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North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center Consortium - Hosted by The University of Colorado Boulder (2018-2023)

The NC CASC supports co-produced actionable science, data-intensive discovery, and open science to support tribal, federal, state, and local natural resource managers and decision-makers in the North Central region, which serves Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska. NC CASC is hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) within the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences , and is a partnership between CU Boulder, the U.S. Geological Survey, and five consortium partners: University of Montana; South Dakota State University; Conservation Science Partners; Wildlife Conservation Society; and Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance. During the period of 2018 - 2023, the NC CASC consortium will strive to i) collaborate with resource managers to deliver usable climate science; ii) capitalize on the wealth of remote sensing and diverse big data to inform resource management decisions at relevant scales in the region; and iii) leverage open science work within and across the CASC-network to synthesize information on climate-sensitive wildlife, critical habitats, and cultural resources. These focal areas will help address key climate-sensitive management priorities in the region, including water availability and drought; habitat loss, connectivity and transformation; wildlife disease; invasives and encroachment; wildfire; and wildlife phenology. NC CASC activities align with the center’s core goals: partnerships; science; capacity building; and communication/outreach. Trusted partnerships are at the foundation of all NC CASC activities, and include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service’s Climate Change Response Program, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. Tribal Nations are unique and distinct partners. To better support and facilitate climate resilience in Tribal communities, the NC CASC partners with the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance to host a regional Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Liaison. NC CASC science is use-inspired. Ongoing engagement between researchers and natural resource managers fosters a culture of collaboration and engagement. NC CASC Projects and Tools & Data are accessible online. Capacity building activities include leveraging the training capacity of CU Boulder’s Earth Lab, supporting a cohort of CASC-network Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellows, and the launching of the NC CASC Tribal Climate Leaders Program that currently supports five Native American graduate fellows pursuing a graduate degree at CU Boulder in the area of climate adaptation science. Communication/Outreach activities include an NC CASC website, social media (Facebook and Twitter), a bi-monthly newsletter and a monthly webinar series. Each CASC is a formal collaboration between the USGS, a regional host university, and a multi-institution partner consortium. Through this agreement, the host and consortium institutions undertake a number of activities, including conducting research science projects, supporting fellows and engaging with resource management partners. To learn more about the work of the North Central CASC, visit: https://nccasc.colorado.edu/.