Erin Upton: Water in Wine Landscapes: Why Water Matters for Resilience in a Changing Climate

Presented at the 2025 LIVE Annual Meeting March 12 in Newberg, Oregon. Fresh water is an essential resource for the future success and survivability of our businesses, communities, and environment. Climate change is significantly impacting water access and availability in the Pacific Northwest. In this talk, Dr. Erin Upton uses ecological, social, and regulatory frameworks to encourage us to think about water in our regions and operations. She examines the impacts of a changing climate on water quality and quantity, and what we can focus on with regards to water as we strive for greater resilience in uncertain times. About Dr. Erin Upton Dr. Erin Upton is a social scientist currently working at American Farmland Trust to advance collaborative research with farmers/ranchers, landowners, and rural communities to better understand the social drivers of resilience in agriculture. Erin has a doctorate in Earth, Environment and Society from Portland State University. Her research focused on understanding the human dimensions of complex environmental challenges, including how decision making around water resources, in the context of a changing climate, impacts outcomes for agricultural wine regions. She has extensive experience conducting research in agriculture regions in North America, South Africa, and Australia. Previously Erin worked as a landscape architect and in operations and sales in the Oregon wine industry. Learn more about sustainable viticulture practices at livecertified.org