This August's California Adaptation Forum will feature two panel sessions led by Climate Science Alliance team members and close partners. Join us on day 2 of the Forum for “Collaborating with Tribes on TK/TEK Climate Change Research” and “Advancing Tribal Climate Stewardship of All Ancestral Lands”!
The Climate Science Alliance is proud to attend and participate in the 2023 California Adaptation Forum as Forum supporters and panel session speakers. Alliance team members and close partners will present at two sessions, “Collaborating with Tribes on TK/TEK Climate Change Research” and “Advancing Tribal Climate Stewardship of All Ancestral Lands”, on the second day of the Forum.
Learn more about each session below—we hope to see you there!
Collaborating with Tribes on TK/TEK Climate Change Research
Track: Actionable Science • August 1st 2:30-3:30pm • Sheraton Fairplex
The California Climate Change Assessment (Assessment) occurs every five years and produces climate research relevant to CA. Previous Assessments have relied on Western science and academia to inform climate change research. The current Assessment team is aware there are additional knowledge systems that bring great value to our understanding of Climate Change impacts, can be supported through the Assessment, and hopefully lead us to work towards a resilient future together. Traditional knowledge (TEK) is an Indigenous, generational, and placed based knowledge system within Indigenous communities and is attributed to how Indigenous communities have sustainably co-existed with this land. The Assessment’s Tribal Research Program is collaborating with Tribes to better understand the States’ role in supporting and elevating Tribal expertise and TEK. Using the Assessment’s Tribal Research Program, we will explore ways to collaborate with Tribes on TK/TEK with climate research and better understand the State’s role in this work.
Moderator: Patricia Kennedy CA Governor's Office of Planning and Research, CA Climate Tribal Program Manager
Speaker: Connor Magee Climate Science Alliance, Data and Research Applications Lead Pala Band of Mission Indians
Advancing Tribal Stewardship of All Ancestral Lands
Track: People Power • August 1st 3:45-4:45pm • Sheraton Fairplex
A continuous dialogue between Indigenous-led traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and the ecological sciences circled in the scholarly, academic realm has been a historical challenge and as a result, the continuous coproduction of knowledge between these groups is rare. To fully understand climate change impacts in Southern California’s terrestrial ecosystems, decolonizing academic sciences through the prioritization of Indigenous voices and the inclusion of social and environmental justice components is essential. This session will outline a specific approach to building climate and community resilience and serves as an example of how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into climate science. The work presented brings together the knowledge systems of Southern California Tribes and academic research through meaningful engagement and rigorous capacity-building training sessions.
Moderator: Paula Sternberg Rodríguez Climate Science Alliance, Science Program Manager
Speakers:
Althea Walker Climate Science Alliance, Co-Director & Community Resilience Lead
Angela Mooney D'arcy Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, Founder and Executive Director
Megan Jennings San Diego State University–Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management, Co-director
Will Madrigal Climate Science Alliance, Tribal Capacities Manager
The Climate Science Alliance is a Sponsor Leader for the California Adaptation Forum, a biennial event that gathers the adaptation community to foster knowledge exchange and innovation to create equitable and resilient communities throughout the state.
The 2023 California Adaptation Forum is taking place on Tongva and Kizh (Gabrielino) homelands, who are the original communities of this land. The Los Angeles region remains home to the Tataviam (Fernandeño) Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano), Chumash, Acjachemen (Juaneño) Ìvilyu’atem (Cahuilla), Payómkawichum (Luiseno), and innumerable other Indigenous communities.