Climate Change Scenario Planning for Alaska National Parks

What we did

This multi-year project enabled Alaska National Park Service (NPS) managers, cooperating personnel, and key stakeholders to develop plausible climate change scenarios for all NPS areas in Alaska. SNAP and NPS also collaborated to develop an outreach tool that provides an opportunity for Alaska’s two million annual national park visitors to engage in a discussion about climate change in our state.

What we found

Through creating regional scenarios, we realized the need for NPS to have climate change information and outreach that is comprehensive, accessible, and engaging.

What we made

SNAP and NPS collaborated to create a 24-page booklet and associated iBook to be made available in every national park in the state. The publication presents climate change not just as a set of scientific facts, but also as a detailed set of stories, told from the perspectives of a diverse range of individuals ─ from road engineers to scientists to subsistence hunters. State of Change covers topics such as the impacts of higher temperatures on archaeological treasures, the devastating effects of erosion on coastal communities, and the actions that individuals and parks are taking to learn, adapt, and make a difference.