UPCOMING WEBINARS

IT’S NOT JUST THE RAIN

What Causes Drought in Washington and How You Can Get Involved

Date/Time: October 7, 2026 | 1 p.m.

Speakers: Karin Bumbaco, Deputy State Climatologist at the Washington State Climate Office (WASCO), and Jacob Genuise, Engagement Climatologist at WASCO

About:

Washington is experiencing multi-year drought conditions that continue to impact water supplies, agriculture, fish and wildlife, and communities across the state. Join us for an informative webinar on the different ways drought can develop in WA, how the physical drivers of drought are changing due to climate change, and what individuals, communities, and decision-makers can do to prepare for the future. Our presenters will also discuss this year’s drought and discuss upcoming opportunities to help improve statewide monitoring and response efforts. We will also examine the influence of El Niño on regional climate, helping participants better understand what to expect in the months ahead. This webinar will provide practical insights and actionable ways to stay informed and engaged.

Karin Bumbaco is the Deputy State Climatologist at the Washington State Climate Office at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on Washington weather and climate, and includes projects on historical heat events and recent droughts. Recently, Karin has led the strategic planning effort for the Washington State Climate Office. Karin has a BS in Meteorology from Penn State, and an MS in Atmospheric Sciences from Ohio State.

Jacob Genuise is the Engagement Climatologist at the Washington State Climate Office. He is passionate about ensuring that everyone can access, understand, and interact with high-quality climate information, tools, and data in meaningful ways. Jacob is a meteorologist by training and earned a B.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in 2021. He has worked on climate trends analysis, climate communication, climate resilience and outreach programs, pollinator field work campaigns in U.S. National Parks, weather forecasting, and weather and climate station maintenance and data quality assurance.

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PAST WEBINARS

TOO HOT TO HANDLE?

Managing the Ecological Impacts of Extreme Heat in the Northwest

Date/Time: Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 | 11 a.m. PT

Speakers: Eva Colberg and Annie Kalafatis, NW Climate Adaptation Science Center

About: In this webinar, the NW CASC’s Deep Dive team presented a review of current knowledge and practice around climate-driven extreme heat events and their impacts on Northwest species and ecosystems, focused on the 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave. This synthesis is the result of the NW CASC’s 2025 Deep Dive workshop, which convened natural resource managers and scientists from Northwest Tribes, universities, non-profit and private sectors, and federal and state governments to review what is currently known (and unknown) about managing Northwest species and ecosystems in the face of future extreme heat events.

Watch the recording on Vimeo below

CLIMATE RESOURCES ROUNDUP

Taking stock of available resources for understanding and responding to climate risks in Washington and the Northwest

Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 | 1 p.m. PT

Speakers: Meade Krosby, NW Climate Adaptation Science Center and Guillaume Mauger, Washington State Climate Office

About: Given concerns about the continued availability of federal climate information, tools and technical support, this webinar reviewed a range of reliable, regional resources for supporting climate preparedness in Washington and the Northwest. Bonus material: Watch Meade Krosby speaking at the 2025 Climate Education Series regarding the National Climate Assessment

Watch the recording on YouTube below

SHARING YOUR SCIENCE WITH THE MEDIA TO HIGHLIGHT ITS VALUE TO THE PUBLIC

WITH ALLISON AGSTEN, DIRECTOR OF THE USC ANNENBERG CENTER FOR CLIMATE JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION

Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 | 2 p.m. PT

Speakers: Allison Agsten, USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication

About: It’s never been more important to strengthen public support for the critical science that benefits society and our responses to climate change. In this webinar, Allison Agsten, Director of the Center for Climate Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California Annenberg, shared practical steps for engaging with the media to communicate the value and impact of your science. Allison will walk through steps to find the story in your research, connect with media contacts, pitch your story and prepare for an interview. Learn how to effectively share your stories with the public as an engaged scientist. Co-sponsored by the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.

Watch the recording on Vimeo below

Identifying Policy Solutions to Address Climate Adaptation Funding Barriers for Northwest Coastal Tribes

Date/Time: February 10, 2026 | 10 a.m. PT

Speakers:
–Hannah Perls, Former Senior Staff Attorney, Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program
–Sydney Anderson, Tlingit, Tribal Legal Fellow, Environmental Policy Innovation Center
–Monte Mills, Director, University of Washington Native American Law Center
–Noelani Villa, Tribal Climate Adaptation Specialist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
–Meade Krosby, University Director, NW Climate Adaptation Science Center; Senior Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group

About: Experts from the University of Washington Native American Law Center, Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group shared several potential policy tools that Northwest Coastal Tribes can use to bolster and streamline funding for climate adaptation and resilience efforts. View more about this project here.

Watch the recording on YouTube below

EXTREME HEAT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

STRATEGIES FOR NEXT SUMMER AND BEYOND

Date/Time: February 12, 2026 | 11 a.m. PT

Speakers: Jason Vogel, UW Climate Impacts Group and Brian Henning, Gonzaga University

About: Extreme heat disasters are becoming increasingly common. What are the strategies for long-term risk-reduction and extreme heat preparedness? This discussion will expand on an article co-written by our featured speakers, which was recently featured by The Conversation in a new collection of essays on how extreme weather events will impact the environment and our lives.

Watch the recording on YouTube below

MAXIMIZING SNOW STORAGE THROUGH FIRE-RESILIENT FOREST TREATMENTS:

An example of climate adaptive management from the Eastern Cascades, WA, USA

Date/Time: Tuesday, June 2 | 12 p.m. PT

Speakers: Emily Howe, The Nature Conservancy Washington & Susan Dickerson-Lange, Climate Impacts Group

About: In degraded landscapes, supporting climate adaptation for aquatic species and their habitats will require deploying diverse management actions in order to reduce the amplification effects of climate change.  In the upper watersheds of the Eastern Cascade Mountains, wildfire suppression has increased forest density, drought susceptibility, and high severity burns. The area’s rivers are also drought vulnerable, with 75% of surface flow dependent upon snowpack. We asked whether forest thinning techniques designed to support wildfire resilience also confer hydrologic resilience through forest-snow processes, and implemented a gradient of forest thinning treatments across which we tracked snowpack response. In thinning treatments, we observed a 30% increase in snowpack storage on north-facing slopes, and a 16% increase in snowpack storage on south-facing slopes, thus indicating that wildfire treatments also support hydrologic processes.

Watch the recording on YouTube below

WILDFIRE IN THE WEST

Learning from the Past, Navigating the Future

Date/Time: September 1, 2026 | 12 p.m. PT

Speakers: Crystal Raymond, Deputy Director of Policy and Management for the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative

About: With another wildfire season in full swing, this webinar highlights past trends and future expectations of wildfire in the western US with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest. In the last few decades, the west has experienced longer fire seasons with more area burned by more severe wildfires. Wildfires appear to be spreading faster and creating more destruction with significant consequences to people and communities. Yet at the same time, we live intermixed with species and ecosystems that depend on fire to survive and thrive. The removal of fire from these ecosystems is the root cause of the wildfire crisis facing the west today. This webinar discussed the confounding causes of the wildfire crisis and how climate change adds fuel to the crisis.

Dr. Crystal Raymond is the Deputy Director of Policy and Management for the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative. Crystal’s role with the Collaborative is to connect science  with the needs of fire and land managers. For 15 years, Crystal has worked at the boundary of science and management holding positions in local government, federal government, and with the Climate Impacts Group at University of Washington. She specializes in the use of science for management applications and co-producing research on fire, forest management, and climate change adaptation. Crystal has an MS and PhD in ecosystem ecology from University of Washington. She lives in North Bend, Washington with her husband and two kids who all love spending time in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Watch the recording on YouTube below