Susan Beecher serves as coordinator for the Pocono Kittatinny Cluster, a land and water protection collaborative of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative. She was previously a Research Fellow with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation where she led a climate adaptation planning effort for the Upper Delaware region. As Executive Director of the Pike County Conservation District for over two decades, Susan managed environmental regulatory, watershed management and conservation education and outreach programs.
She has served on numerous boards, advisory committees and working groups, helping to guide development and reduce negative impacts to the waters and forests of the Upper Delaware River region.

This presentation  provides an overview of Adapting to a Changing Climate: Risks & Opportunities for the Upper Delaware River Region, a collaboratively developed climate risk analysis and adaptation plan. The planning process included data collection to document current conditions and trends, research to identify region-specific risks and vulnerabilities to forests, water resources and economies associated with climate change, and analysis of potential practical solutions to protect the forest, water and economic assets of the Upper Delaware region in the face of local climate impacts.

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify and describe key impacts of climate change in the Upper Delaware River Watershed.
• Describe the types of data and methods of analysis that inform the adaptation plan.
• Describe key actions that can help our region adapt effectively to the impacts of climate change.