Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $1.95 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to support tribal resilience to drought. 

The funding supports four projects led by tribal nations that own lands within the American West, including the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington, the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that tribal communities face unique drought challenges that require customized approaches, tools and data,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of NOAA’s work to support tribal nations facing increasing droughts, we’re funding programs that integrate Indigenous Knowledge and cultural, and medicinal and spiritual values.” 

According to the latest figures from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the U.S. has sustained 400 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters since 1980, including 31 billion-dollar drought events. These new funds will support projects by tribal nations to help understand and mitigate drought impacts to the land, water supplies, traditional foods and cultural practices. 

To effectively address tribal needs as mandated by the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) (NIDIS) Public Law, NIDIS and partners developed the NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy: 2021-2025 in consultation with tribal partners. The new funding addresses needs identified in this strategy. 

“NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System supports enhancing drought resilience with tribal partners in the West,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “We are pleased to provide funds to support drought planning and risk mitigation, helping tribal communities prepare for and manage the impacts of drought.”

The projects will address key needs of tribal nations and communities:

• Identification and mitigation of current and future drought impacts on the water supply of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe and ecological functioning of the Snoqualmie River. 
• Development of a drought contingency plan for the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, including conservation of sweetgrass, a culturally important wetland plant which can help build resilience to drought.
• Improved drought monitoring, forecasting and resilience for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to include the development of a comprehensive long-term drought monitoring and resilience plan.
• Investigation of information and tools needed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to maintain a sustainable water supply on their reservation to include groundwater modeling and the feasibility of aquifer recharge.  

The projects are crucial to these tribal nations building resilience to drought conditions and, where appropriate, the outcomes and lessons learned will be shared with tribal nations and communities across the West. 

Find more information about these projects at NOAA’s Climate Program Office website.

NIDIS, authorized in 2006, is a multi-agency partnership that coordinates drought monitoring, forecasting, planning and information at national, state and local levels across the country. NIDIS aims to help the nation move to an increasingly proactive approach to understand and manage drought risks and impacts, and to improve long-term drought resilience.

Visit NOAA’s Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities. Visit the NIDIS webpage to learn more about current and future NIDIS competitions. 

Climate, weather and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.