Preparing Wisconsin’s rural communities for amplified weather extremes
Project leaders
Ken Genskow, professor and extension specialist, Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture
Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin State Climatologist and assistant director, Center for Climatic Research, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Paul Block, associate professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Preparing Wisconsin’s rural communities for amplified weather extremes
Working with farmers, local government officials and students in rural schools, this project aims to increase climate resiliency in three rural Wisconsin regions by improving identification of and preparation for impacts from extreme variations in temperature and precipitation. Billion-dollar weather disasters reached a record high nationally last year, and Wisconsin communities need plans to effectively address a natural disaster before it reaches them. The project aims to strengthen rural Wisconsin’s capacity for proactive planning and management of amplified extreme weather events.
Improving Central Sands groundwater quality to ensure a vibrant future for agriculture, rural living and surrounding ecosystems
Project leader
Jed Colquhoun, professor and extension specialist, Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences.
Improving Central Sands groundwater quality to ensure a vibrant future for agriculture, rural living and surrounding ecosystems
This project focuses on improving groundwater quality in Wisconsin’s Central Sands. The region, in the middle of the state, includes 2 million acres with deep sandy soil and a mostly rural population of about 300,000. Potatoes and processing vegetables grow particularly well in sandy soil. These crops generate more than $5.8 billion in total economic activity in the region. The deep sandy soil is more susceptible than other soil types to groundwater leaching of nutrients and pesticides used to grow the crops, resulting in higher concentrations of nitrate in groundwater than other parts of the state. The project includes conducting field research to assess impacts from solutions that are both feasible for growers to adopt and economically viable, as well as providing area communities with research-based information on improving and protecting water quality.
Community Health Workers as a Bridge Between Extension and Rural Healthcare Systems to Support Whole Family Health and Well-Being
Project leaders
Amber Canto, Health and Well-Being Institute Director, Division of Extension
Larissa Duncan, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology
Zoua Vang, Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology
Community Health Workers as a Bridge Between Extension and Rural Healthcare Systems to Support Whole Family Health and Well-Being
Health inequities in rural areas are difficult to address because of limited access to healthcare and public health services and infrastructure constraints. Within rural communities, additional barriers exist for people with limited income and people of color, resulting in patterns of poorer health outcomes.
This project will leverage UW–Madison Division of Extension’s Health & Well-Being Institute’s expertise and community assets to establish a network of Extension-based Community Health Workers (CHW), public health workers who are trusted members of a community, who can respond to emerging needs in rural communities using a whole family lens. Researchers will recruit, hire, train and supervise CHWs from rural and tribal communities in Wisconsin, providing workforce development and strengthening leadership among rural and tribal members.
Connecting Cultural Values and Indigenous Research Towards Food System Resilience
Project leaders
Tricia Gorby, Natural Resources Institute Director, Division of Extension
Dan Cornelius, Outreach Program Manager, UW Law School’s Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Connecting Cultural Values and Indigenous Research Towards Food System Resilience
The tribal nations within the boundaries of Wisconsin increasingly face environmental challenges that threaten Native food systems and community resilience. At the same time, Wisconsin Tribes are developing and implementing innovative food system transformation efforts to enhance community food security, access to culturally-appropriate foods and a return to traditional food economies.
This project aims to engage tribal nations and a broad network of partners to co-create an understanding of high-priority, Indigenous-led research, education and outreach projects to help Wisconsin Tribes sustain and expand food sovereignty in the face of the state’s environmental challenges. The 28-person team will focus on five areas: Indigenous crop and livestock; community food systems and nutrition; wild rice; maple sugaring; and evaluation, communications and public participation.
Promoting Family-Centered and Family-School-Community Mental Health Support for Children in Rural Wisconsin Communities
Project leaders
Andy Garbacz, School of Education
Robert Nix, School of Human Ecology
Jen Park-Mroch, Institute for Health and Well-Being, Division of Extension
Angela Flickinger, Institute for Health and Well-Being, Division of Extension
Promoting Family-Centered and Family-School-Community Mental Health Support for Children in Rural Wisconsin Communities
The U.S. is experiencing a crisis in children’s mental health, and there is a dearth of mental health resources for children in rural areas. This project aims to build capacity for sustained and integrated family-centered and family-school-community mental health support for children in rural Wisconsin communities.
Researchers will work with community partners to plan and enhance readiness; provide training to education and human service professionals, school staff and community members; support supervision of those professionals and help evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services. School and community partners are in rural counties across the state.
The Rural Livability Project
Project leader
- Tessa Conroy, Professor and Extension Specialist, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
The Rural Livability Project
In many rural areas of Wisconsin, access to grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, healthcare and other critical institutions and services is becoming increasingly challenging. At the same time, rural communities are seeing changes to their economic foundations as well as declines in civic engagement. These factors can make it difficult for rural residents to reliably meet their needs, reducing the livability of their communities.
The aim of this project is to identify the key assets needed to sustain rural communities, and to find the best ways forward in developing community economic development policies and strategies to support rural livability. This project will help communities identify their local challenges along with the assets that can be mobilized to support a stronger future.
WISCONET, Wisconsin’s Environmental Mesonet
Project leader
Chris Kucharik, Professor, Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
WISCONET, Wisconsin’s Environmental Mesonet
Weather can have an outsized impact on daily lives and the economy, but a team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is making it easier than ever to access local weather data and make informed decisions.
By 2026, researchers will install at least 75 weather monitoring stations across the state. Each Wisconet station will report temperature and relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, liquid precipitation, solar radiation, leaf wetness, and soil moisture and temperature measurements. These data are critical to making appropriate decisions, whether it’s to issue a life-saving warning, make better farming decisions or change outdoor plans.
Data is available for viewing at the Wisconet website: wisconet.wisc.edu.
Wisconsin State Climatology Office
Project leaders
Steve Vavrus, State Climatologist, Center for Climatic Research, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Michael Notaro, Director, Center for Climatic Research, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Wisconsin State Climatology Office
Weather and climate play a vital role in our state’s economy, agriculture, and recreation. The Wisconsin State Climatology Office collects, analyzes, and shares climate information with our communities while leading the way in climate science education and research.
The expanding office aims to help Wisconsinites use climate data as efficiently and effectively as possible across a wide range of communities, businesses and agencies. By making the data they collect on the state’s climate and climate impacts publicly available, researchers support agriculture, crop management, education and climate research around the state.
Wisconsin Rural Scholars Program
Project leader
Tanya Cutsforth, College Access Coordinator, Office of the Dean and Director, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Wisconsin Rural Scholars Program
The Wisconsin Rural Scholars Program brings rising high school seniors and their teachers to campus for a summer pre-college experience. This four-day residential program highlights CALS majors, cutting-edge research and the undergraduate student experience. Participants will gain insights on college and connect with faculty, staff and students from across the college.
For many rural school districts, college planning resources and on-campus experiences are limited by factors like cost and distance. The Wisconsin Rural Scholars Program connects talented students and their dedicated teachers to the breadth of programs and opportunities available in CALS. This program is completely free for participants; teachers also receive a stipend for their attendance.