Indiana University has recently collaborated with five Midwestern universities and two resource groups to join the Climate Adaptation Science Center. This consortium will use science to assist fish and wildlife resource management in the adaptation to climate change.

According to a press release, this is the ninth and final CASC in the national network and it will be hosted at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment.

The Environmental Resilience Institute will manage IU’s participation in the consortium.

“This is the first Climate Adaptation Science Center award specifically for the Midwest, and we are thrilled to be among the core institutions involved,” ERI Executive Director Gabriel Filippelli told the Indiana Environmental Reporter.

The key role that ERI will play is to help inform the science of climate change in the region, and particularly to help translate that science into toolkits that communities and land managers can use to make the Midwest more resilient to climate change impacts, he added.

This consortium includes the University of Wisconsin, the College of Menominee Nation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois and the Nature Conservancy.

“The Midwest region shares some similar ecosystems, landscapes, climates and resources. Many of these attributes know no state boundaries — consider migratory birds or rivers — and thus a shared view toward climate adaptation is critical,” Filippelli explained.

The consortium also includes groups that represent indigenous tribal interests.

“The consortium will focus some of our work on engaging with tribal communities specifically to help inform just, culturally appropriate and impactful adaptation practices for the landscapes and resources that are of value to these communities,” Filippelli said.

This will also include a fellowship program for graduate students and a summer research experience for undergraduates focused on tribal participation.

The partnership will be effective immediately, with a formal ribbon-cutting celebration planned on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus later this fall.