Tribal Engagement News from NOAA NIDIS |
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As Summer Approaches and Fire Season Ramps Up, NIDIS Offers Drought Support for Tribal Nations |
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Drought is developing and intensifying in many areas across the United States. According to the May 22 U.S. Drought Monitor, 44% of the U.S. is experiencing Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions or is in some level of drought (D1-D4). As for tribal lands, numerous reservations in the Southwest and the Northern Plains are in Severe (D2) or Extreme (D3) drought. One impact of drought already occurring in several locations this spring is wildfire. Drought often creates conditions that increase wildfire risk. Wildfire outlooks are looking particularly concerning across parts of the West and Southeast U.S. this summer. Wildfires have already occurred in and around tribal lands this spring, such as the Turtle Mountain and Ft. Berthold Reservations in North Dakota, the Flathead Reservation in Montana, and the Fort Apache and San Carlos Apache Reservations in Arizona. Drought.gov displays interactive, customizable maps with drought-relevant data, and users can overlay tribal boundaries on every map on the website. For a quick look at seasonally-relevant maps with the tribal boundaries already overlaid, head to drought.gov/tribal where you can view the following: - Most recent weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map
- 30-day percent of normal precipitation
- Soil moisture conditions
- 28-day average streamflow
- Active large wildfires
- Air quality conditions
- 1-month drought outlook
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Reduce Your Wildfire Risk |
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Drought Conditions in Your Community |
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NIDIS’s Regional Drought Information |
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NIDIS supports drought early warning on a regional level through Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS)—regional networks of people that share information and coordinate actions to help communities in the region cope with drought. Each DEWS region has a coordinator, and NIDIS produces regional Drought Status Updates and webinars that provide timely drought and climate information. See below for information on each DEWS region and upcoming Drought Status Updates and webinars. Note that while not all areas of the U.S. are covered by a DEWS, we still support drought activities in those areas. If you are part of a Tribal Nation not covered by a DEWS and need information, please contact the NIDIS Tribal Coordinator, Crystal Stiles, at crystal.stiles@noaa.gov. |
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Keep Up With Current Conditions with Drought Status Updates |
Drought Status Updates provide in-depth information about regional drought conditions in NIDIS’s DEWS regions. NIDIS develops these updates with local partners to communicate current conditions driving drought in the region, drought impacts to communities, and forecasts about how drought will develop or improve in the future. NIDIS plans to issue a Drought Status Update for Pacific Northwest Tribal Nations the first week of June, which will be available on drought.gov when it is released. If you miss a Drought Status Update or webinar, not to worry – we archive them! Find past Drought Status Updates here and past webinars here. Recent Drought Status Updates: Get Drought Status Updates in your inbox Do you want to receive Drought Status Updates and webinar notifications in your inbox? You can sign up for any of NIDIS’s regional email lists! Or, to get automated drought updates for your specific location, sign up for local drought alert emails. Just enter your address, city, or zip code to receive emails when U.S. Drought Monitor conditions change for your location, or when NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center releases a new drought outlook, predicting whether drought will develop, worsen, persist, or improve. Sign up > |
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Upcoming Webinars in NIDIS Drought Early Warning System Regions |
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For more information on drought, explore the U.S. Drought Portal, www.drought.gov. For more information on drought that is specific to Tribal Nations, check out the tribal webpage at www.drought.gov/tribal. Have more questions? Reach out to the NIDIS Tribal Coordinator, Crystal Stiles. Email Crystal > |
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If you are not already subscribed to the NIDIS Tribal Engagement Listserv but would like to be, click the button below. |
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Indigenous experiences and perspectives of drought vary greatly across the United States, and to ensure the inclusion of these perspectives into the implementation of the Drought Early Warning Systems, NIDIS developed the NIDIS Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy: 2021–2025. The Strategy aims to integrate indigenous perspectives into NIDIS’s work, and by doing so, NIDIS hopes to foster a culturally appropriate engagement practice and work with tribal nations as equal partners in preparing for and responding to drought. For more information, contact Crystal Stiles, Tribal Engagement Coordinator, CIRES/NOAA/NIDIS |
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