The U.S. Geological Survey has selected a University of Colorado Boulder-led team that includes Conservation Science Partners to host the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC-CASC) for the next five years, in a move that will foster both innovation and applied research, said new University Director Jennifer Balch.
The new $4.5-million award recognizes the huge potential for synergy with CU Boulder researchers and a consortium of partner institutions to focus state-of-the-art analysis tools on climate-related challenges facing natural resource management agencies. This center is one of eight regional climate centers created to help meet the changing needs of land and resource managers and is the first to include multiple partners from outside of academia. Consortium partners for the new NC-CASC include Conservation Science Partners, the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, South Dakota State University, and the University of Montana.
“The new consortium headed by CU Boulder brings an innovative vision, new partners, and a strong track record of producing useful science,” said Robin O’Malley, USGS Director of the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. The new center will conduct science in support of the resource management efforts of a wide range of stakeholders, mostly Tribal, federal, and state resource managers. “As part of this new consortium, CSP gets the great opportunity to produce trans-disciplinary science that ultimately supports climate-informed management on the ground, and that is exciting to all of us,” said Shelley Crausbay, Lead Scientist at Conservation Science Partners and co-PI on the award.