NATIVE CLIMATE: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF CLIMATE HUBS IN INDIAN COUNTRY

Our collaborative team of researchers, Tribal Extension educators, and Climate Hub leaders will expand USDA Climate Hub capacity to serve as a "climate clearinghouse" of tools and technologies to support climate resilience planning and actions by tribal agriculture producers (farmers and ranchers) in the Intermountain West. TheNative Climate: Strengthening the Role of Climate Hubs in Indian Country Project(short titleNative Climate) aims to enhance Native agroecosystem resilience by expanding climate services and outreach to Tribal Extension professionals, agriculture producers, and youth educators in the Southwest and Northern Plains. Tribal farmers and ranchers, in the Intermountain West are increasingly challenged by major climate drivers - heatwaves, extreme winds, droughts, wildfires, and floods. Climate impacts to tribal agriculture include declining snowpack, longer, hotter growing seasons with less spring runoff for irrigating crops, reduced crop yields due to intense heat, more pests, and increased evapotranspiration, degraded range and grasslands for livestock grazing, less frequent and more intense monsoonal rains, and increased frequency and intensity of catastrophic wildfires.ThegoalofNative Climateis to foster trust and knowledge-sharing among Tribal Extension agents, Native agriculture producers, and the Climate Hubs to enhance Native climate agroecosystem resilience.Native Climateactivities are designed to foster trust between Climate Hubs and Native farmers, ranchers, and resource managers in their regions through respectful, equitable, and culturally appropriate information sharing. Equally important, these activities will foster trust in Indigenous climate adaptation knowledge and methods among western scientists and climate service providers. Building communications and resources that are responsive and respectful of tribal needs, while acknowledging historical injustices to Native Americans and value the wisdom of Native traditions and practices, will be one step towards mitigating climate injustice in Indian Country.The following four activities, taken together, will meet the goal of theNative ClimateProject to build relationships and strengthen climate agroecosystem resilience among tribes in the Intermountain West.Activity 1: Support a cadre ofNative Climate Fellowsto work directly with SW and NP Hubs. The fellows will identify tribal climate service needs and establish effective communications between Tribal Extension programs, Hubs and other climate service providers, and partner organizations.Activity 2: Create aNative Climate Reporter (NCR) internship programthat will support three or more Native students a year studying communications, journalism, agriculture, or STEM at 1862 or 1994 land-grant colleges in the region to work as Native Climate Reporters.Activity 3: Create a web-based interactive resource clearinghouse,Native Climate Toolkit.The Native Climate Toolkit will be cover all climate drivers (heatwaves, droughts, extreme winds, floods, and wildfires) impacting the SW and NP regions.Activity 4: HostAnnual Native Climate Summitsin partnership with regional agriculture producer groups focused on climate impacts and tribal agroecosystem resilience.