We provide science to Northwest resource managers — foresters, fish and wildlife practitioners, and others stewarding our region’s species and ecosystems — that helps answer questions about how to best safeguard our natural resources as the climate changes.

SCIENCE

We fund and deliver actionable climate science.

Science Agenda. Our five-year Science Agenda, which is developed in collaboration with regional resource managers and scientists on our Advisory Committee, helps direct NW CASC research funding and other activities. The science we fund is specifically geared toward natural and cultural resource managers within the Department of the Interior bureaus — including the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation — as well as Northwest Tribes and Northwest state fish and wildlife and natural lands agencies.

Research Projects. The NW CASC Consortium supports climate adaptation research through its Research Fellowship Program and Faculty Fellowship Program, while the USGS side of the NW CASC directs research funding to a portfolio of regional projects each year. All of the research the NW CASC supports aligns with the research priorities outlined in our Science Agenda and is conducted in partnership with resource managers at state and federal fish, wildlife and lands agencies, as well as Tribes and Tribal organizations, to ensure findings can be applied to the complex, real-world contexts that managers face. You can learn more about current and past projects on our projects webpage.

Publications & Reports. Find peer-reviewed papers and reports from completed NW CASC projects on the publications and reports webpage.

PROGRAMS

We support and train researchers to develop science in partnership with decision makers.

Research Fellowship Program. We provide competitive, one-year fellowships to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at our consortium universities to conduct actionable climate adaptation research. Our Research Fellowship Program enables graduate students and postdocs from a variety of scientific backgrounds to collaborate with natural resource managers and decision-makers while receiving training in the principles of actionable science.

Faculty Fellowship Program. This annual program provides funding to small cohorts of faculty across the NW CASC consortium, along with a condensed version of the actionable science training provided in the Research Fellowship Program. Instead of funding new climate adaptation projects, the Faculty Fellowship Program provides funding to translate existing research that aligns with NW CASC science priorities into a format easily used by resource managers in their climate adaptation decisions. For this reason, it’s considered a “last mile” program, helping researchers take their science the last mile past publication to make sure findings are accessible and useful to decision makers.

Actionable Science Deep Dives. Each year, we convene researchers, practitioners and students to assess the state of knowledge and practice associated with an emerging climate risk. Each Deep Dive aims to facilitate community development of an Actionable Science Agenda that outlines knowledge gaps and research needs and identifies opportunities to advance adaptation by linking science and practice.

Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network. The NW CASC hosts the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network (NW RISCC). The NW RISCC is a community of practice that helps resource practitioners — including federal, Tribal, state, and local agencies and organizations — make climate-smart decisions around invasive species prevention, early detection, control, monitoring and future research activities.

RESOURCES

We develop resources to support effective engagement between research and management communities.

Introduction to Actionable Science. This webpage provides an overview of the concepts and practices of actionable science, as well as lists of relevant papers and webinars.

Actionable Science Webinars. We organize two webinar series. Our skills-building webinars dive into the processes behind effective engagement between research and management communities. Our applied science webinars cover a range of topics and lessons learned from NW CASC-funded projects.

NW CASC Connections Newsletter. Our newsletter keeps readers up-to-date with the latest NW CASC science, tools, opportunities and events from across our region.