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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.

Project Explorer: Indigenous Peoples

Tribes and Tribal Organizations

A glassy river lined by trees, reflecting clouds in a blue sky.

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. 

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Pacific Islander Indigenous Communities

Palau Islands in the Pacific Islands region

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.

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Alaska Natives and Corporations

Seven birds fly above a river in front of a grassy plain.

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.

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Filter Total Items: 45
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Marsh wetlands along the Missouri River

Capacity Building in the North-Central U.S.: Tribal Engagement, Climate Training, and PhenoCam Deployment

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. The objective of this project was to build stakeholders’ capacity to respond to climate
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Capacity Building in the North-Central U.S.: Tribal Engagement, Climate Training, and PhenoCam Deployment

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. The objective of this project was to build stakeholders’ capacity to respond to climate
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Alaska Panorama, Snowcapped Mountains

Identifying Climate Vulnerabilities and Prioritizing Adaptation Strategies for Eulachon Populations in Southeast Alaska

The eulachon is a small fish that is both highly nutritious and culturally significant to the Chilkat and Chilkoot peoples of the Tlingit Nation in Southeast Alaska, for whom it is a traditional food. Tribal members are increasingly concerned about how climate change might stress the health and abundance of eulachon populations, which are already perceived as being low. In order to successfully ma
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Identifying Climate Vulnerabilities and Prioritizing Adaptation Strategies for Eulachon Populations in Southeast Alaska

The eulachon is a small fish that is both highly nutritious and culturally significant to the Chilkat and Chilkoot peoples of the Tlingit Nation in Southeast Alaska, for whom it is a traditional food. Tribal members are increasingly concerned about how climate change might stress the health and abundance of eulachon populations, which are already perceived as being low. In order to successfully ma
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Sand Creek in Osage Hills State Park, Oklahoma, 2013; photograph by Stan Paxton.

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Flows in the Red River Basin

The Red River Basin is a vital source of water in the South Central U.S., supporting ecosystems, drinking water, agriculture, tourism and recreation, and cultural ceremonies. Stretching from the High Plains of New Mexico eastward to the Mississippi River, the Red River Basin encompasses parts of five states – New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Further, 74% of the jurisdictional
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Impacts of Climate Change on Water Flows in the Red River Basin

The Red River Basin is a vital source of water in the South Central U.S., supporting ecosystems, drinking water, agriculture, tourism and recreation, and cultural ceremonies. Stretching from the High Plains of New Mexico eastward to the Mississippi River, the Red River Basin encompasses parts of five states – New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Further, 74% of the jurisdictional
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Image: Blueberry

Mapping Wild Berries in the Chugach Region of Alaska to Inform Restoration of Traditional Foods

Wild berries are a valued traditional food for tribes of the Chugachmiut Tribal Consortium (Chenega Bay, Eyak, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Qutekcak, Tatitlek, and Valdez) in the rural Chugach region of south-central Alaska. Berries supply essential nutrients that prevent heart disease and cancer, are used for medicinal purposes, and are the only sweet food in the traditional Native diet. Hence, berries
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Mapping Wild Berries in the Chugach Region of Alaska to Inform Restoration of Traditional Foods

Wild berries are a valued traditional food for tribes of the Chugachmiut Tribal Consortium (Chenega Bay, Eyak, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Qutekcak, Tatitlek, and Valdez) in the rural Chugach region of south-central Alaska. Berries supply essential nutrients that prevent heart disease and cancer, are used for medicinal purposes, and are the only sweet food in the traditional Native diet. Hence, berries
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Image: Elwah River, Olympic National Park

Vulnerability of Culturally Significant Plants on the Olympic Peninsula

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest rely on plants for food, medicine, and material for culturally important items (e.g., baskets, cages and traps, ceremonial items, tools, and musical instruments). Elders and wisdomkeepers from tribes of the Point No Point Treaty Council have expressed deep concerns about the potential effects of climate change on plant species of key cultural significance, particula
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Vulnerability of Culturally Significant Plants on the Olympic Peninsula

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest rely on plants for food, medicine, and material for culturally important items (e.g., baskets, cages and traps, ceremonial items, tools, and musical instruments). Elders and wisdomkeepers from tribes of the Point No Point Treaty Council have expressed deep concerns about the potential effects of climate change on plant species of key cultural significance, particula
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Photo of desert landscape with arch formations in foreground and mountains in background

Climate Change Vulnerability of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in the Southwest

Native Americans are one of the most vulnerable populations to climate change in the United States because of their reliance upon the natural environment for food, livelihood, and cultural traditions. In the Southwest, where the temperature and precipitation changes from climate change are expected to be particularly severe, tribal communities may be especially vulnerable. Through this project, re
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Climate Change Vulnerability of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in the Southwest

Native Americans are one of the most vulnerable populations to climate change in the United States because of their reliance upon the natural environment for food, livelihood, and cultural traditions. In the Southwest, where the temperature and precipitation changes from climate change are expected to be particularly severe, tribal communities may be especially vulnerable. Through this project, re
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Lake Sumner, New Mexico

Inter-Tribal Workshops on Climate Change in the Central U.S.

Tribal communities are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of their reliance on the natural environment to sustain traditional activities and their limited resources to respond to climate change impacts. At the same time, tribes have valuable traditional knowledge that can aid regional efforts to address climate change. There were two overarching goals of this project:
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Inter-Tribal Workshops on Climate Change in the Central U.S.

Tribal communities are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of their reliance on the natural environment to sustain traditional activities and their limited resources to respond to climate change impacts. At the same time, tribes have valuable traditional knowledge that can aid regional efforts to address climate change. There were two overarching goals of this project:
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Tidal marsh, Pacific Northwest

Understanding the Interactions Between Human Health, Environment, and Climate in Salish Sea Communities

The overarching project goal was to develop overlapping conceptual models of environmental and community health indicators in reference to climate forecasts. The sensitivity of species and habitats to climate was cross-walked with recently developed Coast Salish community health indicators (e.g., ceremonial use, knowledge exchange, and physiological well-being) in order to demonstrate how Indigeno
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Understanding the Interactions Between Human Health, Environment, and Climate in Salish Sea Communities

The overarching project goal was to develop overlapping conceptual models of environmental and community health indicators in reference to climate forecasts. The sensitivity of species and habitats to climate was cross-walked with recently developed Coast Salish community health indicators (e.g., ceremonial use, knowledge exchange, and physiological well-being) in order to demonstrate how Indigeno
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Forested mountains

Using Yurok Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Set Climate Change Priorities

The Yurok Ancestral Territory, which spans northwestern California from the coastal redwood-spruce rainforest to inland forests and prairies, has provided the Yurok Tribe with an abundance of food and cultural resources for millennia. The Yurok Tribe maintains stewardship responsibility for their Ancestral Lands, which include the Yurok Reservation, and is concerned about the potential impacts of
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Using Yurok Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Set Climate Change Priorities

The Yurok Ancestral Territory, which spans northwestern California from the coastal redwood-spruce rainforest to inland forests and prairies, has provided the Yurok Tribe with an abundance of food and cultural resources for millennia. The Yurok Tribe maintains stewardship responsibility for their Ancestral Lands, which include the Yurok Reservation, and is concerned about the potential impacts of
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