The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and a Consortium of university and non-university partners. We team scientists with natural and cultural resource managers to deliver science to help fish, wildlife, water, land and people in the Northwest adapt to a changing climate. 

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) was established to help safeguard the natural and cultural resources of Idaho, Oregon, Washington and surrounding river basins. We produce relevant and accessible science on climate change impacts and adaptation actions for Northwest natural and cultural resource managers and policy-makers.

The NW CASC’s key audiences are the Department of the Interior bureaus, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 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.

Our Consortium spans seven universities; the only tribal college serving Washington, Idaho and  Oregon; and the Northwest’s largest inter-tribal organization, which acts as a leading climate service provider to Tribes in the Northwest and beyond. Our Consortium includes three land-grant institutions with Cooperative Extension programs, and hosts a broad range of colleges, departments, centers and programs that can support NW CASC science and capacity-building needs. Our NW CASC Consortium members include:

University of Washington (Consortium Host)
The University of Washington, host of the NW CASC Consortium, connects the NW CASC to world-class natural and  social science research programs, to the largest College of the Environment in the country, and to  the nation’s most experienced group at developing, delivering and supporting the use of  actionable climate science: the UW Climate Impacts Group (CIG). The CIG has been Washington State’s go-to source for  actionable climate science for >25 years, receiving State funding to support climate adaptation efforts. In addition to the NW CASC, CIG hosts the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, NOAA’s Northwest CAP/RISA program. CIG and the NW CASC are housed administratively within EarthLab, a visionary  institute connecting faculty, students and staff at UW with community collaborators to co produce actionable research that generates solutions and strategies for local and global impact.

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) is a nonprofit organization representing 57 Northwest tribal governments from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Western Montana, Southeast Alaska, and Northern California. ATNI’s Climate Resilience Program connects Tribes to grant opportunities, offers training opportunities to Tribes and non-tribal entities, and hosts regional and national events. Some of these opportunities include the National Tribal Leadership Climate Change Summit, the Northwest Tribal Clean Energy Summit, and the Tribal Climate Camp.

Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU) provides the NW CASC with a network of faculty, collaborators and interest holders developing actionable climate science across the interior Northwest. Its research strengths lie in hydrologic science, terrestrial and avian global change ecology, socio-ecological systems science, land management policy and soil and critical zone processes. BSU’s expertise in the sensitivity of regional ecohydrology to climate change and land management, along with its novel water resource management strategies and interagency coordination of water resource information and data, is crucial in helping the NW CASC better understand and address water management challenges in the interior Northwest.

Northwest Indian College
Founded in 1973, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) is the only accredited tribal college in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. NWIC is a tribally controlled, land grant college chartered by the Lummi Nation and serves more than 110 different Tribes and First Nations throughout North America. The main campus is located on Lummi Nation near Bellingham, Washington, with extended campuses located in Swinomish, Muckleshoot, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Nisqually, Tulalip, and Nez Perce. Through place-based and culturally grounded curriculum, NWIC is preparing the next generation of climate scientists and leaders, through academic programs such as the Native Environmental Science Program and Research Facilities such as the Salish Sea Research Center. The work is guided by NWIC’s mission of educational self-determination and through the core Lummi belief, •Schtәngәxʷәn, which means: “We are responsible to protect our territory. This means that we take care of our land and the water and everything that is on it and in it.”

Oregon State University
As Oregon’s Land Grant and leading research institution, Oregon State University (OSU) provides expertise in forestry, freshwater ecology and habitat restoration, wildlife and fisheries conservation science and management, coastal resource management and management strategy modeling. Several of its Colleges, including its College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Forestry and its College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, are positioned as leaders in climate change research. With strong collaborations across institutions, agencies and Pacific Northwest communities, OSU brings a network of partners that will expand the NW CASC’s impact in promoting regional resilience in a changing climate.

Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) is Oregon’s urban research university, offering more than 200 degree and certificate programs, including the multidisciplinary Earth, Environment and Society PhD program. PSU is also home to the Climate Science Lab, whose applied and basic research covers a wide range of geographies, including local and regional-scale research in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to its strengths in applied climate science and weather extremes, sustainability solutions, urban ecology and adaptation, social sciences, and environmental justice, PSU has a strong focus on campus sustainability and maintaining affordability for its students.

University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is home to top-rated applied natural and social science programs focused on natural resource management at both local and landscape scales. Its wildlife biology program is a leader in conservation genetics and the study of large carnivores and ungulates, while its more than 100-year-old forestry program is a leader in applied forest management and climate adaptation silviculture. UM also provides expertise in climate adaptation and fire ecology and connects NW CASC to strong partnerships with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and Montana Climate Office.

Washington State University
Washington State University (WSU) is home to the Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach (CEREO), an active network of faculty, staff and students working to resolve environmental issues through collaborative partnerships. CEREO supports transdisciplinary research projects that use interest holder engagement to produce actionable science for climate adaptation, focusing on water and agriculture; fire, insect outbreaks, drought and erosion; and resource allocation for food, energy and water. As part of the NW CASC consortium, WSU connects the NW CASC with opportunities for collaborating with a network of organizations, scientists and conservation practitioners working together to advance regional climate resilience.

Western Washington University
Western Washington University (WWU) is home to one of the country’s oldest environmental colleges, long recognized for its practical and collaborative approaches to solving complex environmental challenges. WWU brings expertise in sea level rise, coastal processes, geomorphology and estuarine ecology, as well as connections to partnerships such as the Skagit Climate Change Consortium, which brings together scientists, residents and managers to reduce the vulnerability of human communities and ecosystems in the Skagit River basin to climate change impacts.