Skip to main content

December 2025 Newsletter

December 17, 2025
Get our newsletter in your inbox by subscribing here.

Southeast CASC News

Thank you for a productive and eventful 2025! Take a look back at our jam-packed year.

Applications are open for the 2026-27 Global Change Research Fellows –students from across the SE CASC Consortium are encouraged to apply!

Join us on Dec 18 at 1:00pm ET for a science seminar on Collaboratively Assessing the Status and Vulnerability of Bees in the Southeast and US Caribbean for Effective Management Action with Hailey Shanovich. 

The current Global Change Research Fellows embarked on the first ever winter version of the week-long field intensive in the Albemarle Sound.

Check out the latest researcher spotlights from 2025-26 Global Change Research Fellows Asmit Neupane, Cory McKinstry, Alyssa Tomb, Sam Holberg, and Peizhe Li.

The Drought and Ecosystem Workshop Database (DEWD) based on the 2025 Drought and Aquatic Ecosystems in the Southeast Workshop is out now.

Read the recap and watch the playback of our latest Global Change seminar on “Decision Support Tools for Stakeholders in Coastal Southeast, USA”.

A new publication by Laura D’Acunto details how the Everglades restoration is shaping better tools for all managers.

The SE CASC Tribal Resources WebApp is live on our website, featuring information about state and federally recognized Tribes in the Southeast.

Don White is among experts who warn Arkansans to be ‘Bear Aware’ as populations rise across the state.

Jaime Collazo co-authored a USGS data release on the abundance, occupancy and habitat data recordings for Coqui Llaneros.

Gregory Guannel shares how the funding the University of Virgin Islands received for Renewable Energy Technology scholarships will grow their green technology program.

Community News from the Southeast

Partners

NOAA Coastal Communicators put together resources for writing for people who skim.

Yale Climate Connections looks back at the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.

NOAA NIDIS has released a new report on Facing Future Droughts: Lessons from the Southeast’s 2023 Fall Flash Drought.

SE CASC Consortium member, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, is set to offer a Ph.D. in Forest Resources this spring.

Tribal

Visit USET Climate Change Headlines for updates and highlights from across the USET region.  

The USET Community Resilience Program and Pamunkey Indian Tribe are hosting the 2026 USET Resilience Writing Retreat on Jan 13-15, 2026.

Miccosukee Tribe member Betty Osceola travels the River of Grass in a Naples Daily News story.

Mississippi Choctaw dictionary project helps tribes preserve language.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians artist, Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, weaves strands of place and culture.

The Miccosukee arts & crafts festival brings Native American culture to Miami for its 50th anniversary.

Gatherings

Webinars

Events

Find more events on our calendar.

Resources and Publications

Resources

  • Predictors of discussing global warming with family and friends. This PLOS Climate article explores the barriers that individuals face in discussing climate change with family and friends. The authors also offer suggestions for overcoming and stimulating these conversations. 
  • Community Weaving. This handbook offers a framework with 5 elements that strengthen the health of a community. They also offer worksheets to apply the framework to your community and a list of other community frameworks to explore.

Publications

An expert elicitation to inform coastal management decision-making for mitigating future hazards. Journal of Environmental Management

Experts were elicited to evaluate the efficiency of coastal management actions and the feasibility of restoring coastal environments. They were confident that flooding will increase with sea level rise (SLR) regardless of restoration. They hypothesized that marsh area would decrease with increasing SLR if no action was taken. They also felt that beach and dune nourishment might reduce the amount of erosion under future SLR. The authors argue that expert solicitation like this provides rapid results and is a useful tool for management decision making.

See Salt: Recommendations for engaging oyster growers in community-based coastal monitoring programs. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

The authors present a case study of their See Salt program. This is a community-supported coastal monitoring program that engages oyster growers to collect salinity and water level observations. They provide recommendations for starting up a similar program that can go beyond measuring these variables. 

Old‐Growth Forest Area Projected to Increase on United States Federal Lands Under Alternative Future Scenarios. Earth’s Future

In this article, the authors modeled possible futures to project how large mature and old-growth forests would be on National Forest System (NFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land by 2070. They found that old growth forests were expected to increase, while mature forests might increase depending on climate and socioeconomic conditions. They also found that the amount of forest lost to fire was expected to increase. They argue that by identifying the ecosystems susceptible to loss of older forest, they can target management and conservation efforts.

Opportunities

Student Announcements

SE CASC is seeking applications for our 2026-27 Global Change Research Fellows. Apply by Jan 12, 2026.

NC State Global One Health Academy is seeking 2026-2027 Global One Health Fellows. Apply by Jan 19, 2026.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences and the Southeastern Universities Research Association are offering a Public Policy Fellowship. Apply by Jan 28.

STEPS Research Experience for Undergraduates applications are open. Due by Jan 31, 2026.

NOAA applications are open for the Hollings undergraduate scholarships. Due by Jan 31, 2026.

Field Inclusive is accepting applications for research grants of $500. Feb 1, 2026.

The Center for Native American and Indigenous Research has several funding opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. Various closing dates.

Hiring Announcements

UMass Boston is hiring an Assistant Professor of Blue Technology. Apply by Dec 19.

University of Minnesota is hiring a Research Professor of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Scholarship at the full research professor, associate research professor, or assistant research professor level based on experience. Apply by Jan 5, 2026.

Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is hiring an Assistant Professor in Sustainability Transitions. Apply by Jan 12, 2026.

Old Dominion University is hiring an Assistant Professor Position in Environmental Engineering. Apply by Jan 15. 

Clarkson University is hiring a tenure track Professor in Environmental Engineering. Apply by Jan 15, 2026.

Louisiana State University Center for Coastal Resiliency is seeking a postdoctoral researcher. Apply by April 14, 2026.

The Ohio State University is hiring an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Natural Resources Policy and Governance. Open until filled.

Funding Announcements

Allen Family Philanthropies is seeking LOIs from non-profit organizations in the Natural Climate Solutions space. Due by Jan 15, 2026.

NFWF requests proposals for the 2026 Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund. Due by Jan 29, 2026.

Climate Smart Communities Initiative is seeking applications for the 2026 CSCI grants opportunity. Due by March 12, 2026.