Participants from Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands share ideas at the workshop.
Lead CCASS Contact: Kathy Jacobs
With the University of Nevada Reno and USDA Southwest Climate Hub, CCASS helped to organize and hosted a December 2016 workshop for Extension leaders throughout the Southwest to help build Extension’s capacity to develop climate-change preparedness and mitigation approaches that integrate cutting-edge climate science into existing and emerging efforts, with the goal of developing a regional partnership to enable the successful incorporation of climate-change information into Extension programs. Participants represented University-based Extension programs in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, as well as some USDA Climate Hubs, DOI Climate Science Centers, and Sea Grant programs.
Participants felt empowered to engage with colleagues at home to build capacity to incorporate climate change issues into their Extension programs. Dominant themes emerging from the workshop were the importance of: linking adaptation with mitigation through an interconnected solution set; listening and valuing relationships; and being prepared to help when there is an extreme weather/climate event. A new Partnership was initiated to move this effort forward, continue team-building, and mainstream climate issues into participants' home programs.
Partners: USDA Southwest Climate Hub, Cooperative Extension at University of Arizona, Utah State University, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, University of Nevada Reno, Northern Marianas College, New Mexico State University, University of California Davis, and USDA agricultural Research Service.