Transcript Yurok Tribe`s Climate Change Impacts Assessment & Prioritization

Yurok Tribe Environmental Program (YTEP)’s
Climate Change Activities
Presentation by: Joe Hostler Yurok Tribe Environmental
Program (YTEP)
2011 National Tribal Forum.
Spokane, WA
June 14th, 2011.
YTEP’s Climate Change Activities
1) Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
Funded by EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant
Program
2) Climate Change related tasks written into Clean
Air Act Section 103 Grant.
YTEP Climate Change Activities
Tribal Background
• Yurok People: Pueleek-laa, Pecheek-laa,
Ner’er-nerh.
• Yurok Territory
Yurok Tribal Government
– Constitution 1993
– 9 member Council with Chairperson, ViceChairperson, & 7 Council Districts.
– Committees
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Program:
– EJ is the fair treatment & meaningful involvement of
all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income with respect to the development,
implementation, & enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, & policies. EPA has this goal for all
communities & persons across this nation. It will be
achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of
protection from environmental & health hazards &
equal access to the decision-making process to have a
healthy environment in which to live, learn, & work.
http://www.epa.gov/oecaerth/environmentaljustice/
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• The EPA Office of Environmental Justice
established the small grants program in 1994.
The purpose of this grant program is to
support & empower communities that are
working on local solutions to local
environmental &/or public health issues.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
Project purpose:
– Disproportionate and significant impacts to tribal
lands & resources.
– Lack of funding & long distances to travel to
participate in regional, state & federal planning
efforts in response to climate change.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
– Grant info
• Task 1: Build Tribal capacity on climate change
• Task 2: Engage Community & create partnerships on
climate change planning.
• Task 3: Preparation & completion of the Yurok Tribe’s
Climate Change Prioritization Plan.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Task 1- Build Tribal capacity on C.C.
– Obtain technical & scientific training on c.c.
through attending trainings, workshops, meetings
& planning sessions on c.c. issues, research, &
planning at the local, state & regional level.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Task 1:
– Meetings attended:
• American Indian/ Alaskan Native Climate Change Workgroup
meeting NW Indian College. Bellingham, WA. Nov. 8-9, 2010.
• National Climate Assessment (NCA) Climate Change Vulnerability
Assessment Workshop. Atlanta, GA Jan. 19-20, 2011.
• Pacific North West Tribal Climate Change Committee
• USEPA Integrated Modeling to Characterize Climate Change
Impacts. Atlanta, GA. Feb. 1-2, 2011.
• Impacts of Climate Change on Extreme Events. San Diego, CA
March 21-23, 2011.
• Webinars
• NCA Societal Indicators Workshop. Wash. D.C. April 28-29, 2011.
• NTF 2011. June 14, 2011.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Impacts
– Coastal erosion & loss of coastal & cultural resources
due to changes in sea level & temperatures.
– Increased flooding
– Stronger winter storms
– Longer and hotter summers
– Increased algae blooms
– Sea level rise
– Increased wildfires
– Loss of cultural significant species
Possible Impacts of Climate Change
Estimated 100-year flood model
Major floods of 100-year size
have occurred in 1955 & 1964
Climate Change Impacts
Increased rain, less snow
Changes in peak flow timing
Source: Lorrie Flint and Alan Flint ,
USGS (2010)
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/atmrivers/
Climate Change Impacts
Fish Kill of 2002
Over 50,000 adult chinook salmon died from
disease caused by low, & warm river flows.
Climate Change Impacts
Increase Toxic algae blooms
Dam Decommissioning
Climate Change Impacts
Sea level rise will greatly impact
the Klamath River estuary
Sea level rise will greatly threaten
ancestral village sites and burials
Climate Change Impacts
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Task 2-Engage Community & create partnerships on
climate change planning.
– Presentations & consultations at 7 Council District
meetings.
– Presentation & consultation with Yurok Tribe Natural
Resources Committee.
– Presentation & consultation with the Yurok Tribe Cultural
Committee
– Presentation to Council & Tribal Departments on climate
change research, needs & potential impacts.
– Coordination of 1 inter-tribal workshop on climate change
planning for tribes in the Klamath River watershed.
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Task 3: Preparation & completion of the Yurok
Tribe’s Climate Change Prioritization Plan.
– Summary document
– Findings from public scoping
– Will be used to guide and inform future tribal
climate change research & planning efforts
– educational brochure for community
– Post to tribal website
Yurok Tribe’s Climate Change Impacts
Assessment & Prioritization Project
• Lessons learned:
– Project still underway.
– Multiple groups working on c.c. don’t
communicate.
– This small grant has been a starting point.
– Limited funding to work on c.c.
– Tribe needs to break down doors
YTEP Climate Change Activities
• U.S. Department of Interior Climate Change
Adaptation Initiative.
– NTEC form letter
– Invited to participate in Landscape Conservation
Cooperative (LCC’s)
– Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
(ITEP)- Climate Change Adaptation Planning
Committee.
– Hosting NTEC Conference August 28-31, 2011 Blue
Lake, CA.
YTEP Climate Change Activities
• Climate change related tasks written into
Clean Air Act grant.
– Environmental education with 3 elementary
schools and 1 High School/Early College.
• Project Budburst. Observe Pacific Dogwood Trees
• Teacher’s Domain. Teaching students TEK
Organized small 1 day Tribal Climate Change conference
with neighboring tribes, September 2010.
YTEP Climate Change Activities
Join citizens all over the U.S. in collecting plant lifecycle (phenology) data and
contributing to an ongoing scientific research project that explores the effects of
climate change on the plant lifecycle. www.budburst.org
Pheonology is the study of the timing of biological events in relation to changes in
season and climate.
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
• Teacher’s Domain
– FREE!
– Internet based
– Lots of videos, discussion questions, lesson plans
– TEK
– “Where Words Touch the Earth” Haskell Indian
Nations University & Northwest Indian College
project funded by WGBH PBS & NASA.
YTEP Climate Change Activities
YTEP Climate Change Activities
• Conclusions
– Limited grant money available
– The $25K from this grant has been seed money
– Opportunities are available
DOI’s LCC
National Climate Assessment www.globalchange.gov
– Innovate