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Tribal Nations

Drought is a challenge most Tribal Nations face. Even small changes in the timing or amount of precipitation can induce drought conditions that negatively impact tribal communities, traditions, ecosystems, and economies.

Drought Conditions for Tribal Nations

U.S. Drought Monitor Categories
Precipitation Shown as a Percentage of Normal Conditions
100%
0–100 cm Soil Moisture Percentile
70
100
Streamflow Conditions
Active Large Wildfires
U.S. Drought Monitor
Air Quality
U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought Is Predicted To...
Tribal Nations

Applied Research in Action: Tribally Focused Drought Research

Since 2022, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) has awarded more than $4.3 million in funding for projects to support tribal drought resilience via its Coping with Drought research competition. In Fiscal Year 2022, NIDIS awarded $2.42 million for five 2-year projects to implement actions—together with research on those actions—to build tribal drought resilience in existing plans and strategies. And in Fiscal Year 2024, NIDIS awarded $1.95 million for four 2- to 3-year projects to Tribal Nations addressing current and future drought risk on tribal lands across the Western U.S., while informing decision-making and strengthening tribal drought resilience.

Click on a project to learn more. 

Fiscal Year 2024 Coping with Drought Competition

Research ProfileProject Leads
Snoqualmie DROUT: Snoqualmie Drought Resilience for OUr TribeSnoqualmie Indian Tribe, Environmental and Natural Resources Department; Kindred Hydro, Inc.
Colville Tribes Collaborative Drought Monitoring and Resilience Planning ProjectConfederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe Drought Trends Analysis and Groundwater Recharge Implementation PlanRosebud Sioux Tribe
Drought Resilience Planning and Assisted Migration of Imperiled Sweetgrass Populations on the Rocky Boy Reservation, North-Central MontanaChippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy Reservation; Rocky Mountain Botany Consulting 

Fiscal Year 2022 Coping with Drought Competition

Research ProfileProject Leads
Chími nukárihihi (Let’s Get Ready): Collaborative Climate and Drought Response Monitoring and ImplementationKaruk Department of Natural Resources; University of California, Berkeley
Native Drought Resilience: Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Actions for Climate-Drought AdaptationMontana Climate Office, University of Montana; Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Salish Kootenai College Extension; The Wilderness Society
Developing a Drought Early Warning System and Indices for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian ReservationConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indiana Reservation
Wetlands to Combat Drought: Strengthening Drought Preparedness on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation through Wetland Restoration and MonitoringClemson University; Couer d’Alene Tribe Department of Natural Resources
Enhancing Water Retention and Facilitating Groundwater Recharge to Protect and Maintain SpringsPueblo de San Ildefonso, Department of Environmental and Cultural Preservation

Rethinking Resilience: Toward Holistic Approaches to Drought Management on Tribal Lands

In September 2023, NIDIS and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation convened a workshop for Tribal Nations in the Missouri and Upper Columbia River Basins focused on building drought resilience. This workshop, which built off of existing investments to advance the NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy, provided an opportunity to explore successes, challenges, opportunities, and ideas for managing current and future drought. Over 100 people attended, representing Tribal Nations, intertribal organizations, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and non-tribal partners.

Through the workshop conversations, NIDIS learned about several drought management priorities and related actions from Tribal Nations:

  • Build a community of practice among Tribal Nations around drought resilience
  • Increase outreach on drought monitoring and associated funding relief programs
  • Expand monitoring efforts to include culturally relevant plants and animals
  • Share drought success stories from Tribal Nations that include planning, implementation, and management actions

Since the workshop, NIDIS has been working to implement some of the outcomes, which are currently under development. 

Read the Workshop Synthesis Report

Crystal Stiles

Meet Crystal Stiles, NIDIS Tribal Engagement Coordinator

Have questions, feedback, or want to get involved? Contact Crystal Stiles, the NIDIS Tribal Engagement Coordinator, or sign up for the NIDIS Tribal Engagement email list.

Email Crystal

Drought Monitoring and Planning in Action

Submit Drought Impacts

Report local drought-related conditions and impacts via the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports on Drought (CMOR-Drought).

Funding Opportunities

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, and other partners offer funding opportunities related to drought early warning research, planning, and preparedness. 

Sign Up for Emails

Sign up for the NIDIS Tribal Engagement email list to receive updates on drought news, funding opportunities, and upcoming events and webinars for Tribal Nations across the United States. 

Case Study

Wind River Tribes Create New Drought Monitoring Tools

The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming have contended with periodic droughts, several of which were particularly severe and impactful during the past two decades. After the drought of 2012 severely impacted these Tribal Nations’ water supply, the Tribal Water Engineer (TWE) wanted to find new ways to monitor conditions to inform the Water Board’s decision making on when to declare a drought during the spring. So, the TWE and their non-tribal partners created climate and drought summaries, which they produced on a quarterly basis to better track climate conditions, including drought. These tools garnered interest from other Tribal Nations, which resulted in subsequent partnerships to provide training to use climate information and produce climate summaries. 

Climate and drought summary for the Wind River Indian Reservation

Drought Resources for Tribal Nations