Integrating Climate into Tribal Governance with the Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI)

CAP Team (s):

C3HE (Carolinas Collaborative on Climate Health and Equity)

Years Active (s):

2022 –

2026

Principal Investigator (s):

Jennifer Runkle

Co-Investigator (s):

Jennifer Runkle, Kathie Dello, Louie Rivers, Antonia Sebastian, Miyuki Hino, Max Cawley, Natasha Malmin

Project Supporters:

DOI Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs)

Project Contact:

kddello@ncsu.edu

State/Locations:

North Carolina

Research Partners:

DOI Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC)

End User / Practitioner Partners:

Local Community, Local Government, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities, Resource Managers, Tribes and Indigenous Groups

Deliverables:

Climate scenarios, mental modeling, communication and outreach, maps, oral histories, decision support tools, policy guidance, implementation strategies

Adaptation:

Advance understanding, Innovate services, products, and tools, Train professionals, Strengthen relationships & networks, Support knowledge exchange, Inform plans & policies, Evaluate / assess / learn from stakeholder efforts, Advance science policy

Categories:

adaptation, capacity, Diversity, Equity, Health, Justice, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Planning, Tribal

Geographic Scope:

Cherokee, NC/Qualla Boundary/Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Swain, Jackson Counties

Geographic Communities Benefited:

Qualla Boundary/Cherokee, Swain, Graham, Jackson, Haywood Counties in North Carolina

Non-Geographic Underserved Communities Benefited:

Tribal members and indigenous people

Through a partnership with the C3HE team, the EBCI aims to create adaptation strategies that will last the next seven generations as part of their 100 Year Vision for the future. The goal of this collaboration is to enhance the capacity of tribal leaders to plan, adapt, and respond to changing climatic conditions. C3HE and the Tribe entered into a 5-year formal agreement following the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding between NC State and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the passage of a formal tribal resolution in May 2022. The team has co-developed a Scope of Work for Year 1 Activities with key tribal leaders. Year 1 activities will involve listening to and learning from tribal government leaders and community members to answer: 1) What cultural, community, and environmental factors have helped the EBCI to remain resilient and thrive? 2) How does the EBCI envision resilience for the next seven generations? 3) What are potential threats and opportunities to ensure the health, economic, and environmental well-being of tribal members for many generations to come?

In June 2022 C3HE team will hold a series of community kickoff meetings with tribal leaders, council members, community club advisors, tribal elders, and other interested community members.

The team will scope regional-scale physical science analyses to explore current and future climate hazards (e.g., fire, flood, heat) and use that science to explore climate futures and move toward practical solutions. The ultimate outcome of the partnership is to identify and implement targeted action now to combat climate change and its economic, environmental, and health impacts. Results will directly inform the revamping of the 2012 EBCIs legacy plan and the development of a 21st century vision for climate action integrated as a cross-cutting theme across governmental sectors. While were only in the first year of a five year long partnership, we aim to move beyond developing a report that sits on the shelf and instead work closely with the tribe to co-develop an Indigenous model that elevates tribal knowledge, values, realities and priorities to address climate, health, and equity in WNC.