Colville Tribes Collaborative Drought Monitoring and Resilience Planning Project

The Colville Tribes’ members are facing escalating challenges due to increased frequency and severity of drought caused by climate change. This issue is especially urgent to the Tribe as drought has begun, and is expected to continue, to affect their natural resources adversely. Their natural resources provide the Tribe with cultural grounding, food security, and economic prosperity. Prolonged drought will have a significant impact on the Reservation and its people, including disruption to cultural ceremonies, declines in traditional food sources, exacerbated wildfires, and degradation of habitats. 

The effects of drought on Tribal resources have been observed and documented through limited studies conducted in the past. These studies demonstrate the clear need for a more robust drought monitoring system covering the 1.4 million acres of the Reservation than has been present so far.

The primary goal of this project is to improve drought monitoring, forecasting, and resilience for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. To achieve this goal, the Tribe intends to develop a comprehensive long-term drought monitoring and resilience plan, which will enhance and inform the Tribe’s climate change mitigation and implementation program to safeguard its communities and natural resources.