Updates:
- 1/27/2025: This project is seeking Tribal members to particpate on a Tribal Steering Committee and / or a Technical Advisory Committee. Please fill out this interest form.
Background
This project is designed to advance tribal participation in restoration project development, provide equitable compensation to encourage tribal participation, and offer a suite of technical trainings tailored to the express needs of the tribes that are in this project area that spans from Western Sonoma County to the Oregon border.
Project Summary
Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) and California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) are thrilled to announce that the California North Coast Tribal Capacity and Climate Resilience Project has been awarded through the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This three-year project will provide capacity building tools and climate resilience planning for North Coast tribes.
We are currently in the planning phases of the project. When implementation begins, the grant will provide the following services:
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Climate Vulnerability Assessments
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Capacity building assessments
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Tribal scholarship fund for ecological workforce development and administrative trainings
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Developing and Implementing Trainings and Capacity-building support sessions
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Coordinating a Tribal Capacity Symposium and other priority workforce trainings
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Creating and administering Tribal Stipends to support tribal consultation and collaboration
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Identifying watershed restoration projects and providing project development support
Goals
The goal of this project is to increase tribal capacity for California’s North Coast tribes through climate vulnerability and tribal needs assessments; specialized technical education trainings; technical assistance, and increased tribal participation in restoration planning efforts.
An additional long-term goal is to build support for watershed restoration projects by offering project development support and facilitating connections between funding opportunities and initiatives that could directly benefit tribal communities. This project provides opportunities for tribal-led, peer-to-peer learning, technical support and resource sharing to develop customized actionable work plans.
Project Partners: California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA)
CIEA has years of advocacy and technical experience and will take the lead to support tribes with climate assessments and adaptation plans. Sherri Norris (CIEA’s founder and Executive Director) clarifies that this tribally-run “organization does not speak for California Indian Tribes, rather; they empower Indigenous Peoples of California to advocate on their own behalf and seeks to open spaces where that is possible.Their strategy integrates watershed and regional approaches and is respectful of the knowledge and lifestyles of Indigenous People.” Every community has its own unique needs and priorities for engaging in these efforts. Our project team envisions that support will be tribally-led and developed to address the needs expressed by participating tribes on the North Coast. Although the project area for this project is the North Coast, the educational events and resources offered will be available to all tribal members in California. One of the goals of this project is to coordinate a Tribal Climate Summit that will be open and accessible to all interested tribal members. SRF’s Executive Director states that, “During this time of federal uncertainty and rollback of climate protections, it is more important than ever to champion the goals of tribally-led Climate Initiatives and provide the capacity and technical assistance that is the bedrock of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
