In this talk, I will present findings and lessons learned from Alaska EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), which is concluding a five-year project to study the ways Alaskan communities can adapt to changes to the environment. EPSCoR researchers combine biological, physical and social science approaches to address research questions built on input from Alaska residents across the state. This includes studies into the impacts of oil development and permafrost thaw on a North Slope village; the methods that Juneau land managers and tourism businesses use to respond to glacial recession; and future scenarios of salmon abundance and use on the Kenai Peninsula. These regional research efforts contribute to larger EPSCoR efforts to quantify the difference between environmental change as measured by instruments and as experienced by humans.