The North American Drought Monitor (NADM) Forum occurs every two years and provides an opportunity for Drought Monitor authors, users, practitioners, and researchers to discuss ways to improve the science of drought monitoring in North America. This year's in-person meeting will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 14–16, 2024. The forum is being held as a hybrid event with remote options and limited in-person availability.
To register for either in-person or remote participation, please complete this form.
Accommodation:
Room blocks are available at the following hotels:
- Best Western Plus Carlton Plaza – Link to room registration page.
- Standard Room rate of CAN$180/night
- Sandman Hotel – Contact the hotel directly at (250) 388-0788. Press “1” for Guest Services.
- Government employees use NADM block ID 358503, block code 2405NADMGOVEMP.
- Standard Queen: CAN$144/night
- Standard 2 double beds: CAN$144/night
- King Suite with Kitchenette: CAN$174/night
- Non-government use block ID: 358374, block code: 2405NADM.
- Standard Queen: CAN$165/night
- Standard 2 double beds: CAN$172/night
- King Suite with Kitchenette: CAN$188/night
Ground Transportation:
- View airport transportation information.
- BC Transit Bus:
- Cost: CAN$5.00 to downtown.
- Travel time: 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Taxi:
- Cost: Estimated CAN$65 to CAN$85
- A service that the airport website advertises is “Yellow Cab of Victoria” – (250) 381-222 or 1-800-808-6881.
- Advance reservation of at least 1 hour is recommended.
- Uber/KABU:
- Car rentals:
- Cost: CAN$75–$150/day
- Victoria INTL Airport is served by five on-airport rental car companies with counters located in the arrivals area directly across from the Information Desk. Off-airport rental car operators do not have counters at the Victoria INTL Airport. Pick-up needs to be pre-arranged at the time of booking. The off-airport customer pick-up area is located across the crosswalk at the arrivals end of the terminal building.
- On-airport companies: AVIS, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, National
- Off-airport companies: Alamo, Enterprise
- Note that the meeting is taking place at the Pacific Forest Centre, 506 Burnside Rd W, approximately a 10 minute drive from the hotels in the downtown region. If you are not renting a vehicle, be prepared to arrange transportation to and from the meeting each day. Ride sharing with your colleagues attending the meeting is encouraged.
Draft Agenda:
Day 1: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
| Time | Agenda Item | Presenter(s) |
|---|
8:00 a.m. | Registration | |
8:30 a.m. | Welcome, Introductions, and Opening Remarks | |
8:30 a.m. | Workshop overview, context, and goals | Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service |
8:50 a.m. | Welcome from Canadian partner agencies | TBD |
9:15 a.m. | Keynote address | John Pomeroy, University of Saskatchewan, Distinguished Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, Director, Global Water Futures Programme, Director, USask Centre for Hydrology, Director, USask Coldwater Lab |
10:00 a.m. | Refreshment Break | |
10:20 a.m. | Session 1: The Impacts and Implications of the 2023 Drought | Session Chair: |
10:20 a.m. | The 2023 Drought – A Review of the Climate and Cause | Armel Castellan, Environment and Climate Change Canada |
10:45 a.m. | The 2023 Fire Year in Canada | Matt MacDonald, British Columbia Wildfire Service, Ministry of Forests |
11:10 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
11:35 a.m. | Discussion | |
12:00 p.m. | Lunch | |
1:00 p.m. | Session 2: NADM Updates | Session Chair: |
1:00 p.m. | Overview of the NADM: History, Concept, Goals, and Process | Richard Heim, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information |
1:25 p.m. | Canadian Drought Monitor Update | Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service |
1:50 p.m. | United States Drought Monitor Update | Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center (USA) |
2:15 p.m. | Mexican Drought Monitor Update | Reynold Pascual Ramirez, National Water Commission (Mexico) |
2:40 p.m. | Refreshment Break | |
3:00 p.m. | Drought Monitoring Outside of North America | Mark Svoboda, National Drought Mitigation Center |
3:30 p.m. | Author Panel Discussion | NADM Authors (Canada, U.S., and Mexico) |
4:00 p.m. | Summary of Day 1 | |
4:15 p.m. | End of Day 1 | |
Day 2: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
| Time | Agenda Item | Presenter(s) |
|---|
8:20 a.m. | Welcome Back – Review and Introduction Day 2 | |
8:30 a.m. | Session 3: Drought In a Changing Climate | Session Chair: |
8:30 a.m. | Assessing Drought in a Changing Climate: Current Status, Research Needs, and Next Steps | Britt Parker, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Integrated Drought Information System |
9:00 a.m. | Assessing Drought in a Changing Climate Panel: - Each speaker will provide a 10–12 minute statement followed by questions for the panel
| Zach Hoylman, Hydrologist and Montana Assistant State Climatologist Mike Anderson, California Department of Water Resources Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Art Degaetano, NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center |
10:00 a.m. | Discussion – How does this information change how we look at monitoring drought? | |
10:20 a.m. | Refreshment Break | |
10:40 a.m. | Session 4: The Importance of Drought Impact Data | Session Chair: |
10:40 a.m. | Monitoring Drought Impacts | Kelly Smith, National Drought Mitigation Center |
11:05 a.m. | CoCoRaHS and Condition Reporting | Henry Reges, National Coordinator of CoCoRaHS – Colorado State University |
11:30 a.m. | The USDA Agriculture in Drought Products | Brad Rippey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist |
11:55 a.m. | Discussion: | |
12:15 p.m. | Lunch | |
1:15 p.m. | Session 5: Drought Indices | Session Chair: |
1:15 p.m. | The NDMC PCA Blends | Mark Svoboda, National Drought Mitigation Center |
1:45 p.m. | Effective Precipitation | Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist |
2:15 p.m. | Development of Gridded Drought Indicators | TBD, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service |
2:45 p.m. | Refreshment Break | |
3:00 p.m. | Assessing Drought Using Machine Learning | Tyler Black, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service |
3:30 p.m. | The Floating Month Drought Index | Richard Heim, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information |
4:00 p.m. | Summary of Day 2 | |
4:15 p.m. | End of Day 2 | |
Day 3: Thursday, May 16, 2024
| Time | Agenda Item | Presenter(s) |
|---|
8:20 a.m. | Welcome Back – Review and Introduction Day 3 | |
8:30 a.m. | Session 6: First Nations and Tribal Communities | Session Chair: |
8:30 a.m. | Monitoring Drought with the Involvement of Tribal Communities | Molly Woloszyn, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Integrated Drought Information System |
8:55 a.m. | Canadian First Nations Representative | TBD |
9:20 a.m. | U.S. Tribal Nation Representative | Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Navajo Nation, Department of Water Resources |
9:45 a.m. | Discussion | |
10:15 a.m. | Refreshment Break | |
10:45 a.m. | Session 7: Wildfire and Drought | Session Chair: |
10:45 a.m. | U.S. Forest Fire and Drought Research | Tim Brown, Director of NOAA Western Regional Climate Center |
11:10 a.m. | B.C. Forest and Drought | Vanessa Foord, British Columbia Ministry of Forests |
11:35 a.m. | The Forest Drought Response Index (ForDRI) | Tsegaye Tadesse, National Drought Mitigation Center |
12:00 p.m. | Lunch | |
1:00 p.m. | Session 8: Drought in Diverse Environments | Session Chair: |
1:00 p.m. | A Toolbox of Drought Indices for Monitoring Drought Across the Diverse Climates of North America | Richard Heim, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information |
1:25 p.m. | Snow Drought | Dan McEvoy, Associate Research Professor, Climatology, Desert Research Institute |
1:50 p.m. | Monitoring Drought in the NWT | Brian Sieben, Government of Northwest Territories, Environment and Natural Resources |
2:15 p.m. | Discussion | |
2:30 p.m. | Session 9: Where Do We Go From Here? | |
2:30 p.m. | Summary, Next Steps and Closing Remarks | Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service |
3:00 p.m. | End of Day 3 | |
About Victoria:
If you are looking at extending your trip, Victoria and Vancouver Island are great places to explore. Attractions in the Victoria area include the Royal BC Museum, whale watching, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Butchart Gardens, the Victoria Butterfly Gardens , rainforest hikes, historical tours ,and much more. For more information on visiting Victoria, see their tourism page, vacation guide, and greater Victoria area map.
