10 - Native American Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation

Native American Tribes have lived in North America for thousands of years, navigating various climates to support their livelihoods. Yet, their expertise is often left out of the conversation around climate change adaptation. The USGS Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network have established close partnerships with Native Tribes, to produce actionable science for resource managers and to provide research and training opportunities for Tribal university students to integrate traditional knowledge and scientific research. Adrienne Wootten, postdoc at the South Central CASC, talked to three Tribal undergraduate students working at the center: Peyton Cavnar (Apache and Comanche) and Matthew Armor (Chickasaw), students at the University of Oklahoma, and Kieren Daley Laursen (Chickasaw) at Colorado State University. Tribal engagement at the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers: www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/climate-adaptation-science-centers/native-communities/ South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center: www.southcentralclimate.org Chickasaw Nation School-to-Work Program: www.chickasaw.net/Services/School-to-Work-Program.aspx Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma: geography.ou.edu