Climate change is here and occurring today.

Indigenous people retain their connection to the land, water, and natural resources with deep understanding of climate change impacts as a result of experiencing multi-year droughts, annual precipitation deficiencies, and average temperature increases. Those impacts are affecting important cultural and ecological events like when salmon return and the harvest seasons for the roots and berries.

National, state, and local governments are moving to implement Green Energy projects to offset the reliance on fossil fuels, with many of these Green Energy projects planned on very culturally sensitive lands to Tribal Nations. How will non-Tribal agencies and governments proceed with the Green Energy movement with the Tribes’ resources at risk?

Elaine Harvey is a tribal member of Yakama Nation and has been a fisheries biologist for the past 16 years with the tribal fisheries program. She recently accepted the Hyrdo Systems Oversight Coordinator position at Yakama Nation Fisheries and is also a doctoral student at the University of Idaho’s Natural Resource Program.