SNRE's Amanda Webb and the NPS Young Leaders in Climate Change

SNRE?s Amanda Webb was one of 12 students selected to implement climate change related research, communication, mitigation, and adaptation projects at national parks across the United States through the Young Leaders in Climate Change program (YLCC).  As part of the National Park Service?s (NPS) Climate Change Response Strategy, the YLCC program was developed to provide students with valuable experience and build a future workforce of professionals with skills in climate change response.  Ms. Webb interned for 12 weeks at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas where she researched the effects of precipitation on spring flow and water quality in the park, past and future climate change in the region, and developed educational material for park visitors.

NPS held a two-day workshop for the interns in Washington DC at the end of the summer internship program.  Interns presented their YLCC research and spoke with Department of the Interior leadership, scientists and staff from multiple research and management agencies.  Most notably, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell met with the interns at the opening of the workshop.  Other highlights of the event included career counseling, discussions about current and future needs for a climate literate workforce in the Department of the Interior, and a tour of the National Mall led by the Mall?s Chief of Interpretation who shared insights on communicating about climate change with diverse audiences. 

As a student at UA, Ms. Webb studies fire ecology and management in riparian ecosystems under co-advisors Larry Fisher and Don Falk with support from the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

In the photo:  SNRE Masters student Amanda Webb (back row, second from right) with other interns from the National Park Service's Young Leaders in Climate Change Program, meeting with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell during their recent national workshop in Washington DC (August 11, 2015).