Adaptation Plans

"What are the vulnerabilities of our forests to climate change?"- It is crucial for the future of forest management on the Navajo Nation that this question be addressed. This report derives from a collaborative, multi-faceted effort to identify and describe the vulnerabilities of Navajo forests to climate change. By providing place-based ecological data, this report can aid in developing priorities for forest management. Through the implementation of adaptive, science-based management, the Navajo forests can become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Categories: vulnerability assessment, BIA TRP, forest management, place-based, implementation, climate change impacts

The information in this Climate Action Plan represents an important step in protecting the health and livelihoods of the community members in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The Tribe collaborated with Colorado State University and recieved funding from the BIA to develop the Climate Action Plan. An Adaption Planning Working Group was formed and focused on six planning areas including health and livelihoods, water resources, water ecosystems, rangelands and forests, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, and energy. The plan proposes specific actions and funding sources for each area. This information is located in Section 5. The Climate Action Plan work is a testament to the determination of the Tribe to work towards climate resiliency. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Adaptation plan, Human Health and Livelihoods, Tourism, Agriculture, Food Security, Air Quality, Water Resources, Riparian and Wetland Systems, Rangelands, Forest Health, Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Reduction

The Upper Snake River Watershed has been home to humans for more than 10,000 years. Many of their ancestors still reside on the landscape and are members of the Burns Paiute Tribe, Fort McDermitt PaiuteShoshone Tribe, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation, and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation. Together, these four member tribes comprise the Upper Snake River Tribes (USRT) Foundation. 1 The climate around the Upper Snake River is changing. USRT member tribes have already noticed shifts in species and habitats driven by increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. Such changes in temperature and precipitation have resulted in drying sagebrush steppe habitat, extended wildfire seasons, less winter precipitation falling as snow, earlier spring run-off, low summer river flows, higher water temperatures, reduced flow from springs/seeps, proliferation of invasive weeds, and the decreasing productivity of rangelands. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Vulnerability Assessment, planning, adaptation, climate change, increasing temperatures, precipitation

The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, along with Adaptation International, created the Tribal Climate Adaptation Guidebook, which provides a framework for climate change adaptation planning in the context of existing tribal priorities. The Guidebook builds on the on-going climate-related work in tribal communities, directly considers the unique issues facing Indigenous communities, and identifies opportunities and guidance for incorporating Traditional Knowledges based on the Climate and Traditional Knowledges Workgroup’s Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges (TKs) in Climate Change Initiatives. The Tribal Climate Adaptation Guidebook is designed to be useful for tribes at any stage of adaptation planning and with varying degrees of funding and staff capacity. The Guidebook is designed so that tribes can work through any applicable section and skip sections that are not applicable. The development of the guidebook was overseen by a group of advisors who supported the writing staff by refining the goals and objectives for the Guidebook and by providing regular reviews throughout the development process. The project was funded by a grant from the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative and received supplemental funding from the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium and the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.

Categories: adaptation, planning, resource, climate change

"Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians possess a small reservation of 6.12 acres near Empire. We currently hold approximately 547 acres of land, 153 acres of which are held in trust and 388 acres of which are in the process of being transferred into trust status.... Our Tribes continually strive to increase our land base in hopes of acquiring a significant amount of our ancestral lands to establish a Tribal forest, where we can invoke our ancestor’s traditions of sustainable harvest. In doing so, we hope to preserve, protect, and enhance our environment, community, and culture." This Environmental Assessment was developed by the Environmental Protection Division within the tribe's Natural Resources department. The Assessment outlines the structure and priorities of the Tribe concerning their environmental, traditional, and cultural resources. To download a PDF of the assessment, click here.

Categories: environmental assessment,

Impact  assessment report for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in northwest Washington. To download a PDF of the report, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

Adaptation plan for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in northwest Washington. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

This IRMP is a strategic, vision-based, long-range management plan based on Tribal member’s interests, needs, and concerns for their lands and natural resources. It provides guidelines for strategic resource management in order to restore, preserve, and manage these resources for future generations. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: resources, management, climate change, adaptation

This report describes an assessment of the climate change vulnerability of priority species and habitats for the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians. In addition to describing our approach and resulting sensitivity scores and vulnerability rankings, we provide an appendix of quick reference fact sheets for each of the assessed species and habitat types, highlighting their primary climate sensitivities and research needs. These estimates of climate vulnerability, underlying climate sensitivities, and key information gaps should help lay the foundation for the Tribe’s future climate adaptation and research efforts. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Adaptation Plan, natural resources, climate change

This is the next major step in preparing for climate change after the completion of the 2016 Climate Vulnerability Assessment. The plan lists 190 actions that will help protect and adapt the habitat and species important to the Stillaguamish Tribe. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation plan, natural resources

The Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA; Public Law 106-390) is the latest federal legislation enacted to encourage and promote proactive, pre-disaster planning as a condition of receiving financial assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Act. The DMA emphasizes planning for disasters before they occur. Under the DMA, a pre-disaster hazard mitigation program and new requirements for the national post-disaster hazard mitigation grant program were established.

Categories: adaption, management, mitigation

The Shinnecock Environmental Department and the Natural Resource Committee had begun researching climate change, and particularly the impacts on surface water and ocean acidification, because of tribal shellfish cultivation. The next large concern was the increasing shoreline erosion, which is contributing to the loss of trees. The staff began researching other climate change issues that were impacting the region as well. Climate change is included in the Shinnecock Nation’s strategic plan.To download a PDF of the most recent, 2019, Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Action Plan, click here.To download a PDF of the 2013 Shinnecock Indian Nation Climate Change Adaptation Plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, mitigation, TEK, tradition, resources, marine resources, conservation, management, planning, policy, vulnerability assessment, action plan

Adaptation plan outlines next steps for the community of Shaktoolik, AK, as it responds to threats, primarily erosion and flooding. 2014. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe initiated a pilot study to assess the impacts of anticipated climate changes to both tribal infrastructure and the Sauk river ecosystem that supports fish and wildlife critical to the tribe. The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe’s homeland encompasses a broad area including the Sauk and Cascade River watersheds in northwestern Washington. The Tribe wanted to know whether the warming climate could worsen flood and erosion risks, and whether changes could adversely impact salmon habitat. This report focuses on flood an erosion risks and how they may be impacted by climate change. The objectives of this report are to: (1) describe the hydrology and geomorphology the Sauk River near the reservation, (2) evaluate available information on potential for climate change to affect future flood flows in the Sauk River basin, (2) document historical changes in river channel and floodplain characteristics of the Sauk-Suiattle Reach, and (3) evaluate the near-term and future threats to tribal infrastructure posed by Sauk River streambank erosion and flooding. To download a PDF of the 2014 Flood and Erosion Hazard Assessment for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe Phase 1 Report for the Sauk River Climate Impacts Study, click here.To download a PDF of the 2020 Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, click here.

Categories: Assessment, climate change, planning, infrastructure, erosion, flood, habitat, hazard mitigation

The Samish Indian Nation Climate Change Resources link contains many reports and information on climate change issues. To download a PDF of the Samish Indian Nation Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, click here. To download a PDF of the Samish Indian Nation Sea Level Rise Vulnberability Assessment, click here.

Categories: climate change, vulnerability assessment, sea level rise

This report captures the key outcomes from the Menominee Reservation Resilience Dialogues process, which took place between May 15 and May 26, 2017. The resilience Dialogues partners with communities to explore their risks from climate variability and change. Using a professionally facilitated, online process to connect community leaders to a network of vetted national experts, the Resilience Dialogues helps them work together to understand risks and lay the groundwork for long-term resilience. The service connects communities with the most appropriate resources, whether from federal agencies, regional networks, or the private sector. To download a PDF of the report, click here.

Categories: climate change impacts, cultural resources, forest management, adaptation, development

Strategic Management Planfor the relocation of the village of Newtok to a new site at Mertarvik. Newtok is a growing 350-person coastal village fronting on the Ninglick River in western Alaska. The Ninglick River is rapidly eroding and consuming community land and facilities as it advances. 2011. To download a PDF of the report, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

The path towards creating a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development began with leaders of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in March 2011 passing Resolution 11-26XB, to promote and protect the health, welfare and culture of the Tribe. They affirmed all participants in the Oyate Omniciyé | Oglala Lakota planning process will be working toward cultural preservation, sustainable development, enhancement of environmental programs, etc., including climate change adaptation to maintain Tribal lifeways. This journey continues as the planning team hosts community meetings and interviews with program directors and other stakeholders. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, traditional knowledges, cultural preservation, sustainable development

The climate of the Nooksack River watershed is changing, and is projected to continue to change throughout the 21st century. In addition to rising temperatures and exaggerated patterns of seasonal precipitation, the watershed is likely to experience greater wildfire risk, more severe winter flooding, rising sea levels, and increasing ocean acidification. These changes will have profound impacts on the watershed’s plants, animals, and ecosystems, including changes in species distributions, abundances, and productivity; shifts in the timing of life cycle events such as flowering, breeding, and migration; and changes in the distribution and composition of ecological communities. Understanding which species and habitats are expected to be vulnerable to climate change, and why, is a critical first step toward identifying strategies and actions for maintaining priority species and habitats in the face of change. The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group worked collaboratively with the Nooksack Indian Tribe’s Natural Resource Department to evaluate the climate change vulnerability of priority species and habitats for the Tribe. This report describes the approach taken to assess vulnerability and summarizes key findings from the assessment’s results. The report also includes an appendix of fact sheets describing individual assessment details for each of the species and habitat types evaluated; these fact sheets highlight each species’ key climate sensitivities as well as data gaps of importance for understanding their vulnerability. Together, the information provided in this assessment offers a rigorous foundation for future climate adaptation efforts aimed at addressing climate risks to the Nooksack Tribe’s priority species and habitats.To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: tribal adaptation plan, assessment, climate change, flooding, rising sea levels, rising temperatures, ecosystems

The Nome Eskimo Community (NEC), in collaboration with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), developed a climate adaptation plan with the Nome-based tribes. This includes tribal members of NEC, Village of Solomon, Native Village of Council, and King Island Native Community. The project goals were to familiarize tribal members with climate science and local knowledge, provide an opportunity to identify and discuss climate impacts and adaptation strategies, develop a plan, and share information with other rural Alaska and Native communities. This project was funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Community values for the Nome-based tribes, which provided a basis for the climate adaptation strategies, centered on maintaining cultural activities, fostering community and relationships, and ensuring healthy people and ecosystems. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change adaptation plan

Vulnerability assessment for priority wildlife and plant species and habitats on the Navajo landscape. Golden Eagle, Mule Deer, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Lion, and American Black Bear. Pinyon Pine, Yucca spp., Mesa Verde Cactus, Navajo Sage, and Salt Cedar (Tamarisk). Navajo Nation Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2013To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal, Adaptation Plan

This climate change vulnerability assessment documents climate change impacts and trends that have been observed along the Kuskokwim River. It was commissioned by the Georgetown Tribal Council to help inform their efforts to re-settle the Native Village of Georgetown, and to provide a starting place for working with neighboring communities to plan for climate change. Information was collected through a variety of methods, including interviews with elders and the collection of Traditional Knowledge, mapping and graphing of environmental data, review of published literature, and interviews with local scientists and natural resource managers. This climate change vulnerability assessment was created to inform future development of the Native Village of Georgetown. Much of the information contained in this report, as well as the companion Climate Science Primer 1 specific to the area, can be used to inform efforts to prepare for climate impacts in neighboring villages and throughout the region. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change vulnerability assessment, adaptation

"The National Inuit Climate Change Strategy identifiesthe coordinated actionsthat are necessary within five priority areas to meet our adaptation, mitigation and resilience-building needs in the face of rapid climate change, and a quickly evolving climate policy environment. The Strategy lays out practical objectives to advance Inuit-driven climate actions, and guidance on how to work with us to protect our way of life and support the sustainability of our communities in the face of our changing climate reality. Case studies illustrating the kinds of Inuit-led climate initiatives and partnerships we are seeking are highlighted throughout the Strategy." To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change adaptation, mitigation, resilience, sustainability, community

In 2014, the Model Forest Policy Program (MFPP), Climate Solutions University (CSU), and the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources (RLDNR) came together to create a climate adaptation plan for the forest and water systems of the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. Development of the plan came about because all parties, led by MFPP, recognized the critical need for local community resilience against the impacts of climate change by protecting forest and water resources. This climate adaptation plan for the Red Lake Reservation presents the results of a team effort, deep and broad information gathering, critical analysis and thoughtful planning. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Adaptation Plan, forests, water, development, resilience, climate change, adaptation

Michigan Tribes are currently experiencing the impacts of climate change: warmer average annual air and surface water temperatures, more volatile weather characterized by extreme precipiation events, decreases in duration and extremity of winter temperatures, and increases in duration of summer temperatures. These changes impact Michigan Tribes in numerous ways both directly and indirectly. Tribes are concerned with climate change and how to plan for potential and undefined impacts on natural features, traditional ways, public health, and infrastructure. This planning document is the result of a cooperative effort among the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., and nine federally recognized Tribes in Michigan (participating Tribes): Bay Mills Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi (Gun Lake Tribe), Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Public health, climate adaptation planning, traditional knowledge, tribal resources

The Metlakatla Indian Community Climate Change Adaptation Plan was composed to provide support to the Metlakatla Indian Community as they are impacted by a changing climate on the Annette Islands Reserve (AIR). Throughout this document the Metlakatla Indian Community will be referred to as “the Tribe”, this term will be used to describe the entire Metlakatla Indian Community. The Tribe acknowledges the changing climate and advocates addressing the potential effects through the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and scientific evidence. This document will include the background on the AIR, local interviews on TEK, resource analysis, vulnerability assessment, and potential adaptation strategies to assist the Tribe in preparation for a changing climate. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Tribal Adaptation Plan, climate change, TEK, vulnerability assessment, adaptation

The Gun Lake Tribe currently holds over 838 acres of agricultural, forested, commercial, and residential properties. Many valuable cultural and natural resources exist within these properties. The Gun Lake Tribe realizes that these impacts are not solely within Tribal properties, but that these impacts will affect the entire Great Lakes Region and Mother Earth. The Gun Lake Tribe acknowledges the importance of actions to mitigate the causes of climate change. With this understanding, the Gun Lake Tribe has assessed the vulnerability and effects climate change will have on the following culturally significant natural resources. To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: Great Lakes, fish, climate change, mitigation, natural resources

To look at slides from the 2017 Makah Tribe’s Climate Resilience, Adaptation, and Mitigation Planning presentation, click here.To look at slides from the 2018 Makah Tribe’s Climate Adaptation & Outreach Efforts presentation, click here.

Categories: adaptation, resilience, mitigation, assessment, funding, climate change

This final report analyzes the sensitivity, exposure, impact, adaptive capacity, and vulnerability of Makah National Fish Hatchery. Some of the fish broodstock programs include Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and winter steelhead trout. The US Fish and Wildlife Service conducted these surveys to assess the vulnerability of these hatcheries in response to the changing climate. To download a PDF of the report, click here.

Categories: vulnerability assessment, natural resources, climate change

"The purpose of the Lummi Nation Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plan: 2016-2026 (CCMAP) is to evaluate the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the Lummi Indian Reservation (Reservation), Lummi Usual and Accustomed Grounds and Stations (U&A), and Lummi Traditional Territories and to present both mitigation strategies that may reduce the causes of climate change and adaptation strategies that may minimize climate change impacts that cannot be avoided." To download a PDF of the plan, click here.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, mitigation