Twenty five years' worth of science indicates that the world can expect a number of climate change impacts. Increasingly, local municipalities, businesses and communities of people are becoming more concerned about what to do, yet they are looking for ways to best work together under these conditions. Communities must adapt to environmental change if they are going to survive and thrive in the future. In order to adapt communities are learning how to work together and collaborate around complex scientific issues. The research presented here explores the nature of community-based groups working to adapt to climate change and investigates the extent to which they are doing so collaboratively. It presents four case studies (two in Maine and two in Oregon) of local or regional community groups working to adapt to climate change. The inquiry is framed around four areas of interest developed through a review of climate adaptation and collaboration literature. The areas of evaluation include: Purpose and Participation, Roles and Leadership, Knowledge and Learning, and Climate Change. Analysis of findings in these four areas describes how local and regional community groups are working together, and to what extent they are doing so collaboratively. It also identifies key points of analysis that are important considerations for future community groups working in the realm of climate change adaptation
