EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The National Indian Health Board offered its inaugural Climate Ready Tribes initiative from 2020 to 2023. Its goal was to recognize the outsized threat that climate change poses to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes while harnessing the strengths and assets Tribes possess that support resilience and to build capacity to protect Tribes and their members from harm and adverse health effects. This effort is based on Tribes’ sovereign rights to self-determine their priorities and approaches to adapt to the effects of climate change. This lookback focuses on the experiences and efforts of three participating tribes: The Lummi Indian Nation, the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Each Tribe approached the challenge uniquely, reflecting their cultural heritage, environmental context, and specific needs. The Lummi Nation focused on safeguarding traditional food sources and providing real time information and data to ensure safer harvesting of shellfish particularly seasons of higher health risks from the effects of climate change. The Pala Band of Mission Indians concentrated on developing a comprehensive community-driven adaptation plan, addressing risks of droughts, wildfires and flooding in their region. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska, like the Lummi Nation, deeply connected to the ocean, worked on enhancing their capacity to monitor changes impacting their traditional diet, yet forging its own path and offering a different model.