#tribeslead

As we head into winter, there’s always the question of how bad it will be. It used to be that “bad” meant a few extra storms that reached into April, but now we know the reality is much worse. Over the last ten years, weather patterns have grown increasingly difficult to predict. However, our elders remember, and they tell us with no uncertainty that our land is changing, not for the better. Milder temperatures across the country and extreme climate events have precipitated significant ice melts and a devastating fire season that consumed more than 5 million acres in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Indigenous communities are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to the immediate and long-term effects of climate change. Statistically under or unrepresented -- “something else” most recently -- in national data, Native nations are developing their own climate risk assessment plans and taking action. The Washington Post recently highlighted the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (2014 Honoree), frontrunners in climate adaptation, and it’s a must-read. Their 2007 Climate Proclamation and subsequent 2010 Climate Adaptation Action Plan have become models not only for other tribal nations but also for non-native jurisdictions. The Swinomish have created six Indigenous Health Indicators (IHIs): cultural use, community connection, self-determination, resiliency, education (intergenerational knowledge transfer), and natural resource security. These traditional, these Swinomish markers are the basis of a world-class, scientific study led by tribal citizens on their homelands.

Across North America, more and more Indigenous communities are answering Swinomish’s call to action, and we need more to follow. The Lummi Nation’s Wetland and Habitat Mitigation Bank was a fellow 2014 Honoree. Their work to address land scarcity with innovative mitigation credits is helping to protect nearly 2,000 acres of wetland resources.

https://www.swinomish-climate.com/