Robertson presents at Tribal Conference

During the last week of August, GSS Director Andy Robertson attended and presented at the National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) in St. Paul. This biennial conference convenes “knowledge holders on climate change and resilience efforts with an emphasis on the intersection, inclusion and honoring of Traditional and Indigenous Knowledges”. Robertson’s presentation was titled “Working with Tribal Communities to Build Wetland Program Capacity and Advance Tribal Wetland and Water Quality Assessment Programs”. It covered an ongoing collaboration between GSS and the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, or TAT) of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. GSS has been working with TAT to update wetland mapping for the reservation (see map below), identify potentially restorable wetlands, conduct a wetland functional assessment, and complete a wetland program plan. In addition to TAT, GSS has also worked on wetland projects with the Stockbridge-Munsee Band, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and the White Mountain Apache.

GSS is currently partnering with the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) on two EPA grants to provide training for tribal community staff on wetland programs and Clean Water Act programs. Over the next 6 years, NAWM and GSS will be offering webinars and in-person workshops, as well as developing web-based resources, to help build tribal program capacity.