[RangelandsPartnership] NC CASC March/April 2025 Newsletter

[Merrigan, Sheila - (merrigan)]

This may be of interest to some folks.

From: NC CASC <nccasc at colorado.edu<mailto:nccasc at colorado.edu>>
Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 1:15 PM
Subject: [EXT] NC CASC March/April 2025 Newsletter


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MARCH/APRIL 2025 NEWSLETTER

We strive to update you on NC CASC science, opportunities and events across our region. Be sure to also check out our webpage<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/JTWvCQArYlfB8P9ZKunUxfGjCzi?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com> and social media<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ZKfSCR8vZmtnJWQZpFycqf1SQYX?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com> to keep up on the latest.
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SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT

A Climate Adaptation Menu for North American Grasslands

North American grasslands, which span vast territories across the continent, are important yet often overlooked ecosystems in climate policy and conservation efforts. These landscapes play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity, sequestering carbon, preventing soil erosion, and regulating water cycles. Approximately half of the original grasslands have been lost due to a range of pressures, including agricultural expansion, energy development, woody plant encroachment, urban growth, and intentional afforestation. In response to these challenges, Bernath-Plaisted et al. (2025) developed the Grassland Adaptation Menu, a structured guide designed to support managers in implementing climate resilience strategies tailored to grassland ecosystems.

Learn more about the Menu in our Spotlight Story<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/FT_cCVJz4qf07yXQEf5fRfEcGzb?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>.



UPCOMING WEBINAR

Exploring the carbon effects of forest transformation and exotic annual grassland restoration in the North Central U.S.

Our upcoming webinar is on Thursday, May 8, from 11 AM - 12 PM MT, given by Toby Maxwell of Boise State University/Oregon State University and Chelsea Nagy, University of Colorado Boulder. The webinar will cover two complementary studies of how forest transformations (Nagy) and restoration of areas invaded by exotic annual grasses (Maxwell) affect carbon storage across the North Central United States.

Learn more and register for the webinar here<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CsnBCWWA5rTz2qxoQT2hVfo49su?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS


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Photo (left to right): Heather Yocum, Imtiaz Rangwala, and Ulyana Peña at the CIRES Science Summit on April 8, 2025.

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), part of the NC CASC's institutional host university (University of Colorado Boulder), hosted its inaugural Science Summit<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/caslCXYBgvfB1KGrguoiwfWDeSm?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com> on Tuesday April 8, 2025. NC CASC team members Imtiaz Rangwala, Climate Lead; Heather Yocum, Social Science Lead; and Ulyana Peña, Communications Lead, attended the Science Summit to contribute their expertise to conversations around climate adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and the importance of co-produced science. CIRES events such as this one, and the upcoming CIRES Rendezvous, are important opportunities to share about our research and connect with other scientists.


Recent NC CASC/USGS Publications

In a publication based off the NC CASC's 2023 Rapid Climate Assessment Program (RCAP) exploring grass invasion in the Prairie Pothole Region, former Graduate Research Assistant Sam Ahler (along with several NC CASC team members and partners) published "Climate change impacts on introduced grass invasion in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States Great Plains."<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/bIYDCYVDjwfkQlgBvF6sPfxnmcZ?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>

A newly-published dataset, developed by the NC CASC in partnership with ClimateToolbox.org, provides detailed projections of the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for the contiguous United States. Learn more and access the dataset here.<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/7eGaCZZEkxiPEgxBwH6tGfBiNiD?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>

A recent paper examines how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can complement scientific approaches to environmental management. The paper is authored by a diverse group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, including NC CASC's James Rattling Leaf, Sr. Read the paper here!<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/TM8cC1VkgOfn1GOW0FougfVMFjY?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>



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DID YOU KNOW...? The Working Group Science Syntheses (WGSS) are part of the core NC CASC consortium science activities aimed at addressing climate adaptation science needs in our seven-state region. WGSS are a mechanism for comprehensive science syntheses for management applications to facilitate in-depth exploration of priority topics. Learn more about recent work on the first of these WGSS: Sagebrush Science Synthesis here<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/NrTdC2GljPcKv36y4TGCKf5T5Jf?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com>.

Find us on our website<https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/GesNC3Ymkgf7wKxNPFWFjfQN0Zg?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com> and  [https://mcusercontent.com/5cd396beb6c686c826b7f34ce/images/ab54f6a6-c4f9-472b-828b-542538119604.png] <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/EWxiC4WnljTYy56knc4HJf4GG5C?domain=colorado.us20.list-manage.com> .

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