Chirrp RCN: building a community of practice for CO-producing resilient socio-ecological systems in grasslands

The National Science Foundation awarded a $499,933 Project Grant under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to the University of Oklahoma to develop a Research Coordination Network (RCN) focused on building a community of practice for co-producing resilient socio-ecological systems in grasslands. The RCN aims to: 1) create a community of practice to integrate conceptual frameworks for resilient grassland ecosystems and communities, 2) advance metrics, methods and infrastructure to standardize and co-produce community resilience, and 3) co-develop formal and informal education and "wise use" practices for advancing resilient grasslands.

As part of this award, the University of Oklahoma is providing a $200,564 sub-grant to Kansas State University to serve as a co-organizer of the 2026 Ogallala Aquifer Summit and provide RCN workshop support. Kansas State University will also assist in advertising and promoting seed grant opportunities to foster grasslands research in academic/non-academic convergent partnerships.

Abstract

Grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems worldwide. Despite losing ~32 million acres since 2012, the great plains hosts some of the most intact remaining grasslands. The great plains are also one of the most important agricultural regions in the world constituting an at-risk agroecosystem. The great plains and other grasslands are vulnerable to land degradation, aquifer drawdown, climate variability and change, leading to water and food insecurity, and risks at the local, national, and international levels to security, health, and wellbeing. A better understanding of human and environmental interactions in the region contributes to more resilient grassland ecosystems and communities. This research coordination network (RCN) develops a community of practice for developing research related to resilient grasslands that incorporates people, the environment, and their interactions. The RCN advances research capacity in grassland regions by building connections and coordinating activities across various stakeholders, including researchers, governments, ngos, tribal nations, resource managers, agricultural producers (farmers, ranchers, etc.) and others who live and work in the great plains. The developed frameworks, methods and metrics will lead to generalizable knowledge within the great plains and in grasslands in general. The RCN trains K-12 students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in socio-ecological systems thinking related to resilient grasslands so that future leaders and stakeholders will be better equipped to understand issues, identify solutions, and support implementation of change. The RCN supports virtual and local resilient grassland science fairs, workshops, working groups, virtual cafes, etc. To engage with different audiences. The project produces a resilient grasslands toolkit and other CO-created deliverables which are shared online for relevant user groups including educators, policy makers, resource managers, and everyday citizens. This research coordination network cultivates pathways for multi-stakeholder participation, emphasizing three thematic areas (land, water, and people) and three convergent foci related to resilient grasslands (1- conceptual frameworks, 2- methods, metrics, and infrastructure, and 3- formal/informal education and adaptive CO-management). The RCN is designed to achieve three major objectives: 1) create a community of practice to integrate social, ecological, geospatial, and participatory conceptual frameworks for resilient grassland ecosystems and communities, 2) advance metrics, methods and infrastructure to standardize and CO-produce community resilience in grassland regions, 3) CO-develop formal and informal education and ?wise use? Practices for advancing resilient grasslands by considering people, the environment, and their interactions within systems thinking and adaptive CO-management frameworks. Focusing on understudied grassland communities in the great plains, the conceptual frameworks, methods, and practices for adaptive CO-management. Conceptualizations of land, water, and people across space and time scales advances resilient socio-ecological and human environmental systems thinking, more broadly. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.