Drought can occur anywhere in the world and ignores borders between states and nations. Indian reservations, particularly in the Southwest, are often especially susceptible to drought and even small changes in precipitation totals can induce drought conditions. NIDIS’s mission is to develop a Drought Early Warning System that will serve to identify areas that are experiencing drought or are about to and to evaluate the severity of this drought. The subsistence farming and hunting that many Native Americans still practice can be adversely affected by dry conditions and being able to diagnose an area as being in a state of drought as early as possible allows for actions to be taken to mitigate the damages that come with this.
TRIBES IN NIDIS NEWSLETTERS
- Collaboration on the Wind River (pdf)
- Gathering Engages Tribes, Scientists, Local and National Organizations (pdf)
- No ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Solution (pdf)
- How to Help a Community Develop a Drought Impacts Reporting System (pdf)
- Four Corners Face Changing Climate (pdf)
NIDIS TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
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Kansas Tribes Meet on Extreme Events, Drought Resiliency – November 21, 2014, Kansas City, Missouri
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Extreme Events and Drought Resiliency – September 17-18, 2014, Rapid City, South Dakota
- Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Planning & Inter-Governmental Coordination – October 5-6, 2010, Boulder, Colorado
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Drought Preparedness for Tribes in the Four Corners Region (pdf) – April 8-9, 2010, Flagstaff, Arizona
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Climate Change, Drought and Early Warning on Western Native Lands – June 8-10, 2009, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
GET INVOLVED WITH COCORAHS!
CoCoRaHS, an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, is a non-profit, community based network of individuals 
across the country who take daily precipitation measurements in their area and report these findings. These measurements are an important component of the US Drought Monitor and aid in identifying areas that are experiencing drought and evaluating how severe it is. Tribal reservations often contain fewer weather monitoring stations than off reservation, making your involvement with CoCoRaHS even more important in identifying drought conditions in your area. This image of weather monitoring stations throughout Arizona shows a steep drop off on reservation land.