Tribal Climate Change Newsletter - July 2011

 Tribal Climate Change Newsletter
July 2011

Welcome to ITEP's Tribal Climate Change Newsletter. This monthly newsletter provides news items, resources, announcements about funding opportunities, conferences, and training, and other information relevant to tribal climate change issues.

 In the News

USDA Designates Reservation in Arizona as Disaster Area
As a result of major losses caused by drought, high winds, excessive heat and wildfires that began this year, the US Dept. of Agriculture has designated the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona as a primary natural disaster area. © 2011 Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC, 7/21/11.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ 2011/07/usda-designates- reservation-in- arizona-as- disaster-area/

Southwestern Wildfires: The Big Picture
Overview of the wildfires that have been impacting Arizona and New Mexico, including tribal lands, this summer. © 2011 Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC, 7/20/11.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ 2011/07/southwestern- wildfires-the- big-picture/

Seeing Trends, Coalition Works to Help a River Adapt
New York Times article about a coalition of tribal government leaders, private partners and federal and local agencies that is working to help the Nisqually River watershed (in Washington) and its inhabitants adapt. Strategies include reserving land for marshes to move to as sea level rises, promoting rain gardens to absorb warm runoff, and installing logjams in the river to create cooler pools for fish. © 2011 The New York Times Company, 7/20/11.
http://www.nytimes.com/ 2011/07/21/ science/earth/ 21river.html?_r=2

Heat Stroke in Alaska's Arctic
Article discusses public health concerns that warmer days in some Alaska villages may lead to increased risk for heat stress. Copyright © 2011 Alaska Dispatch, 7/20/11.
www.alaskadispatch.com/article/heat-stroke-alaskas-arctic

Aquinnah Wampanoag Sues Feds Over Cape Wind
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has filed a lawsuit to stop the development of a massive offshore wind energy plant in an area of Nantucket Sound that is sacred to the People of the First Light. The action names the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulations and Enforcement, its director Michael R. Bromwich and Secretary of the Interior Department Ken Salazar in their official capacities as defendants and cites multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. © 2011 Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC, 7/14/11.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/07/aquinnah-wampanoag-sues-feds-over-cape-wind/

Crow Reservation in Montana on the Long Road to Recovery
Article about the damage caused by rain and flooding in May and challenges faced by the Crow Tribe as it recovers from the damage. 6/29/11.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ 2011/06/crow-reservation- in-montana-on- the-long-road- to-recovery/

Navajo Nation Development of Solar Power Slow
Article about challenges of bringing solar power to the thousands of rural Navajo families without electricity. Copyright © 2011 azcentral.com, 6/19/11.
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ news/articles/2011/ 06/19/20110619navajo- nation-reservation- solar-power.html

Ecoanalytics, Together with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Wins More than $1.2 Million in Conservation Innovation Grant Funding
EcoAnalytics LLC and Finite Carbon Corporation, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation of Washington State, and the Law Firm of Van Ness Feldman, was awarded $1.226 million dollars as a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Greenhouse Gas Awardee. With the leadership and hosting of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Finite Carbon and EcoAnalytics will provide the technical expertise and financial match. A total of $2.45 million will be deployed to adapt and implement forest carbon sequestering practices and develop protocols that overcome the legal and technical barriers faced by tribes in entering carbon credit trading markets. 6/21/11.
http://ecoadata.com/home/?page_id=182

 Resources

Climate Change in Noatak, Alaska: Strategies for Community Health (Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium)
Report describes a comprehensive assessment of climate change related health effects in Noatak, Alaska. Noatak is an Inupiat community of approximately 500 residents, located on the west bank of the Noatak River, about 55 miles north of Kotzebue. Described health effects include permafrost thaw-driven damage to water and waste water infrastructure, decreased water security and safety due to river change, and decreased food security. June 2011.
www.anthc.org/chs/ces/climate/climateandhealthreports.cfm

Health Impact Assessment - A Novel Approach for Understanding Climate Change in Alaska
Climate change is having a dramatic impact on the lives of Arctic people. Health impact studies performed in Point Hope Alaska identifies specific health effects and helps in development of community specific recommendations for adaptation. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 6/23/11
www.ijch.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=1104

Cal-Adapt (Univ. Of California Berkeley's Geospatial Innovation Facility)
New website provides access to the wealth of data and information that has been, and continues to be, produced by California's scientific and research community. The data available on the website offer a view of how climate change might change California at the local level. Includes local climate snapshots, interactive maps and charts, access to raw data, and more.
http://cal-adapt.org/

Climate Witness Community Toolkit (World Wildlife Fund)
Toolkit is the result of a process undertaken on Kabara, Fiji, (the first Climate Witness site in the Pacific) to document local impacts of climate change and to devise appropriate adaptation measures that local communities can implement themselves. The methodologies within the toolkit are an adaptation of participatory techniques WWF-South Pacific has used over the years in community resource conservation and development projects, and should give facilitators a clear sense of process when trying to illicit information specific to impacts of climate change and developing appropriate community response measures to them.
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/?uNewsID=162722

Community-Based Water Resiliency Electronic Tool (USEPA)
The tool is an easy way to assess your community's current resiliency to water service disruptions and learn about tools and resources that can be used to enhance resiliency. A main component of the tool is the self assessment, which provides users with questions tailored to their stakeholder group and culminates in a self-assessment summary report. The report details the strengths and weaknesses of the users' community's resiliency and recommends tools and resources that can be used to enhance resiliency. Users can then navigate to the CBWR toolbox, where they can find more information about the recommended tools and resources.
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/communities/index.cfm

Climate Change Fact Sheets (USEPA)
EPA has posted four fact sheets on climate change, which may be useful to those looking for public outreach materials on climate change.
www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html

Four Principles for Climate Justice (Indigenous Environmental Network)
Discusses these principles of climate justice: leave fossil fuels in the ground; demand real and effective solutions; industrialized-developed countries take responsibility; and living in a good way on Mother Earth.
www.ienearth.org/docs/IEN_4_Principles_of_Climate_Justice.pdf

National Report on Sustainable Forests - 2010 (USDA Forest Service)
Report on the state of forests in the US and the indicators of national progress toward the goal of sustainable forest management. The 64 indicators of forest sustainability used in the report reflect many of the environmental, social, and economic concerns of the American public regarding forests, and they help establish a quantitative baseline for measuring progress toward sustainability. While the report presents data primarily at a national or regional level, it also provides a context for related efforts to ensure sustainability at other geographic and political scales. June 2011.
www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/

Interactive Map of US Tidal Energy Resources
The US Dept. of Energy, in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, released a new database and online mapping application identifying the energy potential available in the US from ocean tides. This online application provides important information that can improve the performance, lower the costs, and accelerate the deployment of innovative water power technologies. The online application maps the energy available in the nation's tidal streams.
DOE news article: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=567
Interactive map: www.tidalstreampower.gatech.edu/

 Other Items of Interest

Video: Fever - a Video Guide
Series of 4 short films for indigenous communities to raise awareness and build knowledge about the issue of climate change and how it relates to indigenous peoples, cultures, rights and territories. In these films we hear the stories of indigenous peoples from communities in Ecuador, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Indonesia. The films and a facilitator's guide can be downloaded for free. These films are provided by LifeMosaic, a Scottish non-profit that supports indigenous peoples in the humid tropics to get their voices heard, and to access the information that they need to make informed decisions about their futures.
http://lifemosaic.net/en/home.php

Video: Adapting to Climate Change in Alaska
Alaskans ranging from Unalakleet to Kenai to Ketchikan are witnessing changes to their environment due to climate change. Erosion, invasive species, forest fires, flooding, thawing permafrost, melting ice, and shifting animal habitats are many of the changes taking place. Video describes steps being taken by some communities to adapt to these changes and to maintain their lifestyles in the face of climate change. Produced by Alaska Sea Grant and NOAA Alaska Region. 17 minutes. 2011.
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/climate/videos/adaptingclimate/index.php

Audio: Climate Change in Alaska - in their own words: Interviews with Alaska Native Elders (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Alaska's Native people live in an intimate relationship with the land, share traditional knowledge spanning centuries, and are experiencing the effects of climate change directly and severely. The cultural identity of Alaska Natives and rural residents is closely tied to their environment and subsistence harvest continues to provide a large portion of the food consumed in many of Alaska's communities. This subsistence lifestyle is dependent upon the continued health of Alaska's ecosystems and natural communities. Important subsistence resources include marine mammals, caribou, fish, waterfowl, and moose, and climate change is already affecting access to some of these species. Click on map to hear about some of the climate-related changes to culture and lifestyle already being experienced by Alaska's Native community.
http://alaska.fws.gov/climate/interview.htm

ENERGY STAR Video Contest
EPA is asking Americans to pick up their video cameras, and show the world how they are saving energy with ENERGY STAR. Just keep your video under 2 minutes long and upload it to the website. In September the online world will vote for their favorite videos and those people will become the STARs of an EPA produced video released in October. Deadline: 8/31/11.
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=globalwarming.showPledgeHome

 Funding Opportunities

NOTE: More Funding Opportunities can be found at the Tribes & Climate Change website: www4.nau.edu/tribalclimatechange/resources/funding.asp

WaterSMART Applied Science Grants for the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (Bureau of Reclamation)
BOR announced the availability of the Fiscal Year 2011 Funding Opportunity Announcement for the WaterSMART Applied Science Grant. The Applied Science Funding Opportunity seeks proposals that will help resource managers analyze and adapt to climate change and other stressors across the Southern Rockies LCC landscape. The projects should enhance the management of natural and cultural resources and have a nexus to water resource management in a changing climate. This includes analyzing the impacts of climate change and other landscape scale stressors on natural or cultural resources that affect or are affected by water resources management, and developing tools to assess and adapt to those impacts within the boundaries of the Southern Rockies LCC. Requires at least 50% cost share. Tribes are eligible. Deadline: 8/4/11.
www.grants.gov/search/search.do; jsessionid=Lp1jN1rhvy Rpsy2VdGyQm5 V1gJ2JhJNPr 6JHn1hx38T0 CSc5LmQm!- 1176040633 ?oppId=9961 3&mode=VIEW

WaterSMART Applied Science Grants for the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative (Bureau of Reclamation-Denver Office)
BOR has announced the availability of the Fiscal Year 2011 Funding Opportunity Announcement for the WaterSMART Applied Science Grant. The Applied Science Funding Opportunity seeks proposals that will help resource managers analyze and adapt to climate change and other stressors across the Desert LCC landscape. The projects should enhance the management of natural and cultural resources and have a nexus to water resource management in a changing climate. This includes analyzing the impacts of climate change and other landscape scale stressors on natural or cultural resources that affect or are affected by water resources management, and developing tools to assess and adapt to those impacts within the boundaries of the Desert LCC. Requires at least 50% cost share. Tribes are eligible. Deadline: 8/4/11.
www.grants.gov/search/search.do; jsessionid=gFSYN1thgm lMYgNvGyv1TZB09pn G73lcflG9FQ7 yQlhRD0MJj0Gy !-1176040633 ?oppId=99615 &mode=VIEW

Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) (US Dept of Transportation Federal Transit Administration)
As part of the FTA's Sustainability Program, the agency announced the availability of funding for the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program, which works directly with public transportation agencies to implement new strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or reduce energy use within transit operations. These strategies can be implemented through operational or technological enhancements or innovations. There are two eligible purposes for TIGGER grants: (1) For capital investments that will assist in reducing the energy consumption of a transit system; or (2) for capital investments that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions of a public transportation system. Project proposals may be submitted under either or both categories. Federally recognized tribes are eligible. Deadline: 8/23/11.
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-24/pdf/2011-15913.pdf

Clean Fuels Program/Bus and Bus Facilities (US Dept of Transportation Federal Transit Administration)
As part of the FTA's Sustainability Program, the agency announced the availability of funding for the Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities program. The Clean Fuels Grant program was developed to assist nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide. The program also supports emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies for transit buses and markets for those technologies. Tribes are eligible. Deadline: 8/23/11.
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-24/pdf/2011-15913.pdf

FY 2012 Tribal Wildlife Grant Proposals (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
The US Fish and Wildlife Service invites submission of grant proposals from federally recognized Indian tribal governments, including Alaska Native Villages, for the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and that are not hunted or fished. Federally recognized Indian tribal governments are eligible. Deadline: 9/2/11.
www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/grants.html

Global Climate Change Mitigation Incentive Fund (Economic Development Administration-EDA, US Dept. of Commerce)
EDA generally allocates funds for the GCCMIF to support projects that foster economic competitiveness while enhancing environmental quality. EDA anticipates that these funds will be used to advance the green economy by supporting projects that create jobs through and increase private capital investment in initiatives to limit the nation's dependence on fossil fuels, enhance energy efficiency, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and protect natural systems. GCCMIF assistance is available to finance a variety of sustainability focused projects, including renewable energy end-products, the greening of existing manufacturing functions or processes, and the creation of certified green facilities. Indian tribes and consortia of Indian tribes are eligible. Deadline: 9/15/11 for funding cycle 1 of FY 2012.
www.eda.gov/PDF/FY%202011%20EDAP%20FFO-FINAL.pdf

 Upcoming Events

NOTE: More Upcoming Events can be found at the Tribes & Climate Change website:
www4.nau.edu/tribalclimatechange/events.asp

August 2011

• Webinar: Consumption and Well Being: Social Motivating Factors for Supporting Environmental Health
  August 2, 9:30 -11:00 am PST. Part of the Consumption and the Environment Webinar Series. Coordinated by Region 10 EPA and West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum, this webinar series is designed to give you the information you need to confront the impact of our consumer culture on the environment in your community. Webinars are the first Tuesday of every month through December 2011.
  http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/ECOCOMM.NSF/climate+change/consumption
• Webinar: Assessing the Jobs Impacts of Clean Energy
  August 4, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT. Sponsored by USEPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program. Clean Energy initiatives reduce energy demand from fossil fuels and increase renewable energy generation. These policies and programs reduce air pollution, improve public health, lower health costs, support a clean energy economy and reduce contributions to climate change. This is the third in a three-part series on Assessing Multiple Benefits of Clean Energy which will cover two different methods states have used to quantify the jobs impacts of clean energy initiatives.
  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/280323971
• Conference: Shifting Seasons: Great Lakes Tribal Climate Change Summit
  August 23-25, Keshena, WI. Hosted by College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute. Summit on climate change indicators and resiliency strategies demonstrated by the Great Lakes Tribal Nations. The purpose of the summit is to share ongoing research projects, provide information related to carbon sequestration, provide a forum to share climate change projections and experiences, and begin discussing a climate change research agenda for Great Lake Tribal Nations. Please consider attending if you have an experience, project, program, research, or relationship that demonstrates tribal resiliency to climate change. We are looking for these stories to engage our communities and to take the lead on identifying research needs in our region. Any tribal representative is encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Maggie Escalante, SDI Associate Administrator, sdi@menominee.edu, 715-799-5600 ext. 3041.
• Workshop: Tribal Renewable Energy Business Development and Financing
  August 23-25, Denver, CO. Offered by DOE Tribal Energy Program. Business and legal frameworks are necessary elements in developing and sustaining renewable energy projects. This workshop is designed to identify the business structures, financing methods, and legal and institutional frameworks needed to make planned projects (particularly larger ones) a reality. This unique course will help tribal leaders, tribal staff, and other interested parties understand the complexities of tribally owned, joint venture, or tax-leveraged energy projects, as well as provide tools and knowledge needed for tribal project development.
  http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/upcoming_events.cfm
• Conference: 18th National Tribal Environmental Conference
  August 29-31, Blue Lake, CA. The National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) will convene an interactive conference and annual meeting which aim to engage NTEC members and other tribes and environmental partners in a fresh approach that will move beyond the seminar format usually presented in conference agendas. This agenda will be designed to facilitate sharing of information, promoting discussions, and developing strategies to address a range of environmental and natural resource issues important to the participants.
  www.ntec.org/annualmeeting.html

September 2011

• ITEP Training: Southwest Tribal Climate Change Workshop
  Sept 13-14, Flagstaff, AZ. Offered by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals with support from USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Interactive 1½ day Climate Change workshop for tribal environmental and natural resource professionals in Arizona and New Mexico. It will be an opportunity to learn about climate change issues and concerns in the Southwest and to share ideas for addressing climate change through adaptation and mitigation strategies. The format will be short presentations followed by small group discussions. Topics include: traditional ecological knowledge and western science, observed climate change impacts on tribal lands in Arizona and New Mexico, climate change issues and opportunities related to water and land-based resources, and tribal research and resource needs. Registration deadline: 8/1/11.
  www4.nau.edu/itep/climatechange/tcc_SWWrkshop.asp
• Conference: Interdisciplinary Indigenous New England Conference: Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Past, Present, and Future
  Sept 22-24, Durham, NH. Goal of conference is to generate conversation among academic scholars, tribal professionals and community knowledge keepers about the spaces of interaction between traditional ecological knowledge and scientific methodologies. Our aim is that these conversations can create opportunities for and strengthen collaborative efforts between indigenous communities, academic institutions and science professionals.
  http://iseethics.org/2011/ 04/29/call-for- proposals-traditional-ecological- knowledge-past- present-future/
• Conference: Greener Homes National Summit
  Sept 27-29, Denver, CO. Hosted by US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Office of Native American Programs. Conference is designed to foster discussions that will promote energy efficient Tribal homes and communities; and encourage economic development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency technologies. The conference will include sessions such as the following: Energy Efficiency and Your Home; Conducting Energy Assessments; Developing a Green Community; Financing Alternative Energy Projects; Alternative Energy Sources and Building Materials.
  http://registration.firstpic.org/onapGreenNational2011/index.php

October 2011

• ITEP Training: Climate Change on Tribal Lands
  October 11-14, Flagstaff, AZ. Offered by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals with support from the US Environmental Protection Agency. This is an entry-level course open to tribal environmental professionals interested in learning about climate change and how to educate their communities about it. The training provides an overview of climate change science and impacts and focuses on climate change education and outreach, with small group work culminating in a presentation to a mock tribal council. Registration deadline: 8/23/11.
  www4.nau.edu/itep/air/training_aq.asp

©2002 Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals at Northern Arizona University
email: itep@nau.edu