1. Climate Engagement in Rural Communities

3. 1.Do rural communities have a voice in climate policy? 2.Does climate change resonate as a rural issue? 3.Are rural communities prepared for climate change?

4. RURAL CLIMATE DIALOGUES

5. 1.Raise awareness of climate issues in rural communities 2.Develop specific, local responses to climate impacts 3.Identify rural policy priorities

6. MORRIS AREA CLIMATE DIALOGUE

7. 1.Relationship building 2.Community deliberation 3.Outreach, organizing, and action

8. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

9. COMMUNITY DELIBERATION

10. COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS DemographicStevens CountyIdeal #Actual # Gender Female50%7-87 Male50%7-88 Ethnicity Caucasian/White90%1311 Non-Caucasian/Multiracial10%24 Party Affiliation Democrat35%57 No Party, Other37%65 Republican28%43 Age 18-3940%5-64 40-6440%5-66 65 & over20%45 Education Less than High School8%11 High School-GED52%7-85 Associate’s/Bachelor’s30%4-55 Graduate degree10%1-24 Total Number of Participants15

11. DELIBERATION OUTCOMES 1.Challenges 2.Opportunities 3.Actions

12. COMMUNITY RECOMMENDAT IONS

13. Assess and adapt agricultural practices to ensure future productivity in the face of extreme weather events and a shifting climate. Encourage diversity in crops and crop rotation Provide famers best tools to improve crops Implement diversified farming Design agricultural drainage for more severe rainfall events with less erosion

14. Adopt new technologies to improve individual and community resilience in response to extreme weather, climate changes, and increases in energy and insurance costs. Create a committee to start looking at building codes to promote weatherproofing Assess your home for potential structural and energy-saving improvements Incorporate better building techniques and materials to improve energy efficiency Take into account other factors of the manufacturing process (energy, etc.) Create an organization to find, educate, and assist people in accessing resources to make their homes more efficient and sustainable Encourage better construction in new homes, quality retrofitting of old homes, and investment in energy-efficient appliances and alternative energy sources Promote use of green products/industries (ex. solar panels)

15. Plan for changes in the water cycle (ex. more frequent heavy precipitation events) and implement new techniques to protect private property, maintain and improve water quality, and ensure an adequate water supply for present and future generations. Use water channeling and drainage to control flooding and erosion, and, where possible, capture water for other uses Look at the possibilities of different storm protection for sewer systems Publish information on rain gardens for local homes in newspaper Find larger scale uses for rain gardens (ex. irrigation)

16. Educate community members on the concerns, opportunities, and actions associated with more frequent extreme weather and changes to our local climate. Implement discussion of climate change into K-12 education Begin education in early years Search for information on preventative measures and check out resources to help when disaster occurs Find ways to use social media to inform and education people Get article in newspaper to begin an awareness program Create an education site for information on climate change Pay attention to global weather patterns

17. Ensure the entire community is aware of local weather and climate issues and able to provide input to address concerns and opportunities. Elect officials who will take the issue seriously Hold town meetings where government officials, agricultural producers, utility providers, human services, and the public can generate and discuss new ideas so voters and consumers can make more informed decisions

20. the MORRIS MODEL

22. ITASCA CLIMATE DIALOGUE WINONA CLIMATE DIALOGUE MINNESOTA CLIMATE SUMMIT

23. Questions! arockway@jefferson- center.org