The debate over the causes of climate change continues to rage, but federal, state and tribal agencies aren't waiting around for the argument to be settled. They believe climate change is here, and they're working on ways to help wildlife, land and communities adapt.

Two federal agencies and a state wildlife department have developed a broad plan for helping ecosystems become more resilient as the climate changes.

The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy was released Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the New York Division of Fish and Wildlife and Marine Resources. The public has until March 5 to comment on the plan.

"Climate change is already here," according to the coalition's website. "It is clear from current trends and future projections that we are now committed to a certain amount of changes and impacts, making climate adaptation planning a critical part of responding to this complex challenge."

Massive wildfires, rising sea levels and increasing numbers of catastrophic natural disasters such as floods and drought are all symptoms of a changing climate, according to scientists. While all those events have happened repeatedly in the past, the severity and frequency of them in the last decade are what worry climate watchers.

Impacts of climate change vary by region. In the Southwest, scientists are seeing a long-term trend toward less snowpack in the mountains, faster snowmelts, warmer winter night temperatures and drier summers.

The strategy outlines seven broad goals for helping plants, wildlife, fish and ecosystems adapt as the climate changes. The agencies promoting the strategy say it provides a basis for "sensible action" to protect natural resources and help the people who depend on them.

Congress called on the federal government in 2009 to study the impacts of climate change and develop a plan for helping ecosystems and wildlife be more resilient. The strategy is one step.

The website for the Wildlife Adaptation Strategy is packed with the latest studies, international reports and information on what states and tribes are doing to plan for climate change. One link (www.cakex.org/case-studies) goes to the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange, where groups and governments can check out what other communities are doing.

The San Francisco Bay Area, for example, is dealing with rising sea levels. Prolonged drought and increasingly frequent wildfires are challenges for the Jemez Mountains, where The Nature Conservancy is working with land managers, biologists and others on adaptation plans. A report on their work around New Mexico is available at http://nmconservation.org.

Increasingly, local governments are already planning with climate change in mind. City of Santa Fe officials and city water staffers are currently modeling water resources and use into the future, taking into account projected changes in water supplies due to climate change.

For more information on the Wildlife Adaptation Strategy, see www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov.