Other Landscapes
Other Landscapes
Featured News
New Toolkit Helps Managers Create Connected Landscapes Robust to Climate Change
New Toolkit Helps Managers Create Connected Landscapes Robust to Climate Change
Featured Project
Developing a Cave Conservation Management Toolbox by Exploring Cave Microclimates and Biodiversity Patterns
Developing a Cave Conservation Management Toolbox by Exploring Cave Microclimates and Biodiversity Patterns
Landscapes such as drylands, sagebrush, and even underground networks of caves are impacted by climate change. CASC scientists use a variety of research tools to understand how these unique landscapes are altered by factors such as drought or sea level rise. Learn more about their work below.
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Science for management of America’s iconic wild horses and burros
Wild horses and burros are iconic wildlife of the western USA as well as a complicated management issue on tribal, state, and federal lands. Due to their history as domesticated animals, these wild equids – also called “free-roaming” or “feral” equids – can reproduce quickly, and have few natural predators, allowing their populations to grow rapidly if not managed. When populations are too large...
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...
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...
Restoring Hawai‘i’s Wetlands and Investigating Potential Impacts from Climate Change
Project Overview The James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge in Hawai’i provides important wetland habitats for four species of endangered waterbirds. However, due to invasive species and climate change impacts, these habitats are becoming unsuitable for the fledging and longevity of these birds. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will examine the effectiveness of
Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal public land managers to assess potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are working together to develop science syntheses that can facilitate considerations of climate change in...
Soil-climate for Managing Sagebrush Ecosystems
Soil-climate describes the temperature and moisture conditions important for plant growth and function. Soil condition patterns determine which vegetation is most abundant, thus controlling which habitats, invasive species, fuels, and economic activities are present in a region. Here, we use a model to simulate the vertical movement of water in a soil profile to provide insights into landscape...
Advancing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for High Elevation and Endangered Lowland Coquí Frogs in the U.S. Caribbean
Amphibians in the US Caribbean, like the well-known coquí frog, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Coquí frogs are represented by 17 species across Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and include several mountainous and coastal species that are threatened by extreme heat and drying, loss of coastal freshwater marshes through saltwater intrusion, or both. Over the past decade...
Climate Adaptation in North Central Mountain Ecosystems
Mountain ecosystems are prioritized by the North Central CASC due to the provided water resources, recreation opportunities, and endemic biodiversity. Mountain ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change due to elevation-dependent warming, loss of snowpack, reduction in physical area at higher elevations, and general sensitivity of alpine species to climate. Current climate adaptation...
Climate Impact Summaries for Rare-Plant Biodiversity in the Southeastern U.S.
The southeastern U.S. is home to many rare plant species, some at risk of extinction. A new national list has identified the top plant “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” (SGCN) across the region which can help southeastern states update their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) to include plants for the first time. In partnership with the Southeast Plant Conservation Alliance...
Cultivating Water Resilience with Indigenous Peoples in Arid Lands
Managing water resources in arid regions is increasingly important in the face of more frequent droughts and desertification that is occurring with climate change. These challenges of climate change intersect with potential environmental contamination from naturally occurring sources and legacy human activity (such as mining) and create a need for sustainable land and water management...
Helping Southeastern States and Territories Incorporate Climate Change into State Wildlife Action Plans
Project Overview State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) guide state-level wildlife conservation, yet recent plans have largely lacked information on how climate change may affect vulnerable species and habitats. With support from the Southeast and South Central CASCs, scientists are providing climate summaries, future projections, and synthesized vulnerability information to SWAP...