USGS-Directed Research Funding

USGS-Directed Research Funding is sponsored by Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This funding supports climate adaptation research projects across the Northwest that advance understanding of climate change impacts and variability on fish, wildlife, water, land, and people.

Climate Adaptation Science Centers | U.S. Geological Survey Deep Dive: CASC Science in Action Deep Dive: Invasive Species in a Changing American Landscape Explore how CASC science is helping partners detect, monitor, and manage invasive species to strengthen the resilience of infrastructure, wildfire response, forests, fisheries, rangelands, and national security.

Deep Dive: Enhancing Economic and National Security for Alaska and the Nation Science from the Alaska CASC is supporting natural resource management, energy development, and national security. Deep Dive: Building Resilience to Natural Hazards Explore how CASC science improves our understanding of natural hazards and supports decisions that reduce risks to people, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

Deep Dive: Supporting the Outdoor Recreation Economy The CASCs support federal, state, and Tribal managers as they work to protect our natural heritage. Dropping the Bass: USGS science helps stop the spread of invasive smallmouth bass Webinar Series: Incorporating the Resist-Accept-Direct Framework into Management Planning Learn about CASC success stories, actionable data products, and our talented scientists.

Climate Adaptation Science Centers From wildfires to sea-level rise, climate change creates evolving challenges for ecosystems across the nation. The USGS National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) is a partnership-driven program that teams scientists with natural resource managers and communities to help fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a changing climate.

Our network is comprised of the National CASC and nine regional CASCs, covering the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawai'i, the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands, and the U.S. Caribbean. The CASCs fund projects generating research, data sets, and tools to help natural resource managers protect natural places and local communities in a changing climate.

Explore examples of how CASC science is informing on-the-ground climate adaptation and strategic management.

USGS Participates in 2026 Native American Fish and Wildlife Society National Conference USGS Participates in 2026 Native American Fish and Wildlife Society National Conference Species on the Move: Northeast CASC Researchers Discuss Species Range Shift in Recent Podcast Episode Species on the Move: Northeast CASC Researchers Discuss Species Range Shift in Recent Podcast Episode Study Reveals That Inland Recreational Fishery Harvest is Quite the Catch Study Reveals That Inland Recreational Fishery Harvest is Quite the Catch Summaries of goals, actions, and information needs by management entity Summaries of goals, actions, and information needs by management entity The grasslands in the North Central region are managed by a diverse group of Federal, State, and Tribal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; partnerships; and private landowners.

This chapter highlights these various grassland management entities, provides background information on their mission and organizational structure, and describes some of their key grassland management...

Ecosystems Mission Area , Climate Adaptation Science Centers Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States Recreational fisheries are important global contributors to food security, socio-cultural practices, and local and regional economies.

However, inland recreational fisheries are often overlooked by policymakers due to a limited understanding of the magnitude of participation, harvest, and economic impact. Here, we used the U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog and catch and effort... Matthew D.

Robertson, Holly Susan Embke, Abigail Lynch, Stephen R.

Midway, Craig Paukert Ecosystems Mission Area , Cooperative Research Units , Climate Adaptation Science Centers A comprehensive inventory of communication tower infrastructure across the range of greater and Gunnison sage-grouse A comprehensive inventory of communication tower infrastructure across the range of greater and Gunnison sage-grouse We compiled and verified a comprehensive inventory dataset of communication tower infrastructure across the range of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), two species of conservation concern that are viewed as ecosystem health indicators for the entire sagebrush biome within the United States.

Our dataset includes all known... Sarah C. Webster, Shawn Szabo, Jacqueline B.

Cupples, Shawn T. O’Neil, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Steve Abele, Jennifer M.

Hill, John Christopher Tull, Michael P. Chenaille, Peter S. Coates Ecosystems Mission Area , Climate Adaptation Science Centers , Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)