The University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension Climate Leadership Team (CLT) is a grassroots collaboration of 33+ Extension colleagues, representing all Institutes, that is reigniting Extension’s leadership role in climate change outreach.

CLT members are working to build a framework to support a cross-Institute Extension climate initiative. Short-term goals focused on building an effective team, based on a shared leadership model, which could implement the plan and sustain long-term program development including:
• Developing a project “kick off” campaign to support the CLT’s multi-disciplinary, cross-Institute approach.
• Weaving social justice and inclusion into all aspects of the CLT’s work. CLT members bring their partnerships with underserved communities and organizations, like the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, to provide culturally relevant perspectives.
• Creating a vision statement for Extension climate change programming stressing inclusivity and diversity.
• Surveying the climate change training needs of Extension educators from all Institutes to inform development training to serve their audiences.

Intermediate goals focused on developing a foundation to support a cross-Institute Extension climate change program through professional development, internal and external partnerships, and new tools and resources including:
• Designing, marketing, teaching, and evaluating climate change professional developing including the 2021 “Climate Change and Wisconsin Communities” and the “Climate Change and Agriculture in Wisconsin” series. A catalog of 2022 professional development programs will be released soon.
• Forging a climate collaboration “hub” with internal and external institutions including the UW-Madison Nelson Institute, the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources who serve as CLT advisors and affiliates and maximize the CLT’s effectiveness.
• Participating in other state and national climate change initiatives such as the National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) and sharing climate resources and research gained
• Creating the Community Resiliency Menu, an online tool that allows decision-makers to build customized resiliency responses for their community
• Creating a Wisconsin Climate Connection website where Extension climate initiatives, research, resources, and tools can be more effectively shared with internal and external audiences.
• Sharing the CLT’s vision, resources, and expertise with internal and external audiences through presentations, for example at Extension All Colleague Conferences, WICCI, and NECI meetings.

The CLT’s long-term goals build on this foundation by establishing a fully supported Division of Extension cross-Institute climate change program providing leadership in statewide climate change outreach.

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