Great Basin land managers provide detailed feedback about usefulness of two climate information web applications

Abstract Land managers in the Great Basin are working to maintain or restore sagebrush ecosystems as climate change exacerbates existing threats. Web applications delivering climate change and climate impacts information have the potential to assist their efforts. Although many web applications containing climate information currently exist, few have been co-produced with land managers or have incorporated information specifically focused on land managers’ needs. Through surveys and interviews, we gathered detailed feedback from federal, state, and tribal sagebrush land managers in the Great Basin on climate information web applications targeting land management. We found that a) managers are searching for weather and climate information they can incorporate into their current management strategies and plans; b) they are willing to be educated on how to find and understand climate related web applications; c) both field and administrative-type managers want data for timescales ranging from seasonal to decadal; d) managers want multiple levels of climate information, from simple summaries, to detailed descriptions accessible through the application; and e) managers are interested in applications that evaluate uncertainty and provide projected climate impacts.