Powerful online tools are available to help planners, community leaders, conservation groups and resource managers. These tools help planners and other users understand and visualize the likely effects of heat, drought, flooding and sea level rise. Others tools enable planners and other users to identify potential plans and actions to protect citizens, infrastructure and natural resources. Choosing the online tools that meets a planner’s needs is important. Planners and other decision-makers will work with Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative and project partners to design a new decision-support tree that will help users choose tools. The decision support tree will be a “one stop” website where planners and other users can walk through a series of questions that will help them identify the best tools for their needs. At this event, planners will share knowledge and be active participants in this project. Planners will express their needs and provide input on planning uses to make the decision-support tree and website a success. During this half-day meeting, planner will address aspects of the decision-making process: 1) the effects of climate related issues important to planning in your community, 2) how planners are using climate tools/models, and 3) the features that will help planners make better choices when using our new online decision-support tree. In about a year, planners will be invited back to see how participation helped create the final decision-support tree.

Lunch is provided. Registration is online at www.gulfalliancetraining.org by selecting the event link under “Upcoming Workshops.” The project team provides more information about the project at www.ngomssc.org by selecting the “Decision Support Tree” tab. For additional project information, contact Christina Mohrman, Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative at cmohrman@disl.org or (251) 861-2141, ext. 7581.

The event is sponsored by the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, the Gulf of Mexico Climate Community of Practice, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the Grand Bay and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves.