Detection and attribution of climate signals and distinguishing natural variability from anthropogenic forcing of climate variations and trends are two key climate science challenges, and are foci of the new US CLIVAR strategic plan. For over 15 years the US CLIVAR program has fostered the understanding, monitoring, and prediction of climate variability and change on intraseasonal-to-centennial timescales through coordinated research activities. Distinctions between natural and forced climate variations are important for natural resource managers, who are responsible for planning for an uncertain future, and for whom the differences between historic and projected ranges of variability underlie important management decisions. This session invites talks on US CLIVAR-related science to improve distinctions between the manifestation of natural and anthropogenic forcing of climate and weather phenomena that affect society. The session also invites talks on insights about this science that can inform efforts of climate science translators to convey information to a resource management world that is hungry for a foundation of useful and usable scientific insight.