Programs of the Colorado Climate Network, page 2

The Third Annual Conference of the Colorado Climate Network 

Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Preparedness - Actionable Intelligence for Local Governments

December 11, 2012, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
City of Aurora Municipal Building, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway

Community leaders understand that even as they work to reduce heat-trappings emissions they must also prepare for the challenges and threats of a changing climate. This conference was designed to help attendees learn about Colorado’s unique vulnerabilities to climate disruption and what can be done to create communities more resilient to those threats. Highlighting the conference was the keynote address by Gov. John Hickenlooper: "The challenge of climate change and energy policy: a Colorado focus."

The agenda was packed with presentations and discussions about Colorado's future climate and vulnerabilities, with particular emphases on heat waves and municipal water supplies, as well as wildfires, winter recreation, public health and communicable diseases, and emergency preparedness. Also featured was what other states are doing about preparedness planning and what Colorado communities are doing to pioneer preparedness planning at the local level.

The Colorado Climate Network extends sincere thanks to the City of Aurora for hosting the conference, and particularly to Karen Hancock and other city staff who contributed so much to its success..

Conference Sponsors

We also are very grateful to our conference sponsors, without whom it would not have been possible to put on a conference of this scope.

Prime sponsors: Avago Technologies, Stratus Consulting, and the Town of Vail.

Sponsors: Colorado Municipal League, CSU Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes, Denver Department of Environmental Health, and Populus, LLC.

Please see Sponsor Profiles

Conference Speakers

The Colorado Climate Network extends sincere thanks to all of our conference speakers for their participation and for their
thoughtful preparation of informative and compelling presentations.

See Speaker Bios.

Post-conference Survey

Surveys conducted online were sent to 79 conference attendees and 31 were returned. The survey, conducted December 17 -
January 4, 2013, reveal that attendees rated the conference very favorably. Over 90% were satisfied in general with the conference,
100% found the information learned was valuable, and 81% found the contacts they made valuable. Respondents supplied much
valuable feedback about conference content and format, and also preferences regarding future conferences and workshops.

See conference survey results:
Tabulated responses
Responses to open-ended questions

Conference Agenda and Presentations

Welcome and conference overview: Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization

Keynote address by Governor John Hickenlooper
Governor Hickenlooper delivered what RMCO believes to be his first speech as governor focused on climate change, which he called the “single greatest risk the globe faces.” See Session Synopsis.

Plenary session: Colorado’s future climate, and water vulnerabilities
Overview: The goals of this panel-led discussion were to describe the unique vulnerabilities Colorado faces in a changing climate, describe the implications for water resources, and to discuss approaches local government planners can take to deal with the uncertainties inherent in modeling and climate anomalies.

Moderator: Alice Madden, Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development, University of Colorado, Denver.

Panelists:

  • Joe Barsugli, research scientist, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, and Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder. Powerpoint presentation.
  • Brad Udall, director, Western Water Assessment, CIRES/NOAA. Powerpoint presentation.
  • Rick Marsicek, water resources planning manager, Aurora Water. Powerpoint presentation.

See Session Synopsis

Plenary session: Heat waves and their impacts
Overview: The goals of this session were to highlight how Colorado’s vulnerability to heat waves driven by a changed climate can be a driver for public attention and preparedness actions by local and state governments, and to describe the impacts and potential preparedness actions regarding heat waves - Colorado’s most certain consequence of climate disruption.

Moderator: Sam Mamet, executive director, Colorado Municipal League.

Panelists:

See Session Synopsis

Lightning round: The key facts about selected climate preparedness topics

Overview: The lightning-round technique is designed get a substantial volume of information about inter-related topics out on the table by way of very focused and concise presentations, followed by discussion that ties all of them together.  The presenters kicked off the discussion with about 5 minutes each of focused presentations, followed by Q&A and discussion among panelists and attendees about all of the topics. The general goals of the session were to highlight the vulnerabilities that communities face from impacts of a changed climate on natural resources and public health, and to identify some of the most important actions communities can take to prepare for those impacts.

Moderator: Karen Hancock, environmental program supervisor, City of Aurora.

Panelists:

  • Tony Simons, emergency services specialist, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, on forest health and wildfires. Powerpoint presentation
  • Becky Fedak, engineer, Brendle Group, on winter and summer recreation. Powerpoint presentation
  • Mike McHugh, environmental permitting coordinator, Aurora Water, on municipal watersupplies. Powerpoint presentation
  • Dave Erickson, environmental assessment program manager, DDEH, on public healthand communicable diseases. Powerpoint presentation
  • Pat Williams, deputy director, Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, City andCounty of Denver, on emergency preparedness. Powerpoint presentation

See Session Synopsis

Plenary session: State vulnerability assessments and preparedness actions

Overview: The goals of this panel discussion were to help attendees think about ways the State should be approaching a comprehensive vulnerability assessment and preparedness planning; to describe what has been done in Colorado so far at the state level; to describe the various approaches other states have taken in doing vulnerability assessments and preparedness plans; and to identify opportunities that the State should consider going forward.

Moderator: Jonathan Koehn, regional sustainability coordinator, City of Boulder.

Panelists:

  • Eric Gordon, managing director, Western Water Assessment, and lead author, Colorado Preparedness Project report to Colorado state government. Powerpoint presentation
  • Joel Smith, principal, Stratus Consulting. Powerpoint presentation

See Session Synopsis

Plenary session: Community Preparedness actions

Overview: This session drew on the lessons learned by three Colorado communities who have taken some of the first steps in doing preparedness planning in the state. Boulder County, Denver, and Fort Collins all participate in the broader coalition known as the Western Adaptation Alliance, itself an incubator of processes and techniques local governments in the Southwest have been “trying out.” Each of these three communities has approached vulnerability assessments and preparedness plans in different ways, tailored to the unique needs and culture of their communities. Panelists were asked to address three main topics: how you do the planning, lessons learned, and how it looks going forward.

Moderator: Doug Linkhart, Manager, Denver Department of Environmental Health

Panelists:

See Session Synopsis

 

 

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