Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

Communities, businesses, and individuals are taking action to document their vulnerabilities and build resilience to climate-related impacts. Click dots on the map to preview case studies, or browse stories below the map. Use the drop-down menus above to find stories of interest. To expand your results, click the Clear Filters link.

Wooden boardwalk leading to a beach with trees on either side and mountains in the distance.

A Community Effort Stems Runoff to Safeguard Corals in Puerto Rico

In Culebra, Puerto Rico, the community used green infrastructure to decrease coastal erosion and mitigate damage to their near-shore coral reef.

A Community Works Together to Reduce Damages from Flooding

The Village of Walton, New York worked with their Soil and Water Conservation District to engage community members in decisions about flooding in their community. The Village eventually took action to restore portions of the floodplain to reduce flooding.

Low water at Lake Mead exposes a wide "bathtub ring" that marks the lake's former level.

A New Generation of Water Planners Confronts Change Along the Colorado River

Reduced flows and increased demand for Colorado River water represent a real and present danger in the West. To address the threat, water managers and modelers initiated a study to understand the system, consider options, and take action.

Exterior rendering of the proposed Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care Center

After Katrina, Health Care Facility's Infrastructure Planned to Withstand Future Flooding

After catastrophic flooding in New Orleans destroyed two hospitals, the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System is planning a replacement facility that will incorporate resilience against future extreme events.

Photo showing skyline of Texas Medical Center

After Record-Breaking Rains, a Major Medical Center's Hazard Mitigation Plan Improves Resilience

Widespread damage from flooding at the Texas Medical Center in Houston revealed the complex's vulnerabilities. Implementing a long-term hazard mitigation plan is reducing future risks.

Photo of Gambell, Alaska, an Alaskan Native Village Corporation and a member of the Bering Sea Alliance, LLC

Alaska Native Villages Work to Enhance Local Economies as They Minimize Environmental Risks

As reduced sea ice conditions bring increased shipping and development opportunities to the Arctic, Alaska Native Village Corporations are at the table with resource developers, representing the interests of their people and land.

Alert System Helps Strawberry Growers Reduce Costs

In Florida's humid climate, strawberry growers are in a constant battle with two kinds of fruit rot. Using a decision support system, they can save money by spraying fields only when the plant diseases are a threat.

American Rivers: Increasing Community and Ecological resilience by Removing a Patapsco River Fish Barrier

American Rivers created an adaptive management plan to help mitigate and respond to potential risks that could occur while removing the Patapsco River’s Bloede Dam—a significant barrier to river flow and fish passage.

An Integrated Plan for Water and Long-Term Ecological Resilience

Recognizing their vulnerability to drought and climate change, federal, state, tribal, and local partners in Washington’s Yakima River Basin developed a comprehensive plan to meet their diverse needs for water into the future.

Standing man looking at a stand of trees in a forest

And the Trees Will Last Forever

In northern Wisconsin, tribal foresters from the Menominee Nation are working to speed regeneration of forest areas that have been treated for invasive diseases. Their efforts are also creating forests that are better adapted to future conditions.

Bear Mountain and tarn below the Devils Punchbowl tarn in the Siskiyou Wilderness.

Anticipating and Preventing the Spread of Invasive Plants

Finding and eradicating invasive plants is a tough job that requires constant vigilance. County-scale maps that show where invasive plants are and where they have the potential to spread in the future are helping on-the-ground efforts to build the resilience of natural vegetation.

Morro Bay, Morro Rock, and the City of Morro Bay

Assessing Climate Risks in a National Estuary

Stakeholders of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program in California worked with resources from the EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries program to identify their climate risks. Their results helped them prioritize actions for building resilience.

Corn plants growing up through soybean stubble

Better Soil, Better Climate

The soil health management system an Ohio farmer practices increases crop productivity, reduces costs for fertilizer and pesticides, and sequesters carbon in the soil. Both locally and globally, he encourages other farmers to adopt his methods.

Aerial view of the Blue Lake Rancheria 500kW solar PV array within the Tribe’s community microgrid

Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe Undertakes Innovative Action to Reduce the Causes of Climate Change

Named a Climate Action Champion, this California tribal community is building community resilience as it undertakes mitigation action.

Small community on the edge of a coastal wetland landscape.

Boosting Community Storm Resilience in Alaska

Many remote coastal communities in Alaska currently have no formal storm history data, flood risk analysis, or way to predict and assess flooding impacts to their communities. These communities are at risk of flooding due to climate change and other coastal hazards such as storms.

Boosting Ecosystem Resilience in the Southwest's Sky Islands

Conservation organizations teamed up to document the climate vulnerability of mountain springs that support unique ecosystems. Now, the Alliance they formed facilitates restoration work to enhance habitats and improve resiliency.

Bracing for Heat

Heat waves bring some level of discomfort to nearly everyone. When excessive heat catches vulnerable populations off guard, though, discomfort can advance to illness and even death. Learn about strategies taken in Minnesota that help protect people in both rural and urban settings.

Planning drawing for College Avenue in Fort Colllins, CO

Building Smart in the Floodplain

The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, found a win-win solution to problems it faced with 100 acres of abandoned property. The city now enjoys new green space, improved floodwater management, and a boosted economy.

California State Coastal Conservancy: Gravel Beach and Berm for Shorebird Habitat Creation, Erosion Control and Flood Protection

An adaptive management plan was used in a pilot project to design a 300-foot, nature-based feature. The approach included designing and implementing a robust monitoring protocol to assess site feasibility and eventually scale the project from a 300-foot feature to a one-mile feature.

Skyline of Las Cruces, NM and the Organ Mountains

Catalyzing Investment and Building Capacity in Las Cruces

Planning with extreme weather thresholds catalyzes a $400,000 green infrastructure investment in a historically underserved neighborhood in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Cleveland Metroparks — Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS)

Cleveland Metroparks needed to consider how to engage surrounding neighborhoods and residents in restoring Lake Erie’s eastern shorefront. They worked closely with community-based organizations and stakeholders to conduct virtual and in-person outreach activities and develop multilingual engagement materials for all ages.

Viewing data in the control room of Tampa Bay Water.

Climate Outlooks Help Water Supply Planning

When water utility personnel recognized their groundwater withdrawals were damaging ecosystems in the Tampa Bay area, they found new ways to reduce their dependence on it.

Climate Outlooks Increase Farmer's Odds for Success

From weeks-long dry spells to extreme precipitation events, farmers face significant challenges in bringing crops to market. Here’s how one grower uses seasonal climate forecasts to increase his chances for success.

Tropical vegetation along white sand beach

Collaborating for Success: Sustaining Water Supply on a Pacific Island

As El Niño can bring severe drying conditions to the islands of American Samoa, groups collaborated to ensure that decision makers have access to the local climate and water data they need to recognize—and prepare for—the threat of drought.

View of the Ruby Beach with large trees slightly obstructing the view. There are people exploring the beach which is filled with large rocks.

Community Leadership Paves the Way to Promising Erosion Treatment

A project that mimics aspects of cobble sand beaches virtually stopped the erosion of shoreline uplands in pilot studies aided by NOAA and Washington State’s coastal zone management program.

Waves chip away at land below a beachfront home

Confronting Shoreline Erosion on O‘ahu

Each winter, massive waves attract surfers and visitors to the North Shore of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i. Some years, the waves cause severe erosion, and continuing sea level rise will accelerate this issue. Residents and the state are taking steps to preserve homes and beaches.

Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, Cape Cod National Seashore

County-Wide Collaboration Reduces Flood Risks and Insurance Rates

Residents of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, have found an unlikely but financially rewarding pairing: county efforts to keep mosquito populations under control are reducing residents' flood insurance premiums.

Barron Collier Bridge from Laishley Park in Punta Gorda, Florida

Developing and Using an Index to Guide Water Supply Decisions

It's not easy to keep faucets flowing year-round in southwest Florida. To make sure their customers can get ample clean water at a good price—even through dry seasons—water utility managers crafted a useful index to help them decide which water sources to use.

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