SDI Participates in Federal Outreach and Science Planning Meetings

SDI Director Chris Caldwell (right)
Photo property of http://necsc.umass.edu

Sustainable Development Institute's Involvement in NECSC: 

Chris Caldwell, College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute Director, and Dean Fellman, Director of the Center for First Americans Forestlands, recently attended two regional stakeholder meetings for the Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC). NECSC is part of a federal network which provides scientific information, tools, and techniques to assist managers and other institutions interested in land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources to adapt to climate change.

Both regional stakeholder meetings took place in January 2013, the first at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, and the second at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Chris Caldwell gave presentations at both meetings on Science -  “ Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Cultural Resources”. Chris also facilitated small group discussions on this theme. Dean Fellman used the small group sessions to emphasize the importance of forests in the geographic region covered by NECSC, their vulnerability to climate change, and thus the need to include them as a priority resource for continued research.

Dr. Bill Van Lopik and Dr. Mike Dockry also participated as members on the CMN team to the consortium, and attended the Minneapolis meeting to participated and share their input.

Read an article about the NECSC stakeholder meeting here from the NECSC website.


Below is more information about the NECSC, partnerships, and grant and funding information:

“The Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC) is part of a federal network of eight Climate Science Centers created to provide scientific information, tools, and techniques that managers and other parties interested in land, water, wildlife and cultural resources can use to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change."

Recognizing the critical threats and unique climate challenges and the expansive and diverse
nature of the NE region, no one institution can provide the region-wide expertise on all critical
levels. Thus, the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), College of Menominee Nation
(CMN), Columbia University (CU), Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), University of
Minnesota (UMN), University of Missouri Columbia (UMO), and University of Wisconsin-
Madison (UWI) have formed the Northeast Climate Consortium (NECC) to host the DOI
NECSC, providing the USGS with deep and diverse resources for successfully meeting the
regional needs for climate impact science assessment, education and stakeholder outreach
throughout the NE region. In addition to the host institutions, the NECSC will include several
resource management partners, including Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) that
exist, in part or whole, within the NE CSC bounds.” (More information about the NECSC can be
located on their website at http://necsc.umass.edu)

All of the domestic climate science centers are currently funded through grants from the Department of Interior (DOI), through initial 5 year awards which can be renewed. The NECSC is the most recently formed unit of the network and is in the process of developing a strategic science agenda to reflect evolving partner needs. The agenda essentially consists of seven “Science Themes” which will be validated through a process of review and input which includes regional stakeholders. Once validated, NECSC will produce an annual science plan that outlines the research goals for each fiscal year. These goals will then reflect priority research areas which will be used to select specific proposals offered via the consortium members for additional funding.