The North Central Climate Collaborative Expands its Reach with Two Regional Climate Workshops this Fall
Our climate is changing and changes in climate have been a defining factor in agriculture and water quality within the North Central Region. Extreme weather events have the capacity to drastically impact our waterways, and climate variability creates shifts in crops, cropping seasons, and plant hardiness zones. The North Central Climate Collaborative (NC3) is a team of Extension professionals across the region who are dedicated to increasing the adoption of climate-smart practices and improving water management while maintaining profitability.
The NC3 team is expanding their reach by hosting climate workshops this fall developing a brand new website to host their information, events, and tools, and hosting bi-monthly webinars to update and educate on contemporary climate issues affecting our region. The workshops will each have a regional focus, one highlighting the climate related issues in the Great Plains and the other dedicated to similar issues facing the eastern half of the Midwest.
The first of the two workshops, the Northern Great Plains Climate Workshop, will be held on October 9-11 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and will focus on climate issues facing the Great Plains including climate tools and applications, climate communication strategies and climate information applications. The workshop will equip educators, natural resource managers, and conservation professionals with the climate-smart tools and practices they need to incorporate weather and climate information into their programming. A draft agenda for the workshop is now available and registration is now open!
The second workshop, the Great Lakes Big Rivers Climate Workshop, is part of the North Central Region One Water Action Forum taking place December 11-13 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The workshop will be held on the first day of the conference and will feature innovative solutions to climate-related issues.
Both workshops will have dedicated sessions on climate issues affecting youth, family, and communities, making the workshop a great fit for extension educations from each program area. Both workshops will also feature strategies to communicate changes in climate to diverse stakeholders. Speakers from across the region and beyond will provide practical communication and outreach tools with their unique perspectives and experience.
The North Central Climate Collaborative is perpetually adapting to ensure adequate education and professional development on climate-related topics. In addition to the workshops, the team also hosts bimonthly webinars on climate, water and agriculture. More information on NC3 and their upcoming learning opportunities can be found on their newly-created website – northcentralclimate.org.