News
El Niño 2026-2027: What Could It Mean for the North Central Region?
A potentially very strong El Niño is developing for 2026-2027, but what might that mean for the North Central region? Explore a new USGS CASC resource to learn what scientists are forecasting.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
Shifting Shades of Drought
How do we better track when landscapes are becoming unusually dry? In the latest NC CASC blog, graduate researcher Kelsey Warren shares her work developing a new approach to Consecutive Dry Days (CDD).
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
Bringing back bison to Colorado using plant functional traits
Bison (Bison bison) were the dominant, keystone grazer across the Great Plains, North America’s largest biome, for millennia and shaped prairie ecosystems. However, European settlement in the 1800s across this region led to widespread slaughter and near extinction of this once prolific species.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
New RCAP Blog on Woody Plant Management
How are land managers working to keep grasslands from turning into woodlands? In a new NC CASC student blog, CU Boulder PhD student Em Wright explores the growing challenge of woody plant encroachment across the Great Plains.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
The SPARRO tool has launched
Over the last three years, scientists, economists, and conservation partners have worked together to develop SPARRO and address a critical gap in consistent, reliable information about grassland bird populations and conservation priorities.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
NC CASC Webinar Series is Back! September 10, 2026
Join us for an upcoming NC CASC webinar highlighting collaborative efforts that are advancing the science and practice of pinyon-juniper management.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
The 2026 RCAP Wraps Up!
This summer, seven graduate students joined scientists and natural resource managers to tackle some of the most pressing climate adaptation challenges across the North Central region of the United States.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
Future Wildfires in a Warming United States
While wildfires are a natural part of our ecosystems in the North Central region, climate change is increasing the conditions that promote larger, more frequent, and more intense wildfires.
Improving Seasonal Rainfall Forecasts in the Northern Great Plains
Can conditions in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans help predict summer rainfall in the Northern Great Plains? New research by NC CASC researchers Prasad Thota and Imtiaz Rangwala suggests they can.
New Publication on Wildlife Disease Dynamics
Prairie dogs are a keystone species of the Great Plains, but periodic outbreaks of sylvatic plague can rapidly devastate entire colonies, with cascading effects on grassland ecosystems. New research by Ana Davidson and collaborators draws on nearly 30 years of monitoring and observations...
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña