February 2024 Newsletter

February 20, 2024 Michelle Jewell

Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Newsletter

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A group photo with members of SE CASC and Secretary Deb Haaland, USGS Director Dave Applegate, and BOEM Director Liz Klein. — Round table participants with Secretary Deb Haaland.

We were thrilled to welcome Secretary Deb Haaland, USGS Director Dave Applegate, and BOEM Director Liz Klein to the Center earlier this month. You can see more about their visit in This Week at Interior.

Consortium Project Research Ideas proposals are due Feb 21. Note that applicants must first register as Research Affiliates.

Megan Johnson will host the March 21 science seminar on “Climate-Driven Changes in Land Management Practices and Wildland Fire Smoke in the Southeast.” Register here.

Learn more about current Global Change Research Fellow, Mikiah Carver, and her work on urban white-tailed deer populations in this researcher spotlight.

University Consortium Director, Becky Irwin was selected for a George J. and Rhoda W. Kriz Faculty Study Leave Endowment Award! Learn more about her fall plans here.

Postdoctoral scholar Kibria SMG Abu et al. have published new work on “Multi-criteria decision approach for climate adaptation of cultural resources along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States: Application of AHP method.”

The Union of Concerned Scientists appointed Kim Waddell as their acting president.

Hamdi Zurqani is using drones and geospatial AI models to help landowners manage the fungal disease, needle blight.

Erin Seekamp and her work with the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative is featured in “Five Questions with Erin Seekamp and Chris Osbourn.”

Lydia Olander cohosts Duke University’s first Climate Collaboration Symposium on the role of the insurance sector in mitigating climate risk.

Join the National CASC for the Urban Climate Adaptation Virtual Symposium on Thursday, April 4. More info and register here.

The Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science will be held Feb. 27-28 in Washington, D.C. Attendees must register by (TODAY) Feb 20.

Conservation Corridor: Connectivity metrics for protected area networks.

Southeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change: Research Summary: Applesnails are creeping further north in the Southeastern U.S. (link opens a PDF).

Project Spotlight

Analysis and Visualization of Climate Information to Support USFWS Species Status Assessments

How do we best visualize regional climate projects and variables, and make them useful for managers? The North Carolina State Climate Office team coproduced and have now launched a new tool called “CAnVAS,” to address this need. Learn more.

Resources

Innovation in Climate Adaptation: Harnessing Innovation for Effective Biodiversity and Ecosystem Adaptation. A collaboration among National Wildlife Federation, the US Geological Survey Climate Adaptation Science Center Network, and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Climate Change Specialist Group, and was produced by an international workgroup of adaptation experts. The guide draws on lessons from other sectors—including business and technology—to explore the theory and practice of innovation in the context of climate adaptation and natural resource management.

NSF Report on Science and Technology (S&T): Public Perceptions, Awareness, and Information Sources. This report presents indicators on three dimensions of public perceptions and understanding: (1) Americans’ perceptions of S&T in general and of specific S&T issues, (2) how well Americans understand scientific logic and research processes, and (3) where Americans encounter science and get scientific information.

NOAA Higher resolution land cover data. NOAA’s traditional land cover product featured a 30-meter resolution. The new land cover data has one-meter resolution, making the product 900 times more detailed.

In the Media

Can Animals Evolve Fast Enough to Keep Up With Climate Change? | Smithsonian Magazine
Time to support Indigenous science | Science
Wildfires transform aquatic ecosystems, with implications for wildlife and water quality | NSF News
Climate Change Is No Laughing Matter: Or Is It? | New York Times

Notable Publications

Multi-criteria decision approach for climate adaptation of cultural resources along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States: Application of AHP method. Climate Risk Management.
The principles of natural climate solutions. Nature Communications.
When will a changing climate outpace adaptive evolution? WIREs Climate Change.
The role of adaptive capacity in incremental and transformative adaptation in three large U.S. Urban water systems. Global Environmental Change.
Documenting Two Centuries of Change in Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Forests of the Coastal Plain Province, Southeastern USA. Forests.

Tribal News

Visit USET Climate Change Headlines for updates on information regarding climate science events, funding opportunities, best practices, and highlights from across the USET region.

Musicians Keaw’e Bone and Jarrett Wildcatt collaborated with Blue Ridge Music Trails for their album, “Fine Tuned: Volume One.” Learn more.

The U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Governance Summit is April 11-12 online and in-person in Tucson, AZ. Learn more.

The Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit is now accepting applications. Learn more.

South Central CASC’s Climate Change for Adaptation for Tribes and Tribal Partners workshop will be held May 20-22, at the Chickasaw Retreat and Conference Center in Sulphur, OK. Registration deadline is May 4.

Mar. 4, 12:30-1:30PM ET | Science By The Slice with Georgina Sanchez | Online and at Sigma Xi, RTP

Mar. 18, 7–8PM ET | Read Smart Book Discussion – Weather with Jenny Offill | Online and at NC State

Apr. 2-4 | South Central Climate Resilience Forum | Dallas, TX

Opportunities

Student Announcements

For recent graduates, NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship applications are open. Deadline is March 8.

Hiring Announcements

SE CASC is hiring a Program Manager. Position open until filled.

Auburn University is hiring an Assistant/Associate Professor of Conservation Social Sciences. Apply by March 11.

Cornell University is hiring a Tenure-track Associate or Full Professor position focusing on Environmental Justice, Law, and Policy. Apply by March 15.

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication is hiring a Data Scientist and Postdoctoral Research Scholar.

Funding Announcements

NASA NSPIRES is accepting applications for projects that focus on informing decisions that enhance community-level resilience to episodic and chronic climate stressors. NOI due Feb 23.

NFWF’s Conservation Partners Program 2024 Request for Proposals is open. Funded projects will enhance wildlife habitat, soil health, water quantity and quality, and carbon sequestration while providing important social and economic benefits to agricultural producers. Apply by Feb 28.

NFWF’s Acres for America 2024 Request for Proposals is also open. Projects should protect or contribute to the protection of significant acres of land and address program priorities. Apply by Feb 29.

Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund is accepting proposals for habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects through Mar 13.

NSF is soliciting project proposals for their Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) program. Apply by April 24.

NFWF has also opened their Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley 2024 Request for Proposals for projects to restore, enhance and conserve bottomland hardwood forest and wetland habitats to benefit wildlife and improve water quality within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley region of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Apply by April 25.

NSF is soliciting project proposals for the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC). Apply by May 1.

Miscellaneous

The Association of Health Care Journalists is seeking applicants for their National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships. Apply by Feb 23.

Opportunity for Early Career Professionals to present at the 2024 Society of Decision Professionals Conference in Arlington Virginia April 15-19, 2024. Learn more.

Restore America’s Estuaries calls for proposals for the 2024 Coastal and Estuarine Summit, to be held Oct. 6-10. Submit abstract by Mar. 15.