Climate Change Forum

The Climate Change Coalition of Door County will present its second annual Climate Change Forum on May 9, at Stone Harbor Resort, 107 N. First Ave., Sturgeon Bay. Molly Jahn, Ph.D., professor and former dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will be keynoter, joined by Lee E. Frelich, Ph.D., director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, Todd Ambs, director of Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and Matt Reetz, Ph.D., Madison Audubon Society executive director.

These leading authorities will share the most current findings about climate change impacts in Door County and lead discussions about cooperative action to address those impacts.

Jahn will discuss the serious threats that climate change poses to the world’s food supply. Warming temperatures will affect food systems stability and the availability of food.

Frelich will describe the potential impacts of a warming climate on Door County’s treasured boreal forests, which are likely to be displaced over time by temperate forest species like red oak, beech and maple or savannah species like burr oak and grassland plants.

Ambs will talk about climate change impacts on Lake Michigan – what changes are already occurring, what impacts are expected, and what these changes could mean for Door County.

Reetz will discuss the National Audubon Society’s recent groundbreaking report on the potential effects of climate change on North American birds. According to the report, more than half the 588 species studied are at risk of losing as much as 95 percent of their current ranges. Wisconsin could lose numerous cherished species.

The public is invited to the forum. The program will begin with registration at 8 am and continue until 2:30 pm. It includes a locavore lunch. Advance registration is necessary; the $25 registration fee covers the cost of materials, lunch and the facility. To register, download the form at climatechangedoorcounty.com. For more information, call 920.854.3330 or email [email protected].