Project Summary

GLISA worked with Adaptation International and provided the detailed climate information for the work with Boise Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the 1854 Treaty Authority. The collaboration utilized the best climate information available for historical trends and downscaled regional climate models for Northern Minnesota. The Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan investigated how changing climate conditions affected the landscape and species associated with the 1854 Ceded Territory and the respective reservations.

GLISA led the project’s effort of integrated climate information, and the team analyzed and compiled data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Climate Divisions and model projections provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Third National Climate Assessment. These data sets provided a narrative for the seasonal changes that have occurred from observations and will (potentially) occur based on the projections. The climatological results aided in the vulnerability assessment which focused on 30 categories including culturally significant species, groups of species, and habitats which were most likely to be impacted by the effects of a changing climate.