Partnering with Tribal Nations and Tribal Organizations
Explore Tribal Projects
Find a full list of CASC-funded projects collaborating with Tribal Nations through our Project Explorer.
For millennia, Tribal Nations have stewarded natural resources to sustain their communities, traditional ways of life, and cultural identities. This close relationship with the natural world puts Tribal Nations at the forefront of climate change impacts. Drawing upon a strong history of adaptation and innovation, Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations are key collaborators in adaptation work within the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network. The CASCs partner with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations to better understand their specific vulnerabilities to climate change, to assist in their adaptation planning, and to identify and address their climate science needs.
CASC Science Supports Tribal Partners in Diverse Ways
The CASCs work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support regional Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons who provide a critical avenue for communication, engagement, and research. These Liaisons are dedicated to increasing CASC engagement with Tribal Nations, Tribal consortia, and Tribal organizations so that the CASCs can further understand and meet their information needs. The CASC network has supported 150+ research projects with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations on a wide variety of topics. This work can be broadly categorized into four main topics: 1) Assessing information needs, 2) building capacity, 3) understanding climate change effects on Tribal resources, and 4) incorporating Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous science into adaptation planning.
Below are some research highlights.
1) Assessing information needs CASC initiatives provide additional information for Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to assess their current adaptation capacity and to identify information needed to further expand their abilities to adapt to climate change. For example, the Southwest CASC worked with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT) in Nevada to understand the effects of climate change on important Tribal resources and to evaluate the Nation’s existing adaptive capacity. This revealed that Tribal citizens are keenly aware of and concerned about climate change impacts to Pyramid Lake, inspiring a follow-up study where researchers conducted interviews and focus groups to understand the role of Traditional Knowledge in PLPT culture and its potential use in climate adaptation.
2) Building capacity The CASCs support efforts of capacity building within Tribal Nations to adapt to the impacts of climate change by providing information for Tribal climate vulnerability assessments, hosting climate science trainings, and working with Tribal Nations and agencies on data collection. For example, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Blackfeet Nation are partnering with the North Central CASC to launch the Indigenous Scholars Hub, a platform to help Tribal resource managers strengthen grassland resilience to climate change by weaving together best practices from Indigenous and Western science for bison and cattle grazing management. The CASCs also support workshops and trainings to help build Tribal adaptation capacity; for example, the Northeast CASC works with the College of Menominee Nation to host the annual Shifting Seasons Summit to help scientists, resource managers, and students from Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities as well as non-Indigenous people who work with these communities to network and learn about climate adaptation practices.
3) Understanding the effects of climate change on Tribal resources The CASCs partner with Tribal Nations to assess the impacts of climate change on resources important to Tribal Nations and their way of life. For example, researchers from the Chickasaw Nation led a project with the South Central CASC to use global climate models to understand how climate change will affect river flows in the Red River Basin. The Southeast CASC is also leading an effort to use climate analogue mapping to explore how climate change may affect the range distributions of culturally-important plant and animal species across North America and to work with Tribal partners to develop adaptation strategies in light of these potential shifts.
4) Incorporating Traditional Knowledge into adaptation planning Traditional and local ecological knowledge, including Indigenous science, can provide important and unique information about the natural world that might not otherwise be readily available through Western science. CASC projects help gather and incorporate Traditional Knowledge into Tribal climate adaptation planning. For example, the Northwest and National CASCs partnered with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho to collect and translate Schitsu’umsh knowledge and practices into shareable formats, including interactive 3-D virtual reality simulations, and to create recommendations for how this knowledge can be integrated into local climate decision-making processes.
CASCs Create Tools to Support Tribal Climate Initiatives
The CASC network also works to create tools, data sets, and other resources that serve as additional resources for Tribal Nations and organizations as they plan and conduct climate adaptation projects. For example, the Tribal Climate Tool (Northwest CASC) provides additional information for Tribal Nations in the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin regions to understand how climate change could impact places and resources they care about. It contains areas of interest identified through outreach with Northwest and Great Basin Tribal Nations, described using maps, graphs, tables, and written descriptions of projected changes. Find a full list of CASC Tribal products and data sets on our Project Explorer.
Interested in partnering? Contact us!
<<Back to Tribes and Tribal Organization Topic Page
We highlight our collaborations with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations in our News section and our bi-weekly newsletter. Browse a selection of our news stories below and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
CASC Tribal Climate Liaisons Contribute to New Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
Working alongside Tribal managers, leaders, and community members, the CASC Tribal Climate Liaisons informed and co-authored parts of the inaugural Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report.
For millennia, Tribal Nations have stewarded natural resources to sustain their communities, traditional ways of life, and cultural identities. This close relationship with the natural world puts Tribal Nations at the forefront of climate change impacts. Drawing upon a strong history of adaptation and innovation, Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations are key collaborators in adaptation work within the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network. The CASCs partner with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations to better understand their specific vulnerabilities to climate change, to assist in their adaptation planning, and to identify and address their climate science needs.
CASC Science Supports Tribal Partners in Diverse Ways
The CASCs work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support regional Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons who provide a critical avenue for communication, engagement, and research. These Liaisons are dedicated to increasing CASC engagement with Tribal Nations, Tribal consortia, and Tribal organizations so that the CASCs can further understand and meet their information needs. The CASC network has supported 150+ research projects with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations on a wide variety of topics. This work can be broadly categorized into four main topics: 1) Assessing information needs, 2) building capacity, 3) understanding climate change effects on Tribal resources, and 4) incorporating Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous science into adaptation planning.
Below are some research highlights.
1) Assessing information needs CASC initiatives provide additional information for Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to assess their current adaptation capacity and to identify information needed to further expand their abilities to adapt to climate change. For example, the Southwest CASC worked with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT) in Nevada to understand the effects of climate change on important Tribal resources and to evaluate the Nation’s existing adaptive capacity. This revealed that Tribal citizens are keenly aware of and concerned about climate change impacts to Pyramid Lake, inspiring a follow-up study where researchers conducted interviews and focus groups to understand the role of Traditional Knowledge in PLPT culture and its potential use in climate adaptation.
2) Building capacity The CASCs support efforts of capacity building within Tribal Nations to adapt to the impacts of climate change by providing information for Tribal climate vulnerability assessments, hosting climate science trainings, and working with Tribal Nations and agencies on data collection. For example, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Blackfeet Nation are partnering with the North Central CASC to launch the Indigenous Scholars Hub, a platform to help Tribal resource managers strengthen grassland resilience to climate change by weaving together best practices from Indigenous and Western science for bison and cattle grazing management. The CASCs also support workshops and trainings to help build Tribal adaptation capacity; for example, the Northeast CASC works with the College of Menominee Nation to host the annual Shifting Seasons Summit to help scientists, resource managers, and students from Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities as well as non-Indigenous people who work with these communities to network and learn about climate adaptation practices.
3) Understanding the effects of climate change on Tribal resources The CASCs partner with Tribal Nations to assess the impacts of climate change on resources important to Tribal Nations and their way of life. For example, researchers from the Chickasaw Nation led a project with the South Central CASC to use global climate models to understand how climate change will affect river flows in the Red River Basin. The Southeast CASC is also leading an effort to use climate analogue mapping to explore how climate change may affect the range distributions of culturally-important plant and animal species across North America and to work with Tribal partners to develop adaptation strategies in light of these potential shifts.
4) Incorporating Traditional Knowledge into adaptation planning Traditional and local ecological knowledge, including Indigenous science, can provide important and unique information about the natural world that might not otherwise be readily available through Western science. CASC projects help gather and incorporate Traditional Knowledge into Tribal climate adaptation planning. For example, the Northwest and National CASCs partnered with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho to collect and translate Schitsu’umsh knowledge and practices into shareable formats, including interactive 3-D virtual reality simulations, and to create recommendations for how this knowledge can be integrated into local climate decision-making processes.
CASCs Create Tools to Support Tribal Climate Initiatives
The CASC network also works to create tools, data sets, and other resources that serve as additional resources for Tribal Nations and organizations as they plan and conduct climate adaptation projects. For example, the Tribal Climate Tool (Northwest CASC) provides additional information for Tribal Nations in the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin regions to understand how climate change could impact places and resources they care about. It contains areas of interest identified through outreach with Northwest and Great Basin Tribal Nations, described using maps, graphs, tables, and written descriptions of projected changes. Find a full list of CASC Tribal products and data sets on our Project Explorer.
Interested in partnering? Contact us!
<<Back to Tribes and Tribal Organization Topic Page
We highlight our collaborations with Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations in our News section and our bi-weekly newsletter. Browse a selection of our news stories below and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
CASC Tribal Climate Liaisons Contribute to New Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
Working alongside Tribal managers, leaders, and community members, the CASC Tribal Climate Liaisons informed and co-authored parts of the inaugural Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report.