Makah Tribe\u27s climate adaptation planning and community engagement

The Makah Tribe views climate change as one of the biggest threats to their natural resources, threatening their livelihoods, economy, and culture. As part of their work towards climate adaptation and planning, the Makah Tribal Council and tribal natural resource managers prioritized early community outreach and engagement efforts in order to accomplish three goals: continually update and inform the tribal community about the Tribe’s climate adaptation efforts; gather community input and priorities for the Makah Climate Adaptation Plan; and provide a series of educational events to inform the tribal community about projected climate change impacts to our resources. Our first community climate event, the Makah Climate Change Awareness Dinner, was held on February 8, 2017. At this event, we provided an overview of the Makah Tribe’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment and administered an initial climate survey that gathered information regarding community members’ observed environmental changes, knowledge about climate change and impacts, and any concerns and priorities to include in the Tribe’s adaptation plan. This poster presents our framework for incorporating community engagement in climate adaptation planning, the preliminary results of our community survey, and lays out the next steps that the Makah Tribe is pursuing towards incorporating local, cultural, and traditional knowledge into climate adaptation planning