The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative supports the climate readiness of Northwest coastal tribes by:

• Centering coastal tribal priorities and participation in climate adaptation
• Providing information to tribes and non-tribal partners for advancing coastal resilience
• Enhancing capacity for addressing the climate risks and needs of coastal tribes

The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio is one of three areas of work for the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, a participatory program designed to support frontline communities. Learn more about the Resilience Collaborative.

Our Team

Portfolio staff:

Project Team: Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, Western Washington University

Communities: As part of this project, we will collaborate with coastal Tribes across Washington and Oregon, facilitated through the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, a Tribal Advisory Group, and ongoing relationships across the project team.

Partners: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission; NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Our Work

Our Portfolio continues to build strong relationships with coastal Tribes through listening sessions, our Tribal Advisory Group, and more. Our recent activities include:  

Assessing adaptation barriers and needs for coastal Tribes in Oregon and Washington. The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio conducted an adaptation needs assessment informed by a review of Tribal climate plans and a series of listening sessions with Northwest coastal Tribes. The team conducted six listening sessions that included 40 participants representing government staff, citizens, and elected officials from 13 Northwest coastal Tribes. The team analyzed listening session transcripts to uncover key climate adaptation barriers and needs which, if addressed, could help catalyze climate action by Northwest coastal Tribes. Key findings are shared in a newly released report:

REPORT

Establishing a Tribal Advisory Group. In the fall of 2022, the Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio convened a six-member Tribal Advisory Group. This group was established to provide guidance throughout the course of the portfolio’s project activities and includes citizens of coastal Tribes selected for their geographic representation (i.e., Puget Sound, Strait of Juan De Fuca, and the Pacific coast of Washington and Oregon) and diversity of roles within their Tribes (e.g., department directors, technical staff, non-staff Tribal citizens). 

Connecting with The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio supported the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center’s 2023 Deep Dive event, “Rising Seas and the Coastal Squeeze: Managing inland migration of coastal habitats in response to sea level rise.” Deep Dive findings underscored the importance of Tribal knowledge, expertise and information-sharing to effective management of coastal squeeze.

Get Involved 

For any questions or concerns, please contact the project technical lead, Meade Krosby (mkrosby@uw.edu)

Related Resources

Tribal nations and Indigenous peoples looking to build climate resilience in their communities may find these resources from Northwest Climate Resilience leaders and partners helpful:

• Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Climate Change Resources
• Climate Impacts Group Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources
• Climate Impacts Group Tribal Climate Technical Support Desk
• Climate Impacts Group projects located on tribal lands and nations

Our Funders and Supporters

As a component of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, the Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio is supported by the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships Program (formerly known as the NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Program). Additional support comes from the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington, the University of Washington, UW EarthLab and the UW College of the Environment.