National Drought Mitigation Center

News

April 29, 2025

Brief mentions April 2025

NDMC staff participate in Water for Food conference. Study views intersection of drought and climate non-stationarity. New article outlines pathways to global drought resilience. Study assesses West Nile Virus forecasting methods. Seminar series focuses on drought in Hawaii. Hayes receives excellence in teaching award.


April 28, 2025

Take the CMOR Challenge, submit weekly growing season reports

The CMOR Challenge kicked off this April, inviting contributors to share one report per week during the 2025 growing season. To see the CMOR Challenge leaderboard, visit go.unl.edu/cmormap and click the second tab from the left. Join the challenge by sharing a report each week from May through September, showing us how the weather is affecting drought in your location. Use the CMOR system to share observations and photos and put your dot on the map.


April 23, 2025

Drought-Smart Indigenous Agriculture project weaves threads of community in the Southwest

The Drought-Smart Indigenous Agriculture project, which concluded this March, partnered with the Santa Ana Pueblo Department of Natural Resources to help Pueblo producers build drought resilience on their farming operations. Over 50 producers and staff members attended drought-smart workshops, while around a dozen producers got their soil tested as a result of the project. The effort was facilitated by the National Drought Mitigation Center and funded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

 


January 31, 2025

Taking stock: interdisciplinary group works together on Great Plains stock pond issues

A new group is working together to tackle big questions about livestock ponds in the Great Plains region. The NDMC hosts the Great Plains Stock Ponds Working Group in collaboration with the USDA Northern Plains and Southern Plains Climate Hubs, with support from the USDA Office of the Chief Economist. 

The idea for the group germinated around 2021, when the USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub was hearing from ranchers about their stock ponds drying up and poor water quality in others, causing cattle illness and death. 


January 31, 2025

Brief Mentions January 2025

NDMC members participate in UNCCD’s COP16. Group receives grant award for Northern Plains Tribal projects. USDM webinar now available. Study assesses open-source data for drought monitoring in data-limited regions. Video feature explains the USDM. Czech scholars visit NDMC office.


December 18, 2024

In Memoriam: Deb Wood, 1956-2024

We are saddened to report the passing of longtime colleague Deb Wood, NDMC publications specialist.  


October 30, 2024

Brief mentions October 2024

Brazil Drought Monitor celebrates 10 years. Paper examines 2022 flash drought event. Article presents improved method to monitor croplands. Study evaluates regional climate and drought webinar series. Bernadt recognized at Drought Learning Network annual meeting. New graduate student research assistants join NDMC.


October 30, 2024

Drought Resilience +10 conference emphasizes proactive drought response

The Drought Resilience +10 meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, provided a gauge of progress since an initial meeting in 2013 and guidance on what the next decade of drought resilience will bring.


July 26, 2024

Brief mentions July 2024

Webinar provides insight into USDM processes. Paper explores potential of NWM analyses for drought monitoring. Handbook chapter covers drought remote sensing. Paper examines impacts of climate and drought webinar series. Article shares rancher's success story. Workshop shares information about ForDRI.


June 24, 2024

Collaborative internship provides wealth of natural resource management experience

A spring internship spanning numerous organizations provided Joneena John, recent Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute graduate, a wealth of experiences in working with the land and landowners. John graduated from SIPI this spring with a double major in liberal arts and in natural resource management. Her 10-week spring semester internship with the NDMC, assisting with the Drought-Smart Indigenous Agriculture project, reinforced the lessons she learned in the classroom.