Office of Tribal Relations
Office of Tribal Relations
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The USGS Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) builds partnerships between the USGS and Native American and Alaska Native governments, tribal organizations, and other federal agencies to help the USGS meet its mission of conducting gold-standard scientific research in order to describe and understand our planet’s natural systems and resources, and by doing so, enhance and protect our quality of life.
Tribal Liaison Team
The Liaison Team represents each USGS region/geographic area, scientific mission area, and the bureau as a whole; building and strengthening partnerships with other federal agencies, universities, and numerous tribes throughout the United States.
Meet the TeamFeature Stories
Feature Stories and highlights on USGS work in partnership with Native American tribal governments, tribal communities, and much more.
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TESNAR 2020 Awardees
USGS Technical training in Support of Native American Relations (TESNAR) makes funds available to support USGS employees to design and conduct technical training for staff of tribal governments or organizations. The purpose of the program is to strengthen the technical capacity of tribes for managing tribal natural resources and build on networks between the USGS and tribal governments.
TESNAR 2019 Awardees
USGS Technical training in Support of Native American Relations (TESNAR) makes funds available to support USGS employees to design and conduct technical training for staff of tribal governments or organizations. The purpose of the program is to strengthen the technical capacity of tribes for managing tribal natural resources and build on networks between the USGS and tribal governments.
Water is Life for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
For the Swinomish people of northwestern Washington, water is life. But this symbiotic relationship between man and nature has been disrupted, and increasingly threatened, by sea-level rise and changes in Northwestern storm and rainfall patterns.
Publications
Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA
This report provides the best estimates of riparian area evapotranspiration (ET) on the rivers and streams of the Navajo Nation by (1) quantifying the natural riparian vegetation water use within the Little Colorado River watershed using a literature search for comparable riparian ET estimates, and (2) in conjunction with the given area of stream-...
Nagler, Pamela L.Meeting the challenge: U.S. Geological Survey North Atlantic and Appalachian Region fiscal year 2020 in review
The utilization, preservation, and conservation of the Nation’s resources requires well-informed management decisions. The North Atlantic and Appalachian Region (NAAR) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports science-based decision making for Federal, State, and local policymakers to meet the challenges of today and into the future. The...
Hydrogeologic characterization of the Hualapai Plateau on the western Hualapai Indian Reservation, northwestern Arizona
This study was developed to assess if groundwater from the western Hualapai Plateau could be used to supply developments in the Grand Canyon West area of the Hualapai Indian Reservation and to collect hydrogeologic data for future use in a numerical groundwater model for the reservation. Ground-based geophysical surveys; existing well, spring, and...
Mason, Jon P.; Macy, Jamie P.; Bills, Donald J.; Gungle, Bruce W.; Jones, Casey J.