Adaptation Plans

From 2015 to 2016, the Puyallup Tribe worked with Cascadia Consulting Group to conduct a Climate Change Impact Assessment and identify options for adaptation. The assessment aimed to help Tribal staff and members better understand and prepare to proactively manage climate risks to ensure that Tribal customs and the Tribal community can thrive for many generations to come, despite a changing climate. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change adaptation plan

To the Ojibwe, natural resources are cultural resources. There is no separation between how the bands manage and interact with a resource and how their culture endures: one is dependent on the other. Climate change, however, is threatening the very viability of many natural resources important to the Ojibwe. Warmer winters, increasing fall precipitation, increasing extreme precipitation events, more occurrences of drought, and earlier ice out dates across the 1854 Ceded Territory already are affecting flora and fauna that are imperative to the culture, history, well-being, and life-ways of the Ojibwe people. Through this project, the Bois Forte Band, Fond du Lac Band, Grand Portage Band, and 1854 Treaty Authority partnered with Adaptation International, and the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessment Center at the University of Michigan. The purpose of the project was to investigate how changing climate conditions already are and could continue to affect the landscape and species within the 1854 Ceded Territory and the respective reservations. In addition to assessing changes, the partners also identified climate-related vulnerabilities and identified actions that could be taken to create more climate resilient systems.To download the PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change adaptation plan

To build this plan, the Rosebud Sioux assessed the climate crisis and its impacts on their community by incorporating the knowledge of elders, traditional knowledge, and climate data. This knowledge was used to identify priority actions the community can take, which fell into three categories: protecting the Oyate (community) by establishing a permanent tribal department and enhancing tribal capacity to protect life and property; protecting and wisely using water by adopting and implementing new adaptation and mitigation plans; and protecting the land and living relatives by establishing a Sicangu Climate Center to hold and manage knowledge about the Oyate, their relatives, and the changing climate, and use this knowledge to support the Oyate.

Categories: climate adaptation, resilience, water, mitigation, community, habitat management

A collaborative effort by the communities of Lower Kalskag, Upper Kalskag, Aniak, Chuathbaluk, Napaimute, Crooked Creek, Georgetown, Red Devil, Sleetmute, and Stony River. This document includes the collaboration from Middle Kuskokwim residents on vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) was contracted to complete this document after the completion of the Georgetown Vulnerability Assessment, which was made possible from a Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Resiliency Program Grant. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate assessment, climate change, adaptation, vulnerability assessment

This Seventh Generation Climate Monitoring Plan (the Plan) was developed by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians (the Tribe) to detect potential climate change impacts to the ecosystems and natural resources found on the Bad River Indian Reservation (the Reservation). The purpose of the Plan is to monitor for what can sometimes be subtle changes associated with climate change that can occur over many years. To download the Project Summary, click here. To download a copy of the Climate Moderating Plan, click here.

Categories: adaptation, development, climate change impacts, natural resources, cultural resources

The Bear River stretches 73 miles long and is in need to stewardship and restoration planning. The Sierra Streams Institute put forth its final restoration plan in 2018. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, mitigation, adaptation, action, plan, vulnerabilities

Through climate adaptation planning the Blackfeet Nation leadership is actively seeking to protect our communities and diverse ecosystems from the impacts of a rapidly changing climate. This plan is the result of the unique holistic Blackfeet Nation planning process that includes all parts of tribal government, while respectfully considering traditional values and a collective community vision for our future. Underlying the plan is the Blackfeet understanding that people and nature are one and that people can only be healthy if we ensure the health of the environment we are part of. The process and production of this climate plan has been a timely effort that is informing the Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan which is being developed concurrently. Both plans will then inform the Integrated Resource Management Plan which will be carried out over the next two years. To download a copy of the Adaptation Plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Adaptation Plan, climate change, adaptation, TEK, community health, ecosystem health

For over 10,000 years the Kumeyaay people have adapted and thrived in an environment that ranges from the coastal shores to the inland desert. Over the centuries, Kumeyaay responded to climate change by adapting to the changing conditions. New plant and animal resources replaced those that died out or were diminished. We now live in a time when the pace of climate change is accelerating while human activity is causing widespread atmospheric change. The correlation is apparent and compelling. Temperatures are increasing, glaciers are melting, snowpack has diminished, spring is arriving sooner and habitats are shifting. We have seen an increasing risk of drought, flooding, wildfires and disease. Preparing for climate change is something that must be undertaken on a case-by-case basis. There is no standard template that works for all communities. Preparedness needs to be tailored to the circumstances of different communities. It is therefore necessary that all aspects of tribal decision making take an active role in preparing for climate change. The people living in the community are the best ones to determine what is in their best interest. The purpose of this Plan is to help the decision makers from the General Council to the elected officials and departments heads as they prepare for our changing environment. This document was prepared with the assistance of research from government and non- governmental organizations, scientific consultants, technical experts, technicians and managers familiar with the local community. In addition, outreach activities sought input from elders and feedback from individual tribal members. This document is a plan. As such, it is not the final word on anything. It is, and should be, subject to question, addition, deletion and modification in response to the realization of changing conditions. It should be formally reviewed at least annually to ensure that it is still relevant to the community.

Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe that serves 20 villages and communities stretching over 43,000 square miles within the Alaska Panhandle. The Tlingit and Haida membership is among the largest, most isolated, and most geographically dispersed of Native or Tribal populations nationwide. The region encompasses a 525-mile strip of coastline and interior waterways, bordered by Canada on the north, south, and east, with the Gulf of Alaska on the west. To download a copy of the Adaptation Plan, click here.

Categories: adaptation plan

Plan for these natural hazards : flooding, erosion, severe weather, and earthquake. Includes information to assist the city government and residents with planning to avoid potential future disaster losses. To download the City of Kwethluk, Alaska Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan

In an effort to prepare for changes to their homelands’ ecology, the Nez Perce Tribe’s Water Resources Division created a climate change adaptation plan for the Clearwater River Subbasin in 2011. The plan focuses on climate impacts to water and forestry resources, two areas of natural resource management that are both culturally and economically important to the Nez Perce Tribe. The adaptation plan includes an assessment of existing conditions in the subbasin, and data on how changes in climate may impact forests, waters, and the local economy. This profile highlights the efforts of the Nez Perce Tribe to increase awareness of climate change issues in their region through this plan, as well as their strategies for integrating adaptation into existing and future management plans. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Water Resources

Adaption plan for the Norton Bay Watershed is the result of a year of community team effort, bringing in an array of stakeholders and expertise, building partnerships, extensive information gathering, critical thinking, and engaged planning. Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, 2013. Download a PDF of the plan by clicking here.More recently in 2021, Norton Bay Watershed came out with the Ocean and Coastal Management Plan (NBWOCMP): Protecting the Watershed's Subsistence Culture & Resources. Download a PDF of the plan by clicking here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Ocean and Coastal Management Plan

The Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife created the Climate Change Program to spread awareness to the Navajo people including the impacts and adaptive solutions for climate change. After a series of workshops, the Climate Adaptation Plan was drafted to summarize the most pressing natural resources concerns and vulnerabilities. More information on specific natural resource adaptation plans, reports, and strategies can be found here.To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation plan, natural resources

The Yakama Nation Tribal Council directs all of our community and natural resource programs to carefully assess the vulnerabilities and risks identified in this Climate Adaptation Plan over the next year. In many cases, these considerations will go beyond our reservation lands and necessitate an evaluation of resources throughout the territories of the Yakama Nation. We also direct our programs to prepare and present recommendations for addressing the vulnerabilities and risks—actions that will rebuild resilience and durability within these resources for generations to come. These assessments and recommendations are not intended to be comprehensive, but they represent a substantial beginning on a long path forward. Download a link to the PDF by clicking here.Additionally, the Climate Action Plan for the Territories of the Yakama Nation of 2019 is available to download as a PDF here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, planning, action

Adaptation plan for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in New York. Structured around the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. 2013. Download a PDF of the Adaptation Plan by clicking here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

This plan was developed by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (“WTGHA” or “the Tribe”) to document the current conditions of tribal lands that have been impacted by the changing climate, and to identify alternatives and resources to help address these concerns. Given the Tribe’s location on the island of Martha’s Vineyard (Massachusetts), WTGHA is well aware of the effects that ocean storm surge can have on its lands. Tribal lands are as valued as the waters to the Wampanoag people. From the lands come food, medicine, and other useful materials. The threats of shoreline erosion, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion are concerns clearly expressed by tribal members. Along the shoreline, sea level rise and beach erosion have contributed to a noticeable loss in sand dunes that are home to beach plum, rose hips, beach pea and other valuable plants. The Wampanoag people have lived on the island for innumerable generations and mass relocation is not a realistic option; the people are inherently tied to the land. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is planning for adaptation, in an effort to be proactive rather than reactive. The future is unknown, but planning can mitigate the extent of
loss and damage. 

Assessment of climate change related health effects in Atqasuk, Alaska, a traditional Inupiat community located on the west bank of the Meade River, 60 miles south of Barrow. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2014. Downlaod a PDF of the plan by clicking here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

Assessment of climate change related health effects in Kiana, Alaska. Kiana is an Inupiat community of approximately 361 residents, located on the Kobuk River, about 60 miles east of Kotzebue. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2011. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

This report documents climate change impacts as described by the local people and interpreted through the lens of public health. It is the third report in a series describing climate change in Northwestern Alaska. The first two reports focused on the coastal whaling communities of Point Hope and Kivalina. This is the first to look at an upriver community characterized by a different climate, environment, and cultural practices. It was prepared by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Center for Climate and Health in partnership with the Maniilaq Association, the Northwest Arctic Borough and the Noatak Traditional Council. Funding was provided by the United States Indian Health Service. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Health, community health, climate change, disease, food security

Climate change refers to change over time due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2008). Alaska is experiencing a wide range of impacts from climate change and communities seek adaptive strategies that encourage wellness and sustainability. This report documents climate change impacts as described by local people and climate change effects or potential effects as interpreted through the lens of public health. It is the seventh report in a series describing climate change across Alaska, and the second report to focus on the Bristol Bay region, the first being in the community of Pilot Point. To download a copy of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Health, community, climate change, sustainability

Assessment of climate change related health effects in Nuiqsut, Alaska a traditional Inupiat community located on the West bank of the Colville River, 18 miles south from the inlet to the Beaufort Sea. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2014. 

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Tribal Health, Community Health, climate change

Aassessment of climate change related health effects in Pilot Point, Alaska. Pilot Point is mostly Alaska Native People of Alutiiq and Yup'ik Eskimo decent, averaging about 64 to 100 residents. Pilot Point is located on the Northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula, on the east shore of Ugashik Bay. 2013.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Tribal Health, Community Health

Today with the added pressure of climate change, Point Hope continues its struggle with increased urgency; against erosion and against other new emerging challenges to the community, the culture, and to public health. Assessment of climate change related health effects in Point Hope, Alaska. Point Hope is an Inupiat community of approximately 700 residents, located in Northwestern Alaska on the Chukchi Sea. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2010. 

Categories: Tribal Health, climate change, strategies, adaptation

Assessment of climate change related health effects in Selawik, Alaska. Selawik is an Inupiat community of approximately 829 residents, located on the Selawik River, about four miles north of the Arctic Circle and 70 miles east of Kotzebue. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2012. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan, Community Health, Tribal Health

Assessment of climate change related health effects in Wainwright a traditional Inupiat community located on the Chukchi Sea coast. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, June 2014. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

It is increasingly apparent that the global climate is rapidly changing and that these changes will affect the people, ecosystems, economy, and culture of the North Olympic Peninsula. The most noticeable impacts will likely include:
• A diminishing snowpack lowering the region’s summer river flow and extending the summer drought season;
• Shifts in the timing and type of precipitation, creating rain on snow events and unseasonably high stream flows that scour river bottoms and flood low-land areas;
• Ongoing sea level rise driving coastal flooding, saltwater inundation, and enhanced shoreline erosion;
• Extended warm temperatures which result in increased river water temperatures, enhanced wildfire risk, decreased soil moisture, and stressed forests through disease and insect outbreaks; and
• Increasingly corrosive ocean waters (i.e. ocean acidification) from the ongoing absorption of human emissions of CO2.
This project synthesized the best available climate change projections with local stakeholder expertise of vulnerable sectors to ultimately develop climate change preparation strategies for the North Olympic Peninsula. The outputs of this effort are compiled in this Preparedness Plan and include a regional Vulnerability Assessment (Section I & II) and Adaptation Plan (Section II). With this project and other similar efforts, the region has a unique opportunity to promote collaboration on climate change adaptation between federal, state, local, and tribal governments, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and private businesses. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation strategies, infrastructure, ecosystems, water supplies

This assessment was completed by The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute for the Treaty of Olympia Tribes, which consists of the Quinault Indian Nation, Hoh Tribe, and Quileute Tribe. It focuses on the terrestrial environment, freshwater aquatic environment, coastal hazards, and marine environment. This assessment will also serve as the basis for creating climate adaptation plans for the ecosystem and communities in the Olympic Peninsula.To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, vulnerability assessment

Recently the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Climate Change Program published Version 1 of our Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Ceded Territories in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. This assessment integrates scientific knowledge from climate models and species vulnerability data with traditional ecological knowledge in an attempt to make climate change information more accessible and culturally relevant for our member tribes and partner agencies. Version 1 contains detailed pages for eleven different beings (species) identified as culturally important by tribal knowledge holders. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, vulnerability, assessment, species, traditional knowledge, tribal

The purpose of this assessment is to provide a broad overview of the most current science on climate change and its anticipated impacts on the resources of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, with a primary focus on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. In addition to overall projected changes to temperature and precipitation patterns, the assessment also looks at specific sectors, including economy and workforce, food and agriculture, housing, environment, health and public safety, and facilities and infrastructure. The compiled information is intended to provide a foundation for community-level planning for climate planning and adaptation.

Categories: impact assessment, climate change, economy, housing, natural resources, community health, land, water, infrastructure, fisheries

In response to growing concerns about the impacts of climate change on tribal members and on their homelands, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have developed a Climate Change Strategic Plan. The Tribes worked with several partners, including Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee, Kootenai Culture Committee, Next Seven Group LLC, the Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC), the Kresge Foundation, and the Roundtable of the Crown Continent Adaptive Management Initiative, to develop a plan to inform the tribal policy and actions moving forward. This plan brings together the knowledge of elders with scientific observations to document existing impacts and prepare for future changes. The original 2013 Strategic Plan was updated in 2016. To download a PDF of the most recent version, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan