NASA Hosts Native Peoples Workshop To Study Climate Change

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a second national strategies workshop to 
examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather variability 
on native peoples and their homelands. The workshop, which will study 
the impacts from an indigenous cultural, spiritual and scientific 
perspective, will take place Nov. 18 - 21 at the Mystic Lake Casino 
Hotel in Prior Lake, Minn. 

"This workshop will bring native indigenous knowledge together with 
science, education, and technologies to address the challenges of 
climate and environmental change," said Nancy Maynard of NASA's 
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. 

The workshop will help ensure participation by tribal colleges and 
universities in the development of response and adaptation policies 
and recommendations regarding climate change. The goal is to ensure 
the survival of indigenous communities. The workshop is being held in 
collaboration with the nation's 36 tribally-controlled colleges and 
universities, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and 
other partners. 

"Tribal college students represent many of the future tribal leaders 
who will inherit the consequences of climate change and be 
responsible for implementing the adaptation strategies," said Dan 
Wildcat of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. "It is 
critical that they have these kinds of opportunities to participate 
in key climate change discussions and build their science, 
technology, engineering and math skills." 

For more information about the workshop, including registration 
information, visit: 



http://www.nativepeoplesnativehomelands.org 

 Sonja Alexander 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1761 
sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov