The University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment will host the newest Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) according to an announcement made in late-September by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The Midwest CASC becomes one of nine centers throughout the country that focuses on climate change and it's impact on the nation's fish and wildlife resources, according to the USGS.
"In order to address the climate crisis, we need to be guided by the best available science," Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, said in a DOI news release.
The Midwest CASC includes a partnership with it's host university, the University of Wisconsin, the College of the Menominee Nation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Michigan State University, Indiana University, the University of Illinois, and the Nature Conservancy.
"Integrated collaboration with educational and natural resource organization partners ensures that federal, Tribal and state resource managers have access to the collective wisdom of world renowned experts," Haaland said in the release. "The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center will better position us to mitigate climate impacts while focusing needed attention to Tribal and state resources that are particularly vulnerable to climate change."
Those higher education facilities, wildlife, and conservancy organizations chosen to be a part of the Midwest CASC were vetted through a competitive review by scientific experts.
"We are excited to bring climate-focused innovation and scholarship to America's heartland, where the next generation of students stands ready to tackle the challenges facing the Great Lakes, mighty rivers, fertile prairies and abundant natural resources of the region," Doug Beard, USGS national chief of climate adaptation science centers, said in the release.
According to the release, the partnership takes effect immediately.
An official ribbon cutting ceremony is expected to take place in the fall.
In 2021, the Midwest CASC teams, led by David Bunnell at the Great Lakes Science Center are evaluating how changing climate and water clarity can affect restoration of native coregonine, a sub-family of fresh water fish, in Midwestern lakes, according to the CASC project explorer.
