Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Selected to Support the Alaska Regional Tribal Resilience Liaison Program

The US Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Climate Resilience Program has announced that the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) has been selected to provide ongoing support for the Alaska Regional Tribal Resilience Liaison program. This new award will fund the efforts of up to three Tribal Resilience Liaisons who will work with the Alaska CASC to build collaborative and meaningful relationships between the UAF/USGS partnership and Alaska Native Tribes and other entities in order to address management and adaptation needs across the state.  This represents a continuation of the Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison program which began in 2016 and has been critical in building networks between the DOI Climate Adaptation Science Centers, the BIA Tribal Climate Resilience Program, and Tribal organizations nationwide. BIA has also announced new funding support for Liaisons affiliated with the Northwest and Southeast CASCs.

The Alaska CASC has been engaged in the Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison program for over four years in a partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA). Under the leadership of Tribal Resilience Liaison Malinda Chase, this partnership saw the launch of numerous efforts, including the establishment of the Tribal Resilience Learning Network that seeks to form a community of scientists and Tribal decision makers who share knowledge and best practices while highlighting gaps in our understanding of climate adaptation. During 2020 and 2021 the Building Resilience Today program brought together five Tribal communities as a means to explore the climate challenges they face and to synthesize community knowledge and experience as well as data and information on climate impacts in support of planning and adaptation. With the help of Malinda Chase and APIA, the Alaska CASC has also increased its engagement with Alaska Native non-profit organizations and continues to grow in its outreach to Tribal communities.