) - Rochelle Araujo (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory)

Lessons in Critical Ecosystem Protection: The Role of Science in Management Decisions at Lake Tahoe CA/NV (PDF, 74pp, 6.9M) - Charles Goldman (University of California, Davis)

Southeastern Ecological Framework (PDF, 37pp, 16M) -Cory Berish (U.S. EPA Region 4), Margaret Carr (University of Florida), Rick Durbrow (U.S. EPA Region 4), Tom Hoctor (University of Florida), John Richardson (U.S. EPA Region 4), Neil Burns (U.S. EPA Region 4) and Paul Zwick (University of Florida).

An Approach to Regional Ecosystem Protection: The Canaan Valley Institute Experience in the Mid Atlantic Highlands (PDF, 58pp, 25M) - Randy Pomponio (Canaan Valley Institute)

Session II: An Ecosystem Approach to Assessment Goals and Objectives, Endpoints and Measures

Building a Regional Integrated Assessment Program: The Mid-Atlantic Experience (PDF, 12pp, 2.7M) - Patricia Bradley (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory)

Setting Priorities for Conservation Opportunity Areas: Different Targets Result in Different Outcomes (PDF, 42pp, 2.2M) - David D. Diamond, Taisia M. Gordon, Ronnie Lea and C. Diane True (University of Missouri)

A Bi-National Assessment: What We're Measuring in the Great Lakes Basin (PDF, 19pp, 3.4M) - Duane Heaton (U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office)

EPA Region 8’s Approach to Ecological Assessment (PDF, 30pp, 4M) - Karl Hermann (U.S. EPA Region 8)

An Ecosystem Approach to Assessment ; Goals & Objectives , Endpoints & Measures (PDF, 4pp, 28K) - Betsy Smith (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory), Mary White (U.S. EPA Region 5), Karen Rodriguez (U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office), and Chuck Maurice (U.S. EPA Region 5)

If Everything is Important, What's Critical? (PDF, 13pp, 543K) - Chuck Maurice (U.S. EPA Region 5)

Setting Priorities in the Southern Rocky Mountains (PDF, 26pp, 8.5M) - Betsy Neely (The Nature Conservancy)

Session III: Assessing the Criticality of Places

Session 3: Assessing the Criticality of Places (PDF, 3pp, 15K) - Betsy Smith (U.S. EPA/Office or Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory)

Characterization and Prioritization of the Southeastern Ecological Framework (PDF, 19pp, 3.1M) - Tom Hoctor, Margaret Carr, Crystal Goodison, Jason Teisinger, Karen Whitney, and Paul Zwick (University of Florida)

Values (PDF, 25pp, 21M) - Doug Johnson (U.S. EPA Region 8)

BIODIVERSITY INVESTMENT AREAS: Ranking Critical Areas in the Great Lakes Basin (PDF, 15pp, 1.6M) - Karen Rodriguez (U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office)

What Makes an Ecosystem "Critical"? (PDF, 7pp, 601K) - Betsy Smith (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory)

Irreversibility and the Common Good: Accounting for Risk in Resource Management - Lisa A. Wainger (University of Maryland)

You Think it is Critical, Now Prove It!! (PDF, 7pp, 4.9M) - Mary White (U.S. EPA Region 5)

Session IV: Issues with Assessment Data and Tools

Statistical Geo-Spatial Modeling and Analysis (PDF, 15pp, 2M) - Marla Downing (U.S. Forest Service)

Forest Health Monitoring (PDF, 16pp, 1.7M) - Borys M. Tkacz (U.S. Forest Service)

Landscape Assessments of Ecological Condition (.ppt) - Daniel T. Heggem, Anne C. Neale, Donald W. Ebert, K. Bruce Jones, and Curtis M. Edmonds (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory)

The Case for Connectivity (PDF, 29pp, 10M) - Tom Hoctor (University of Florida)

EPA 21st CENTURY ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP ENTERPRISE (.ppt)- Doug Johnson (U.S. EPA Region 8)

The Western EMAP Approach to Assessment of Coastal Ecological Condition (PDF, 26pp, 2M) - Walt Nelson (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory)

Southeastern Ecological Assessment Data and Tools (PDF, 29pp, 19M) - John Richardson (U.S. EPA Region 4)

Landscape Level Identification of Ecologically Significant Places in the Upper Midwest (PDF, 37pp, 10.3M) - Mary White (U.S. EPA Region 5)

Session V: Integration of Assessment Results to EPA Goals

Integration of Assessment Results to EPA Goals (PDF, 20pp, 53M) - Anne Sergeant (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Center for Environmental Assessment) Seven Lessons Learned From the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) Experience (PDF, 19pp, 4.1M) - Tom DeMoss (Canaan Valley Institute) and Patricia Bradley(U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory)

Synoptic Model to Rank Wetland Ecosystems For 404 Permitting (PDF, 22pp, 4.2M) - Brenda Groskinsky (U.S. EPA Region 7)

New York City's Water Supply Protection Program and Results of a Landscape Analysis (PDF, 26pp, 3.7M) - Anne Neale (U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory)

A Landscape Assessment of the Catskill/Delaware Watersheds 1975-1998 (PDF, 2pp, 203K) - U.S. EPA/Office of Research and Development/National Exposure Research Laboratory

Geographic Information System Screening Tool (PDF, 33pp, 2.3M) - Sharon Osowski (U.S. EPA Region 6)

Session VI: Perspectives from EPA Programs and Other Federal Agencies

Taking Home What We Have Learned (PDF, 7pp, 90K) - Charles Spooner (U.S. EPA/Office of Water)

Session VII: Send Off

EPA 21st CENTURY ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP ENTERPRISE, Steering Committee Meeting #1 (PDF, 11pp, 2.9M)