A Flagstaff-based hub for regional science — and for the protection of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River — could be under threat from President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to the federal budget. In a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Trump’s budget director, Russell T. Vought, laid out the president’s fiscal priorities — mostly, a long list of cuts to virtually all federal agencies. Among those was a recommendation to slash $564 million from the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). And in a more detailed appendix, the Office of Management and Budget proposed reducing the budget of the agency’s Ecosystems Mission Area by approximately 90%. … Among the programs funded by the Ecosystems Mission Area are the Southwest Biological Science Center and its subsidiary, the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) — both housed here in Flagstaff. 

Other water and climate research news:

• KJZZ (Phoenix): Trump proposal would almost completely cut funds for Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
• The Hill: Trump cuts to NOAA, NASA ‘blinding’ farmers to risks, scientists warn
• E&E News by Politico: NOAA’s climate information portal to go silent
• NOAA: News release: Can NOAA predict the next flood? New research shows promise
• Nature Water: Review article: Advancing sustainable water use across the agricultural life cycle in the USA