HR: 14:25h
AN: ED33C-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Improving climate change knowledge in the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA.
AU: * Fagre, D B
EM: dan_fagre@usgs.gov
AF: USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT 59936, United States
AB: There are many challenges to involving authentic scientists in classroom and media communications and one is the willingness of scientists to participate. The reticence of scientists to be involved has various roots but one solution is to partner with individuals and institutions experienced in outreach. At Glacier National Park, USGS scientists have worked closely with the Crown of the Continent Research and Learning Center, part of a U.S. National Park Service initiative to improve science-based decisionmaking. The controversial topic of global warming has been embraced as a science theme and research results have been crafted into compact messages for various audiences. The interpretive staff developed a core curriculum on climate change and receive annual training directly from scientists on the most recent research. The interpretive staff interact directly while leading hikes, giving campfire talks, and at visitor centers with many of the 2.2 million visitors each year who are generally more receptive while on vacation than during busy daily lives. Wayside exhibits along the Going-to- the-Sun Road explain climate change and melting glaciers, free brochures describe other aspects of climate change, electronic kiosks have short movies, and a newsletter handout at the entrance station has a science feature in it. To aid this effort, scientists have worked harder at developing compelling graphics, creating animations, serving more media-savvy materials on websites, and providing CDs with scientific data and backup materials. A website developed for serving historic and current photographs of glaciers has been so popular with the media that it has received as many as 8,000 hits in a day. Active participation by scientists in network newscasts and documentaries may involve up to 2 days of hiking TV crews into the backcountry and much effort in reviewing scripts and confirming information. This is essential to keeping credible information going to the public despite the considerable time investments by scientists. Articles in the print media are facilitated by maintaining a photograph/graphic database of research activities but working directly with reporters is still the critical link. Finally, new approaches have been explored by collaborating with artists to take science messages to different audiences.
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting