Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples
Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other Indigenous peoples and communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The CASCs are working with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to better understand their specific vulnerabilities to climate change and to provide support as they integrate cultural knowledge into climate adaptation strategies. Learn more about how we partner with Tribes and Tribal Organizations, Pacific Islander Indigenous Communities, and Alaska Natives and Corporations in the boxes below, and explore our science on this topic by browsing our projects or using the Project Explorer database.
Tribes and Tribal Organizations
Tribes and Tribal Organizations
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.
Pacific Islander Indigenous Communities
Pacific Islander Indigenous Communities
The Pacific Island CASC partners with Indigenous communities throughout Hawai'i and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands to support their specific climate adaptation efforts.
Alaska Natives and Corporations
Alaska Natives and Corporations
The Alaska and Northwest CASCs partner with Alaska Native Tribes, regional Tribal consortia, and for-profit corporations established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) to support their specific climate adaptation efforts.
Filter Total Items: 45
Support for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Tribal Leaders Summit on Climate Change
Tribal communities’ traditions, identities, and economies rely heavily on local natural resources, making tribes especially vulnerable to climate change impacts, including changes in seasonal patterns and the potential loss of culturally and economically important species. The goal of this project was to build tribal capacity in the Pacific Northwest to successfully plan for and adapt to the effec
Supporting Cooperation Between Tribes and Climate Scientists in the Northeast Region
All peoples have a right to make meaningful plans for their future. For many Tribes in the northeast region of the United States, trends in the environment such as shifting lake levels, patterns of precipitation and other seasonal cycles pose potential problems. This includes financial burdens on Tribal governments and stresses on Tribal cultural practices such as harvesting medicinal plants and f
The Wind River Indian Reservation’s Vulnerability to the Impacts of Drought and the Development of Decision Tools to Support Drought Preparedness
The Wind River Indian Reservation in west-central Wyoming is home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes, who reside near and depend on water from the streams that feed into the Wind River. In recent years, however, the region has experienced frequent severe droughts, which have impacted tribal livelihoods and cultural activities. Scientists with the North Central Climate Science Ce
Assessing the Capacity of Columbia River Basin Tribes to Address Climate Change
The Columbia River Basin and the plants and animals it supports have been central to tribal culture and economy in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and British Columbia) for thousands of years. Climate change is expected to significantly alter the ecology of the Columbia River Basin, and tribal communities will be especially sensitive to these changes, including p
Collecting and Applying Schitsu’umsh Indigenous Knowledge and Practices to Climate Change Decision Making
The Schitsu'umsh people (Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho) have an intimate relationship with their landscape and a rich knowledge of how to interact with the environment in a way that benefits human, plant, and animal communities alike. Such knowledge and practices can provide valuable insight as to how tribal and non-tribal resource managers, communities, and governments can best respond to the effe
Continued Capacity Building in the North-Central U.S.: Tribal Engagement and PhenoCam Analysis
Climate change is poised to alter natural systems, the frequency of extreme weather, and human health and livelihoods. In order to effectively prepare for and respond to these challenges in the north-central region of the U.S., people must have the knowledge and tools to develop plans and adaptation strategies. This project was a continuation of an effort begun in 2013 to build stakeholders’ capac
Identifying Tribal Vulnerabilities and Supporting Planning for Extreme Weather Events
Climate change is poised to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events – such as tornadoes, flooding, drought, and snowstorms – which may damage buildings and other structures, cause economic hardship, disrupt plant and wildlife communities, and endanger people’s physical and emotional health. The purpose of this project was to enhance the knowledge of local tribal environmen
Yukon River Basin Indigenous Observation Network
The hydrology of the Yukon River Basin has changed over the last several decades as evidenced by a variety of discharge, gravimetric, and geochemical analyses. The Indigenous Observation Network (ION), a community-based project, was initiated by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and USGS. Capitalizing on existing USGS monitoring and research infrastructure and supplementing USGS col
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Pacific Lamprey and Pacific Eulachon
For thousands of years, Pacific lamprey and Pacific eulachon have been important traditional foods for Native American tribes of the Columbia River Basin and coastal areas of Oregon and Washington. These fish have large ranges – spending part of their lives in the ocean and part in freshwater streams – and they require specific environmental conditions to survive, migrate, and reproduce. For these
Assessing the Cultural Effects of Climate Change on Northwest Tribes
Tribal communities have spiritually rich and complex connections with the natural environment, and their traditions, identities, and economies rely heavily on local natural resources. Because of this intimate connection with nature, tribes are especially vulnerable to climate changes that disrupt their surroundings. Surprisingly, however, few studies have delved deeply into Native thinking around
Building Collaboration in the Klamath Basin Through Tribal Youth Internships
The Klamath Basin in Oregon and California is home to a rich abundance of natural and cultural resources, many of which are vulnerable to present and future climate change. Climate change also threatens traditional ways of life for tribal communities, who have deep connections to the region. This project sought to increase the effectiveness of regional climate change adaptation and planning by (
Building Tribal Engagement Through the Shifting Seasons Summit
Building on a strong tradition of collaboration, the College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute (CMN SDI) coordinated a second offering of its Shifting Seasons Summit to bring scientists, practitioners, indigenous people, and students together around the issue of climate change. The summit was developed to specifically unite Northeast Climate Science Center (NE CSC) researchers