WICCI’s Wildlife Working Group investigates how Wisconsin’s changing climate will impact wildlife populations and the habitats they depend on. We bring together managers and scientists interested in understanding and assessing the ecological impacts of modern climate.
One of our most important efforts is the development of climate change adaptation principles to help guide wildlife conservation now and into the future. In doing so, we actively engage with state wildlife managers and organize workshops focused on developing strategies and tactics in climate change adaptation.
Summary of Issues and Impacts
The evidence that wildlife populations are responding to modern climate change is now overwhelming. There is strong scientific consensus that environmental tipping points are being crossed and many species are adapting — or failing to adapt — to a rapidly changing climate. For almost half a century, we have experienced rapidly rising temperatures, extreme weather, shorter winters, and earlier springs.
Ultimately, species have three options in their response to climate change: move, adapt, or face extinction. In Wisconsin, modern climate change has far-reaching consequences, but the consequences of these changes for wildlife vary widely, with some species benefitting and others unable to move or adapt. Whether a species is vulnerable to climate change is determined by their exposure to these changes, sensitivity to weather and climate, and ability to adapt.
To adapt to future climate change, vulnerable wildlife will have to change their behavior, for example to use different foods or migrate earlier, or move to more favorable habitats. Alternatively, wildlife might evolve to better match this new climate space, but this can take many years and multiple generations.
Shifting Ranges
For decades, researchers have documented how Wisconsin’s wildlife are responding to climate change. Many species are shifting their ranges northward to track a changing climate. Winter-adapted species typical of northern Wisconsin are declining and retracting out of the state, whereas warm-adapted species are expanding their ranges.
Loss of Snow Cover
The loss of snow cover is particularly problematic for many of Wisconsin’s wildlife. A shorter winter with less snow deprives many species of an important protection from extreme winter weather and cold snaps. Seasonal snow cover provides important camouflage for species like the snowshoe hare. A deep snow layer also provides a seasonal refuge for birds like ruffed grouse to stay warm during the winter months.
Invasive Species
A changing climate has contributed to the spread of invasive species, and in some cases, increased the risk of disease transmission in wildlife. For example, warmer water temperatures in the Great Lakes contributes to the prevalence of botulism and massive waterbird die-offs.
Other Threats
A changing climate represents a novel pressure for many wildlife communities, and worsens other threats such as habitat loss, pollution, and human-wildlife conflict.
The mission of WICCI’s Wildlife Working Group is to coordinate and share information about climate change impacts and adaptation strategies across the wildlife community and allow wildlife managers and stakeholders to make critical decisions in climate change adaptation.
Recommended Solutions/Strategies
The wildlife adaptation menu is an extensive collection of climate change adaptation actions for wildlife management, organized into tiers of general and more specific ideas. The menu draws upon an extensive literature review that captured adaptation recommendations from scientific publications.
Environmental and Climate Justice Issues
It is not always immediately clear how wildlife play into environmental and climate justice. The Wildlife Working Group is exploring this topic and continues to discover important interactions. At this time, the Wildlife Working group has outlined that the effects of climate change are threatening hunting and cultural resource rights, a climate justice concern.
We call for decision makers to consider how the impacts of climate change stress species that are important as game species, which support the economy of rural Wisconsin, as well as important cultural resources, and the rights of Wisconsin’s 11 Tribes to continue their cultural practices.
We intend to incorporate elements of conservation relevancy into our working group goals. Broadly defined, conservation relevancy is the notion of enhanced conservation through broadened stakeholder engagement. In the case of the Wildlife Working Group, this could mean engaging with and creating new partnerships with individuals and organizations to advance climate change action and principles that could benefit wildlife and their habitats.
Publications
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Our Team
Members
- Benjamin Zuckerberg (co-chair), Associate Professor, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, UW-Madison, bzuckerberg@wisc.edu
- Scott Hull (co-chair), Director, Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, scott.hull@wisconsin.gov
- Bob Holsman, Wisconsin Chapter of The Wildlife Society
- Casey Bryan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Chris Ribic, USGS-Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit
- Jamie Nack, UW Madison-Extension
- John Steigerwalt, Ruffed Grouse Society
- Johnathan Gilbert, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
- Katrina Alger, USGS National Wildlife Health Center
- Kelly VanBeek, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Kurt Waterstradt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Mark Witecha, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
- Michelle Kille, The Nature Conservancy
- Mike Meyer, Wisconsin’s Green Fire
- Olivia LeDee, USGS Climate Science Center
- Shelli Dubay, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point