Summary: NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy

NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) has worked with Tribal Nations on drought issues since its inception. In order to ensure the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in the implementation of regional Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS), NIDIS launched a Tribal Drought Engagement initiative in 2019 in collaboration with the Masters of the Environment Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. The project strengthened relationships with tribal resource managers across the Missouri River Basin and Midwest DEWS to effectively deliver timely and relevant drought information.

The NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy included one year of consultations with tribal resource managers. These consultations identified critical engagement gaps and actions that could be taken to address them. The Strategy offers Guiding Principles of Engagement that capture important approaches NIDIS wants to embody in partnerships with Tribal Nations. It also includes key outcomes and activities to be implemented to improve drought monitoring, forecasting, and resilience for Tribal Nations.

This 2-page summary outlines the Guiding Principles of Engagement from the NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy, as well as tribal engagement activities that NIDIS has implemented or plans to implement with tribal partners over the next few years.