News & Events | Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

May 28 Science, Spotlights

Collaboration and Cooperation are at the Center of Pygmy Rabbit Conservation in the Northwest

Until recent decades, little was known about the pygmy rabbit, a small rabbit facing big threats in the Great Basin and the neighboring intermountain areas it inhabits. Weighing in at only one pound, this tiny rabbit depends on underground burrows in native sagebrush ecosystems, which are being reduced by wildfire, invasive species, climate change and development.

New vegetation grows in front of a stand of burned trees after wildfire.

Mar 25 Publications, Science, Spotlights

“Finding Tomorrow’s Climate in Today’s Landscapes”: New Study and Tools Available to Support Land Management Decisions Around Vegetation Change

Across the western U.S., climate change and disturbances like wildfires, drought and insect outbreaks are already reshaping ecosystems. Landscapes that are no longer able to support the vegetation they once did are transforming into different states.

Researcher stands in burned forest and measures trunk of tree.

Jan 30 Science, Spotlights

What Remains After Wildfire on the Wet Westside of the Cascades?

What remains after wildfire in the typically wet forests of the northwest Cascades? The University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences recently sat down with UW postdoctoral researcher Jenna Morris and UW professor and researcher Brian Harvey to discuss the findings of a new study exploring how westside forests are shaped by infrequent and high-severity fires.

Student holds tree branch while looking up into forest.

Jan 14 Science, Spotlights, Opportunity

Now Accepting Applications for the NW CASC 2026-2027 Research Fellowship Program!

We are now accepting applications for our 2026-2027 Research Fellowship Program, which supports climate adaptation research and provides training in developing decision-relevant science. The deadline to submit applications is March 9, 2026.

Learn More & Apply

Research Fellow Maria Garcia kneels in water while holding a net.

Nov 4 Science, People, Spotlights

Meet NW CASC’s 2025-26 Research Fellows and Faculty Fellows!

Join us in welcoming our new cohorts of NW CASC Research Fellows and Faculty Fellows! These Fellows will conduct one-year projects in collaboration with regional natural resource managers, while receiving training in the practice of actionable science.

Meet the Fellows

Four Northwest amphibians: (top left) Van Dyke's salamander uncovered under a rock near a stream in the Willapa Hills, Washington. (Top, right) A small larval Dicamptodon salamander, identified as Cope's giant salamander based on location in the Olympic Peninsula. (Lower left) An adult Coeur d'Alene salamander found sheltering in an exploratory mindshaft near a seep in Northern Idaho. (Lower right) A vibrant adult Rocky Mountain tailed frog found navigating a mossy incline in Northern Idaho.

Aug 14 Science, Spotlights

Similar Species, Divergent Futures: Rethinking Climate Indicator Species

Written by guest author Gavin Graham, summer 2025 NW CASC science communications intern
Is there a shortcut to saving species that are affected by our changing climate? For one group of Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center-supported researchers, what started as an attempt to understand how the changing climate affects a group of threatened amphibians in the Northwest, led them to unexpected findings and insights about species management in a changing climate.

May 22 Science, Spotlights

Invasive Species Science at the NW CASC

Invasive species are an ongoing focus of the NW CASC’s efforts to fund and facilitate actionable science, which have included research on more than 24 invasive species since 2011 across Northwestern habitats ranging from Puget Sound prairies to sagebrush steppe, from coastal wetlands to high elevation forests.

Underwater view of a Redband trout in Upper Klamath Lake with a group of fish in the background.

Mar 27 Science, Spotlights

Surprises in the Klamath: How disease, invasives, and warming waters are affecting redband trout

Written by guest author Heidi Shepard, NW CASC communications graduate research assistant for the winter 2025 quarter

Upper Klamath Lake in south-central Oregon is perhaps the last place one might think of as being trout habitat.

Photo collage with a salamander, pinecone, bird, fish, marmot and other Northwest species against a bright turquoise background.

Jan 30 Science, Spotlights

Updated Climate Change Vulnerability Index (Release 4.0) Includes New Features to Support Climate Adaptation Planning for Species

A new release of NatureServe’s widely-used Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) is now available, providing natural-resource managers with a rapid and cost-effective way to evaluate species’ relative vulnerability to climate change in specific geographies.

Aerial view of waves hitting a narrow strip of beach in front of coastal homes in Tillamook Bay, Oregon.

Dec 19 Spotlights, Opportunity

NW CASC Seeks Postdoc Focused on Coastal Squeeze

The University of Washington, in partnership with the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC), is searching for a talented scientist with an interest in coastal squeeze — when human and natural barriers challenge the inland range shifts of coastal species and ecosystems in response to sea-level rise.