LA CONNER, Wash. -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a Northwest Indian tribe a $700,000 grant to continue its groundbreaking work in preparing for climate change.
EPA Region 10 Administrator Dennis McLerran on Thursday congratulated Swinomish Chairman Brian Cladoosby for his tribes work in weaving together the science and culture of climate change in Native American communities.
The Swinomish climate change plan has become a blueprint for other tribes to prepare their people for higher tides, more severe storms and economic setbacks.
The Swinomish Reservation contains many cultural and economic features that are located near or at sea level. They have already witnesses flooding in areas that have never flooded before. And shellfish and salmon harvests have suffered steady declines.
Elder Larry Campbell, who helped design the plan, said they had to plan in a way that would honor the customs and culture of the tribe. It helped them establish priorities for which areas of the reservation to protect first and which could actually be moved to higher ground if necessary.
The effects of climate change are already being felt, but Chairman Cladoosby said they are not planning for current members - they are trying to protect future generations.
