High Plains Regional Climate Center: Increasing the awareness of climate issues through stakeholder engagement and public outreach events

The High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC), located within the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is one of six NOAA regional climate centers in the nation. The mission of the HPRCC is to increase the use and availability of climate data in the High Plains Region (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming). HPRCC accomplishes this mission through several avenues of public outreach. HPRCC staff are currently working towards an assessment of the local climate needs in the agricultural community in the High Plains Region that aims to improve the quality of climate data and products. HPRCC staff also engage the general public by participating in popular outreach events, providing educational materials via the HPRCC website, and most recently by organizing a week-long summer weather/climate camp for middle school students in the Lincoln, NE area. By building relationships with stakeholders and the general public and understanding their needs, HPRCC will continue to meet their long term objectives of carrying out applied climate studies, developing improved climate information products, and providing climate services in the High Plains Region.