The Climate Science Alliance is grateful to the leadership and team at the Pala Band of Mission Indians for hosting our June Tribal Working Group, where we met to discuss updates, current projects, and shared invitations to collaborate.
At the end of June, the Climate Science Alliance team and Tribal Working Group members met at the Pala Fire Department Training Room for a packed morning agenda. The meeting was held both in-person and virtually, offering the opportunity for more people to be included in the conversation.
The meeting opened with a blessing from Pala Tribal Member and Elder Eric Ortega and a welcome from the Climate Science Alliance team. New Alliance team members, Nizhoni Tallas and Audrey Carver were introduced to the Tribal Working Group, followed by general updates on training and projects.
The Alliance shared funding opportunities and provided time for partners to share what they do and their support for Tribal communities. This included representation from Tribal relations, a discussion on forest fire prevention/training, and topics on tribal climate change impacts. Invited guest speakers from the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the University of California Cooperative Extension shared resources and answered inquiries from the group.
We look forward to our next meeting, which will occur virtually at the end of July!
For more information about the Tribal Working Group, please visit: https://www.climatesciencealliance.org/tribal-working-group