Projects by Region
Projects by Region
Each region of the country contains its own unique ecosystems, communities, and cultural values. Regional CASCs work with partners to develop products that address specific climate adaptation needs of wildlife, ecosystems, and people in the states within their footprints. Browse our projects by region below or use our Project Explorer database to explore our science.
Filter Total Items: 983
Assessment of Habitat Restoration and Adaptation Successes and Opportunities in the Mississippi River’s National Park Post-Emerald Ash Borer Infestation
Project Overview Minnesota’s forests are being impacted by the effects of numerous climate related disturbances, such as invasive species, increased temperatures and flooding, and severe weather. While managers are working to ensure the longevity of these forests, they are facing a lack of information on how forests are responding to these effects and which strategies prove most...
Climate Adaptation Technical Services (CATS)
CASC Climate Adaptation Technical Services (CATS) is a new, multi-year pilot effort to respond to management needs on climate adaptation. The program provides partners with tailored climate adaptation science, advice, and training to help them rapidly incorporate climate adaptation science into planning and decision making. Overview The CATS team seeks to learn, through iterative...
The Combined Impacts of Climate Change and Intensive Agriculture on Wild Rice, a Culturally Critical Resource and Relative for Indigenous Communities
Project Overview Wild Rice is an important piece of Indigenous culture for tribal communities in the Upper Midwest. However, given the high vulnerability of this aquatic plant to climate change, tribal communities have seen a significant decline of Wild Rice in the past century. Despite the expansion of monitoring and restoration efforts, intensified agriculture has also contributed to...
Effects of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems
Atmospheric nitrogen deposition, changing environmental patterns, and recreation are rapidly altering high elevation ecosystems. This project will evaluate long-term biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological trends in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the causes and rates of change in alpine and subalpine waters, soils, and vegetation. Resource managers of high-elevation, protected...
Emergent threats from the interactions of heat extremes and wildland fire across Alaska
Project Overview Increasing heat and drought extremes are influencing the severity of wildfires in Alaska which, in turn, has led to an increase in smoky days. As a result, local communities are experiencing a rise in respiratory and cardiovascular issues. The researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will collaborate with environmental health and fire management experts to...
A New Tool for Monitoring Vegetation Water Use and Efficiency to Support Sustainable Agroecosystem Management
Oklahoma and Texas are facing significant future water shortages that threaten farming and ranching communities. Though conservation-based management practices are being implemented across the states, there are inadequate tools for monitoring vegetation water use efficiency in real time. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will develop a web-based tool using high...
Adding Fuel to the Fire: Determining Vegetation-Specific Drought Timescales That Enhance Fuel Flammability and Fire Potential
Project Overview Increasing severe drought events occurring across the Colorado Plateau can harm vegetation and create drier and more flammable fuel for wildfire. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will analyze drought indices and satellite data to show how quickly after drought begins that different types of vegetation across the region show signs of health declines...
After the Dams: Fire Impacts and Restoration Opportunities for a Culturally Important Klamath River Willow
Project Overview The sandbar willow of the Klamath River is used within the Karuk Tribe’s ongoing cultural practices of basketweaving. The willow has been threatened by intensifying fire and dams, but restoration and the recent historical dam removals provide an opportunity to increase the quantity, quality, and access to this important resource. Researchers supported by this Southwest...
Building Climate-Resilient Rangelands Amidst Fire, Grazing, and Ecological Invasion in California
Rangelands in California face significant challenges from climate change, wildfires, and invasive species, threatening their productivity and the benefits they provide to local communities. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a management framework for restoring climate-resilient rangelands in California by examining interactions between fire, grazing, and...
Building community-based monitoring partnerships between rural schools and wildlife refuges in Alaska
Project Overview In Alaska, winters are becoming shorter and more unpredictable, leading to changes in lake and river ice, impacting access to hunting grounds, fuel wood transportation and recreation for local communities. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will revitalize and modernize a freshwater ice observation network with a youth-centric partnership that teams...
Climate Adaptation in Northeastern Forests to Support Birds of Conservation Concern and Ecosystem Services
Climate change, invasive species, and diseases are threatening Northeastern forests, with consequences for bird populations and carbon storage. Researchers supported by this Northeast CASC project will evaluate whether already-implemented climate adaptation strategies in the region have been effective at protecting bird habitat and what the implications of carbon storage have been. The...
Climate Smart Forest Adaptation in the Wake of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an insect causing extensive hemlock tree die-offs in the northeast, and a lack of information on climate adaptation practices is hindering effective forest management. With the overall goal of fostering resilient forests that support northeastern hemlock ecosystems and wildlife, researchers supported by this Northeast-CASC project will work with land...