o At least two communities per each Extension region will adopt the Cooperative Extension System Climate Education Action Plan within 2-3 years from 2024, with ongoing collaboration and dialogue with USDA Climate Hubs
• Extension Capacity-Building and Community Impact
o Increased knowledge, skills, awareness, and attitudes of Extension personnel engaged in training around climate resilience with natural resources clients
o Increased community awareness of climate-related impacts
o Increased number of Extension personnel become aware of Extension climate resilience resources
o Knowledge of others engaged in this work and resources available will increase
Key Activities: Extension envisions a series of activities that could make these outcomes possible, including:
• Planning and Conferencing (Year 1 Activities)
o Connect with the National Extension Climate Initiative, climate and energy summit, and other events and organizations to identify synergies and opportunities to collaborate
o Secure planning grant and hold Climate Extension Conference enabling personnel to showcase their work
• Community Engagement and Training (Year 2 Activities)
o Identify pilot communities and hold convening
o Adapt community-specific engagement guides
o Build and conduct programming to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the community (e.g. showing farmers how and why cover crops will be good for their business and operations by improving soil quality, reducing fertilizer while improving water quality)
Conduct asset mapping
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Train Extension to do the planning
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Available Resources: Several existing resources in use by Extension today can be leveraged for delivery of the outcomes associated with this model. These include:
Collaboration and Partnerships
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o Meet with partners including Ag Experiment Stations, USDA Climate Hubs, NRCS, ESA, Forest Service o Meet with collaborators external (e.g. human science/home economics specialists) and internal (including 4-H, MGs)
o Coordinate with Climate Hubs, Regional Rural Development Centers, tribes, Land-grant universities, tribal colleges, community members
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