Climate Change and The Tribes National Congress of American Indians 65th Annual Convention October 1

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Climate Change and The TribesNational Congress
of American Indians                        65th
Annual ConventionOctober 19, 2008, Phoenix,
Arizona
Cal Seciwa, ITEP Director Mehrdad Khatibi, ITEP
Assoc. Director
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Topics of todays Talk

• Climate change impacts on tribes
• What were hearing from the tribes
• ITEPs climate-change initiatives
• Tribal climate-change website
• Training courses
• Outreach to K12 tribal students

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Climate ChangeImpacts on tribes by Region
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Gathering info on Tribal C.C.

• ITEP data-gathering efforts
• ConferencesSanta Fe, Billings, Lawrence,
  Phoenix, others
• Anecdotal reports from tribal members
• Web-based information, reports, papers
• Research/interviews for Native Voices articles

NTF conference, June 2008
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Alaska

• Climate-change front line
• All aspects of tribal subsistence/culture
  impacted
• Warming
• Impacts on wildlife (migration, species numbers,
  health)
• Plants, food sources altered
• Ice melt
• Longer hunting trips, thinner ice, increased
  danger
• Decrease in storm buffering (Kivalina,
  Shishmaref, and other villages need to be
  relocated)
• Permafrost melt
• Building, airport relocations
• Flooding
• Release of trapped CO2, methane

Photo courtesy of Millie Hawley, Kivalina Village
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Northwest Coast

• West warming 1º ahead of world average
• Water issues
• Longer droughts, earlier spring, lower summer
  flow
• Aquatic dead zones in deep and shallow waters
• Precipitous drop in salmon numbers
• (complicated by overfishing, and
  habitat loss)
• Increased inland flooding in fall and winter
• Ocean circulation changes
• 1-foot rise in wave height from 19782001
• Stronger coastal storm events
• Sea bird relocations
• Ecosystems impacts
• Animal, plant health, movement
• Unforeseen impacts expected

Snoqualmie Village c. 1900
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California (inland)

• Hotter, extended drought, lower flows, ecosystem
  changes
• Wildfires many tribes impacted, loss of life,
  and property
• Water wars
• Desertification
• Erosion and flooding
• Increased dust, PM respiratory problems
• Animal species moving with ecosystem shifts
• Impact on tourism (skiing, hiking)

Satellite view of CA wildfire
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Great Basin/Southwest

• West warming much faster than world average
• Prolonged drought, 10 years
• Wildfires
• Dust storms, health impacts, decreased visibility
  of sacred mountains
• Decreasing food for livestock sheep, goats,
  cattle

• Cultural impacts (examples)
• Navajo sheepherding
• Sacred sources of water / springs

Dune incursion, Navajo Nation, Kayenta AZ. Photo
courtesy M. Hiza, USGS
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Prairies/High Plains/midwest

• Drought and farming
• Ecosystem impacts shifting of plant, animal
  communities
• Surface-water evaporation
• Severe weather
• Increased flooding
• Need more feedback from tribes

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Great Lakes

• Increased surface-water evaporation Wild-rice
  impacts
• Declining snowpacks, reduced summer flows, oxygen
  deficits
• Seasonal shifts, impacts on agriculture, native
  plants and animals
• Decline in N. Minnesota moose populations

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Gulf Coast/E. Woodlands

• Drought
• Intensified storm events (hurricanes, rainfall)
• Sea-level rise, coastal tribe impacts
• Forest impacts
• Fire
• Pests
• Loss of culturally significant species

NOAA image, Hurricane Bertha, 1996
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Northeast

• Warming, plant and animal community changes
• Sugar maple harvest earlier, brown ash die-off
  (traditional weaving and tool material)
• Winter tick increase on mooseanemia,
  emaciation
• Old average 35,000 ticks per moose up to 160,000
• Fish/shellfish disease
• Forest fires

Photo by LaVerne Smith/USFWS
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Some C.C.-related efforts

• Good news tribes are heavily engaged
• Tribal C.C. resolutions
• Alternative-energy programs
• Various studies
• Tribal conferences (half a dozen this year)
• Tribes have unique knowledge of ecosystems, can
  contribute significantly to solving this problem

Photo by John and Karen Hollingsworth/USFWS
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EPA Cooperative Agreement

• EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs Cooperative
  Agreement
• 12 month project January 1, 08 - Dec. 31, 08
• Three primary tasks
• Outreach and communication with Native American
  tribes and Native Alaskan Villages on climate
  change impacts, mitigation and adaptation issues.
• Development of communication and outreach tools,
  such as a website, for climate change
  information, tools, and resources.
• Development of a report that provides an overview
  of impacts and recommendations for addressing
  climate change.

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ITEPs Climate Change Programs

• New 4-day course Climate Change on Tribal Lands
• First offering August 2008
• 16 participants, 5 from Alaska

Many Positive Comments its important for tribes
to hear how other tribes are adapting to the
current impacts they are facing. extremely
well balanced in regard to addressing the social/
tribal and science aspects of C.C., couldnt ask
for better presenters and topics. Everything was
very relevant to the work I do and to the Tribes
I serve.
Rose Kalistook, Orutsararmuit Native Village
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Course Topics

• Climate change science
• Impacts
• Traditional knowledge
• Mitigation
• Adaptation
• Outreach and education
• Policy

• Ideas for Other ITEP CC Courses
• Climate Change 101
• Impacts of Climate Change
• Adapting to Climate Change
• Mitigation Strategies
• Climate Change Outreach and Education
• Regionally focused courses?
• Any suggestions?

Dr. Diane Anderson, NAU
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ITEP Climate Change Initiatives

• K-12 Education Outreach with Students and
  Teachers
• Access to age appropriate science / climate
  change curriculum
• Can provide presentations to students and
  teachers on-site at tribal communities/schools
• Can provide learning opportunities at NAU
• Contact Mansel Nelson 928-523-1275

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Our Contact Info

• Cal Seciwa Director
• Phone [phone]
• Email Cal.Seciwa_at_nau.edu
• Mehrdad Khatibi Associate Director
• Phone [phone]
• Email Mehrdad.Khatibi_at_nau.edu
• Website http//www4.nau.edu/itep/