South Central CASC

Managing for a Changing Climate Short Course: Deeper Dive
2024-04-01 - 2024-05-03
Register now for a Deeper Dive into Vulnerability and the Climate System.
This short course is free, self-paced, an opportunity to learn directly from climate experts, and a certificate of completion is offered upon completion.
The course will run from April 1st to May 3rd. No previous enrollment in our introductory course is required, though it may be helpful if you are not already familiar with the basics of the climate system.

South Central Climate Resilience Forum
2024-04-02 - 2024-04-04
Save the date for the inaugural South Central Climate Resilience Forum that will be held April 2-4, 2024, in Dallas, TX.
The forum is focused on fostering meaningful dialogue on climate resilience and adaptation across Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. It will bring together representatives from non-profit organizations, tribal nations and communities, all levels of government, community groups, the private sector, and academia from across the region. The goals of the events are to improve understanding of the climate-related challenges facing the region and increase awareness of work being done to enhance the resilience of the region. The program will include presentations, symposiums, and workshops about resources, research, tools, knowledge, and experiences relating to climate resilience and opportunities for information exchange and networking.
Registration is now open! Early bird registration closed on February 16th.
2024 SCCRF Call for Presentations - SCCRF2024_CallforPresentations
Join as a sponsor. Click here to see the primary sponsorship levels.
SCCRF2024_SponsorshipFlyer

Climate Change Adaptation for Tribes and Tribal Partner Training Opportunity
2024-05-20 - 2024-05-22 | The Chickasaw Nation Retreat and Conference Center, 4205 Goddard Youth Camp Road, Sulphur, OK, 73086, United States
Registration is now open!
May 20-22, 2024 in Sulphur, OK.
Climate Change Adaptation for Tribes and Tribal Partners Training Opportunity.
The goals of this workshop are to:

Learn how to use the tribal adaptation menu (TAM) process to develop projects.
Learn how tribes are being impacted by climate change.
Use the menu framework to integrate climate and identify adaptation options.

This three-day workshop will be held at the Chickasaw Retreat and Conference Center in Sulphur, OK. Please reach out to Amelia Cook, amelia.cook@chickasaw.net, for more information.
In addition to the in-person portion of the event, there will also be a mandatory pre-workshop virtual webinar.
Registration is due by April 22!

Tribal Drought Workshop (Free)
2024-05-22 08:00 - 2024-05-23 16:00 (America/Denver)
Join us on May 22nd-23rd at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque! (And online May 8th)

Participants are encouraged to register with teams (1-5 People) of relevant collaboration. (Ex. Tribal Environmental, Natural Resource Management, and Water Staff) You will work with these teams during discussion periods and be paired with other teams with similar interests for networking purposes!

In addition to the in-person event on May 22nd and 23rd there is a mandatory pre-workshop webinar planned for May 8th from 10am – 11:30am MST intended as a discussion primer.

Applications are DUE April 10th, 2024!
Contact Jacob.P.Palazzi-1@ou.edu with any questions!

Conversations on Fire in the Southwestern United States Webinar
2024-09-04 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
Join us on September 4, 2024, from 10 am to 11:30 am MT / 11 am to 12:30 am CT for a webinar: Conversations on Fire in the Southwestern United States
Register here>>
Location: Zoom (You will receive an email with a zoom link prior to the event)

Please join us for three presentations followed by small group conversations about actions to advance wildfire prevention and recovery in the Southwestern United States:

Advances in Post-Fire Recovery: New Mexico Reforestation Center – Matt Hurteau, University of New Mexico

Keepers of the Flame: Cultural Fire as Climate Adaptation – Beth Rose Middleton and Landin Noland, University of California at Davis

Supporting Wildland Resources in the Great Basin – Melvin Hunter, Forestry & Wildland Fire Management Director at Hualapai Tribe and Asst. Fire Manager Officer at BIA

This webinar is hosted by the Southwest Climate Hub, the Southwest and South Central Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs), and the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS).

Please contact Lauren Kramer at Lauren.Kramer@usda.gov for any questions

Patch Burn Grazing Working Group Meeting
2024-09-11 - 2024-09-12
Patch Burn Grazing Working Group Meeting
September 11 & 12, 2024
ECU Chickasaw Business and Conference Center, Foundation Hall, Ada, OK
Click here to register!

Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Conference
2024-09-18 - 2024-09-19
Texas Sea Grant has been working on programmatic development for the inclusion of advanced technologies as intervening solutions for coastal resilience and adaptation. Working through 2023 Sea Grant coastal adaptation and resilience institutional funding, Texas Sea Grant aims to increase awareness in engineering and technology that helps decision-making around coastal energy transition, natural and nature-based solutions, and early warning systems for coastal hazards.
Towards this end, we have planned the Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Conference scheduled for September 18-19, 2024, to inform coastal communities including decision-makers, elected officials, city and county staff, natural resource managers, academics, the private sector, etc. of technology and engineering solutions that address the three thematic topic areas below:
1. Coastal Energy Transition
2. Natural and Nature-based Solutions
3. Early Warning Systems for Coastal Hazards

Learn more and register>>

Partnering with Fire: Learning from Tribal Nations and Indigenous Practices
2024-09-26 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Join the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, and the U.S. Forest Service for our upcoming virtual workshop “Partnering with Fire: Learning from Tribal Nations and Indigenous Practices.”
This virtual webinar is open to natural and cultural resource managers, especially from Tribal Nations in the southern United States, and others who want to learn more about how Tribes work with fire to adapt to a changing climate. Registration is required.
Topics and speakers include:

Mark Morales, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and Steven Parrish, USDA Forest Service: Choctaw Nation agreements with USDA Forest Service.
Gesse Bullock, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas: Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas fire crew and partnerships
Mary Huffman, The Nature Conservancy: Indigenous Peoples Burning Network IPBN.

Thursday, September 26th | 9-11am CT (10am-12pm ET)

Register Here>>

Transformers: Age of Adaptation (In-Person, New Mexico)
2024-10-02 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Denver)
Intermountain West Transformation Network – Wildfire & Watershed Symposium
Laura-McCarthy-Keynote

National Weather Festival
2024-10-26 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us as we host a booth for the 2024 National Weather Festival on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus.
October 26, 2024, from 10 am – 2 pm at the National Weather Center

Climate Vulnerability Workshop
2024-10-30 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center for a one-day Climate Vulnerability Assessment Workshop on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, in Shawnee, OK.
TRAVEL ASSISTANCE is AVAILABLE
Learn more and register today!
A vulnerability assessment is one of the first steps in developing a climate adaptation plan. We will cover basics on how to start a vulnerability assessment; types of vulnerability assessments, various sectors (i.e., natural resources, culturally significant animals or plants, or infrastructure) and approaches that can be used to develop a vulnerability assessment. There will be a presentation on where to find tools that can help a Tribe or community to gather data and options to find projections for your Tribal region. We will use that information to qualitatively measure Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity.

Citizen Potawatomi South Hall
1702 Gordon Cooper Dr.
Shawnee, OK 74801

FY 2024 Projects Lightning Talks: An Introduction to select South Central CASC-Funded Projects
2024-11-04 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
The South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (SC CASC) recently chose eight new research projects. These projects will contribute to climate adaptation efforts in the south-central region of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. The initiatives will support efforts such as Tribal climate adaptation goals, addressing wetland adaptation management, controlling invasive plants, and assessing the impacts on water resources.
Hear from three of our PIs to learn more about their funded projects.
Hamed Gholizadeh from Oklahoma State University, the agroecosystems project, “Optimizing Invasive Plant Management in Grasslands,” focuses on the invasive plant Lespedeza cuneata. By integrating remote sensing and climate sciences, this project will deliver actionable information for effective management of this invasive species in grassland ecosystems, helping to preserve native biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Jeremy Ross from the University of Oklahoma leads one of the two cultural projects titled, “Empowering Tribal Nations to Plan for Extreme Climate Change Threats.” This initiative will collaborate with Indigenous horticulturalists and Tribal nations to create an Extreme Climate Action Plan for Culturally Important Agroecosystems (ECAPCIA). By leveraging Indigenous knowledge and values, the project aims to strengthen water resilience and preserve culturally important agroecosystems.
Kathryn Powlen from the USGS – OK/TX Water Science Center is leading the other cultural project, “Identifying Opportunities to Strengthen Climate Resilience in Flood-Prone Underserved Communities.” Focusing on Harris County, Texas, this project will develop a flood vulnerability assessment and examine distributive equity in flood mitigation efforts. By modeling flood exposure and analyzing mitigation investments, the project will prioritize vulnerable areas for future mitigation projects, ensuring equitable and effective flood risk reduction.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Nov 4, 2024 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://oklahoma.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvc-qspj4pGNSC2uniNiRdeBM8H4a6EIxR
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This is Place Harvest Event 2024
2024-11-16 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Location: Little Axe Community Center east of Lake Thunderbird in Norman, OK
Featured guest speakers:
Ted Talk speaker Lyla June,
Native Farming Solutions owner Travis Andrews,
Tribal Alliance for Pollinators founder Jane Breciknridge,
Floribundas Farms owners and brothers Jessie and Justin Rosenfelt
& panel discussion with garden featured artists.
Oklahoma environmentalist organizations:
Okies for Monarchs,
Oklahoma Conservation District,
Native Plants Society,
Native Plants Network,
and MORE!
Also featuring amazing local food producers, native plant and plant medicine producers, artists, and artisans.

Oklahoma Governor's Water Conference & Research Symposium
2024-11-19 - 2024-11-20
The Oklahoma Governor’s Water Conference and Research Symposium is held annually to bring together experts in Oklahoma water policy and science from federal, state, and local agencies and organizations, as well as state and federal officials, industry leaders, and students.
Join us!
November 19-20, 2024
Embassy Suites, Norman
Learn more>>

Nature-based Solutions Webinar Series - Building Coastal Adaptive Capacity through Nature-based Solutions
2024-11-26 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
This five-part webinar series features projects funded by the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division’s Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) and Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) programs focused on the research and application of nature-based solutions (NbS), which are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, simultaneously providing benefits for people and the environment. Increasing communities’ capacity to adapt to climate change can take many forms–this webinar features two presentations that relate to increasing coastal adaptive capacity. The first, funded by AdSci, will provide an overview of how a community is working to increase their coastal adaptive capacity and community resilience to sea level rise through workshops and vulnerability assessments that identify potential adaptation pathways, funding opportunities, and data needs. The second project featured will be from the West CAP team, the California-Nevada Climate Adaptation Program, highlighting their approach to providing technical assistance and integrating regional data and projections for sea level rise, coastal storm flooding, and beach erosion. This work aims to assist with developing adaptation pathways and strategies, including dunes as NbS, and co-produces and integrates climate, social science research, and Indigenous stewardship to support the advancement of effective and equitable sea-level rise adaptation planning with several collaborators across Southern California.
Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/779614658690072411

78th Annual SEAFWA Conference
2024-12-09 - 2024-12-13
The Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) is a forum for the exchange of ideas and critical information regarding the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources primarily in the Southeast. The conference attracts over 500 representatives from state and federal agencies, citizens’ organizations, universities, private wildlife research groups, fisheries and wildlife scientists, agency enforcement personnel, and other natural resource-related organizations.
The 78th Annual Conference will be hosted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Make plans now to join us December 9-13, 2024 at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, Georgia.
Learn More>>

Nature-based Solutions Webinar 4 - Utilizing Nature-Based Solutions for the Advancement of Multiple Objectives, Co-Benefits, and Health
2024-12-17 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
This five-part webinar series features projects funded by the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division’s Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) and Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) programs focused on the research and application of nature-based solutions (NbS), which are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, simultaneously providing benefits for people and the environment. Adapting to climate change requires cities to leverage their efforts to meet multiple objectives and do so through an equity lens that counteracts existing patterns of vulnerability. This webinar episode will feature three projects that consider co-benefits of NbS: – (CAP / MARISA) Equity-informed, Multi-Objective Analysis and Planning for Green Infrastructure – (CAP/ CLIMAS) Health Core, Initial Project Scoping – (CAP / GLISA) Calumet Connect: Modernizing the Calumet River Industrial Corridor
Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4728794343847605085

Gulf Tree Training Workshop
2025-01-22 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
Gulf Tree is a climate tool selection guide for Gulf of Mexico stakeholders.

Access and learn about the latest climate tools
Reduce uncertainty in selecting a climate tool
Save time in searching for a new climate tool

January 22, 2025 from 9 am – 3 pm at Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve
Lunch is included!

Nature-Based Solutions Webinar Series 5 - Challenges and Opportunities of Scaling Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation
2025-01-23 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
This five-part webinar series features projects funded by the Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division’s Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) and Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) programs focused on the research and application of nature-based solutions (NbS), which are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, simultaneously providing benefits for people and the environment.
Nature-based solutions including green infrastructure (NbS/GI) have been implemented for some time as a multifunctional, decentralized strategy for stormwater management. Locally, the benefits and co-benefits of these systems are well quantified. However, to address regional climate risks, NbS/GI need to be upscaled in non-trivial ways across urbanized landscapes. This upscaling poses several formidable physical, economic, and collaboration-related challenges. Addressing these challenges represents one of the front lines in advancing comprehensive resilience and sustainability planning. This webinar episode will feature how Franco Montalto, CAP’s Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN), has leveraged funding from CAP and AdSci to advance science to support local action and adaptation at a broader scale.
Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3145418435073976928

BUDM Webinar Series "Lessons Learned from Marsh Creation Monitoring in Coastal Louisiana"
2025-02-25 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Please join us for the Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials: Insights Across Coasts webinar series. The series aims to highlight lessons learned from restoration practitioners and facilitate discussion on BUDM science needs. This series presents lessons learned in BUDM practice and showcases a variety of perspectives, with speakers coming from numerous backgrounds, organizations, and geographic areas.
February 25, 2025 – Register here – Bernard Wood (Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority) – “Lessons Learned from Marsh Creation Monitoring in Coastal Louisiana”

2nd Annual New Mexico Tribal Forest & Fire Summit
2025-03-04 - 2025-03-06
2nd Annual New Mexico Tribal Forest & Fire Summit
Roots For The Future: Strengthening Indigenous-Led Conservation
March 4th – 6th, 2025
Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino
Mescalero, NM
287 Carrizo Canyon Rd, Mescalero, NM 88340
Please visit the event website for more information!

What is Climate Adaptation and Resilience webinar
2025-03-04 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Join the South Central and Southwest CASCs for a webinar series for Tribal Environmental and Natural Resource Professionals
Held on the first Tuesday of each month, at 1 pm Central/11 am Pacific, through August. https://bit.ly/TribalWebinars
March’s Tribal Climate Resilience Webinar asks What is Climate Adaptation and Resilience? They’ll discuss the basics of climate adaptation and resilience and real-world applications of these concepts.

2025 Land and Water Summit
2025-03-05 - 2025-03-07
Registration and the call for posters are now open
Learn more at the link below

Southwest Agroforestry Action Network meeting (SWAAN Con)
2025-03-11 - 2025-03-13
Check out the wonderful line-up of speakers for the upcoming Southwest Agroforestry Action Network meeting in Santa Fe (March 11-13). This will be a great opportunity to network with and learn from agroforestry, permaculture, ecological restoration, and sustainable farming professionals and practitioners. Registration includes lunch, coffee, snacks, and the second-day farm tours. Continuing education credits are available from the International Society of Arboriculture for partial or full registration.
The draft agenda is available here: SWAAN AGENDA 2025. To Register: bit.ly/SWAAN2025 (registration is hosted by our fiscal sponsor Arizona Community Tree Council). More information about SWAAN https://swaan-site.org

Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2025
2025-03-25 - 2025-03-27
Advancing Solutions for Ocean-Climate Restoration

Join us for the Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2025! The Summit will be an exceptional opportunity to advance the sharing of knowledge and solutions to critical challenges at the ocean-climate nexus. During this action-oriented event, global and local scientists, policymakers, innovators, funders, and others will converge to explore solutions and strengthen partnerships that can help restore our ocean and stabilize the climate.

Learn more and register at https://oceanvisions.org/events/summit-2025/

BUDM Webinar Series "Where did our mud go? Monitoring shallow water placement of dredged material to nourish marshes in South San Francisco Bay"
2025-03-25 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Please join us for the Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials: Insights Across Coasts webinar series. The series aims to highlight lessons learned from restoration practitioners and facilitate discussion on BUDM science needs. This series presents lessons learned in BUDM practice and showcases a variety of perspectives, with speakers coming from numerous backgrounds, organizations, and geographic areas.
March 25, 2025 – Register here – Jessie Lacy (U.S. Geological Survey) – “Where did our mud go? Monitoring shallow water placement of dredged material to nourish marshes in South San Francisco Bay”

Webinar: The Status of Tribes and Climate Change, Volume 2
2025-03-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is excited to invite you to the webinar for the official release of the Status of Tribes and Climate Change, Volume 2 on Wednesday, March 26th from 7:00 – 8:30 am (HST), 9:00 – 10:30 am (AKDT), 10:00 – 11:30 am (PDT), 12:00 – 1:30 pm (Central), 1:00 – 2:30 pm (Eastern)

The Status of Tribes and Climate Change (STACC) is a series of reports that elevates the voices and efforts of Indigenous Peoples, Nations, and communities and provides a space within published literature to share our own stories about the climate change impacts we are experiencing and the solutions we are implementing. The reports are acts of resilience and self-determination intended to uplift Indigenous experiences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in local, national, and global conversations.

This initial webinar will include knowledge holders that convened the report who will discuss how and why the report was created. In addition, you will hear about the report’s key messages and recommendations. Lastly, the report’s new website will be launched during the webinar, along with the digital version of STACC, Volume 2.

We look forward to celebrating this milestone and the combined efforts of everyone who contributed to bringing this report together.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/staccrelease

Stakeholders and Rightsholders Webinar
2025-03-26 13:00 - 14:15 (America/Chicago)
This informational webinar leads up to the Transportation & Extreme Weather Symposium (held April 1) will help ‘set the stage’ for the ideation sessions that will be held then. There is still time to register for the Symposium!
This webinar will feature Saxon Metzger, President of Eighth Generation Consulting, and Martin Shukert, Principal of RDG Planning & Design
Wednesday, March 26th, 1:00 – 2:15 pm Central

Transportation & Extreme Weather Symposium
2025-04-01
The Southern Plains Transportation Center and the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are hosting a Transportation and Extreme Weather Symposium on April 1st at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK. The symposium will feature speakers and panels in the morning and ideation sessions in the afternoon to connect researchers across our various consortium and partner institutions.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN: https://forms.gle/UourJFmn4pi8DAHU9
By registering, you agree to attend the in-person, full-day program.

This event is open to anyone interested, including all researchers at SPTC and South Central CASC host and consortium institutions, potential stakeholders, rightsholders, or other interested parties with a focus in the south-central US region (our organizations encapsulate AR, LA, NM, OK, and TX, but anyone is welcome to attend). Registration is free and breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The ideation sessions are designed to present information on upcoming funding opportunities and facilitate the creation of multidisciplinary teams to catalyze innovative projects.
Breakout sessions will focus on the intersection of transportation and extreme weather, with specific sessions on: Short-term and Long-term Planning for Weather Extremes, Workforce Preparedness in the Face of Weather Extremes, and Safety.
There will be two optional informational webinars leading up to the symposium to ‘set the stage’ for the ideation session, both occurring on Zoom (recordings will be made available):

Collaborative Projects, Monday, March 3rd from 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Stakeholders and Rightsholders, March 26th from 1:00 – 2:15 pm

After registration, you will receive more information about the two webinars and the day-of event and calendar invites for all three.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Olivia Dailey (olivia.dailey@ou.edu) and cc Derek Rosendahl (drose@ou.edu).

How To - Scoping Climate Adaptation Efforts
2025-04-01 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Join the South Central and Southwest CASCs for a webinar series for Tribal Environmental and Natural Resource Professionals
Held on the first Tuesday of each month, at 1 pm Central/11 am Pacific, through August. https://bit.ly/TribalWebinars
April’s Tribal Climate Resilience Webinar will discuss where to start and what to consider when scoping climate adaptation efforts.
