2014 Partnership Highlights
Southeast Regional Climate Hub Focuses on Collaborative Climate Change Exchange
With the multitude of federal entities focused on land management, including the impacts of climate change, collaboration and communication is vital to efficiently and effectively develop resources for those on the ground. As the USDA Southeast Regional Climate Hub (SERCH) moves forward in defining and fulfilling its mission of serving the climate change information needs of land managers, the Hub has developed partnerships with other land management agencies and is utilizing those partnerships to reach individuals making management decisions. By pooling resources of researchers across sectors and geographic extents, SERCH can equip land managers to overcome the current and future effects of climate change.
As a joint effort between the Southern Research Station, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) East National Technology Support Center, and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), SERCH is partnering with agencies across sectors to pool knowledge, resources, and networks for the land management community to confront the realities of climate change and variability. The initiation of these partnerships involved an extensive proposal-writing process in collaboration with NRCS and ARS, as well as letters of support from more than twenty state, academic, and non-profit partners. A workshop was held in Raleigh, NC, with leaders from these same organizations. At this workshop, researchers shared experiences, defined roles, and outlined next steps for outreach and resource assessment. To further explore potential partnerships and establish two-way lines of communication, a roundtable meeting was held with state, regional, and local stakeholders from across the southern region.
External Partners/Collaborators: Natural Resources Conservation Service; Agricultural Research Service; State Climate Office of North Carolina
Contact: Steve McNulty, steve.mcnulty@usda.gov
Right: The USDA Southeast Regional Climate Hub is headquartered in Raleigh, NC.
