Staff from the Environmental Department recently participated in a three-day training at the Pala Band of Mission Indians Reservation in early June 2016. Sponsored by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), this Climate Change Adaptation Planning training allowed Tribe’s from the Southwestern and Northern Pacific regions to engage with one another on how to prepare their various Tribal communities to the impacts from climate change. Recognizing that each Tribe has attributes and circumstances that are wholly unique, the training stressed the importance of evaluating the impacts of climate change from both a nuanced scientific and cultural perspective. The training also emphasized the value of incorporating traditional knowledge from elders, in combination with scientific evidence, when developing a Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
Overall, staff found this training to be incredibly engaging and informational. We are especially excited to bring the framework we learned for how to develop a Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Plan back to our community, initiate conversations with the Tribal members and staff, and begin preparing a comprehensive adaptation plan. Special thanks to ITEP for allowing our staff to participate in this training session, as well as the Pala Reservation and Pala Environmental Department for being such a hospitable host.
If you or your Tribe are interested in participating in an upcoming Climate Change Adaptation Planning or other ITEP-sponsored training, please visit ITEP’s training website for more information. An ITEP-developed Climate Adaptation Planning Toolkit can also be found here.