Native Waters on Arid Lands

Our Work: Project Overview

Climate resilience is the capacity to adapt or respond effectively to change in the face of extreme climate events. The goal of the Native Waters on Arid Lands project is to increase the climate resilience of tribal agriculture and water resources on American Indian lands of the Great Basin and Southwest.

Climate change predictions for the Great Basin and Southwestern U.S. include decreased water availability, extended droughts, changes in precipitation amounts and timing, reduced surface water availability, declining groundwater supplies, and warmer temperatures — all of which may create challenges for agricultural producers.

Because of close cultural and economic ties to natural resources, geographic remoteness, and economic challenges, some say that American Indian agriculturalists will be some of the most vulnerable populations to climate change. Native Waters on Arid Lands asks the question, “What can tribal farmers and ranchers do to adapt?”

The Native Waters on Arid Lands project area includes Native American reservations in the Great Basin and American Southwest. Of the 28 tribes/reservations located within the study area, the Native Waters on Arid Lands team selected a diverse group of nine tribal partners for in-depth study. The nine tribes/reservations are:

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
Navajo Nation
Hopi Tribe
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley
Colorado River Indian Tribes
Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah and Ouray
Zuni Tribe
Walker River Tribe
Gila River Tribe

In this project, a multi-state, multidisciplinary team of researchers and extension experts works with tribal producers and governments to address water availability for sustainable agriculture on American Indian reservations in the Great Basin. Objectives of the Native Waters program fall into three categories: Research, outreach, and evaluating resiliency.

Research Objectives

Analyze water availability on tribal land under different climate scenarios
Evaluate agricultural water rights policies
Assess costs and benefits of using Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) tools
Gather traditional knowledge about ecological, agricultural, and sociocultural changes due to past/present climate events

Outreach Objectives

Educate, communicate and work with tribal communities to enhance understanding of the impacts to water resources and agriculture from extreme climate events
Host an annual Tribal Summit and regular on-reservation meetings with tribal members
Collaboratively design and deploy an information portal for tribes to share and access project information

Objectives for Evaluating Resiliency

Identify water systems infrastructure limitations
Conduct cost/benefit analyses for water management improvements
Identify policy, economic, and societal barriers to enhancing resiliency of water and agriculture
Increase tribal capacity to adapt and respond to a range of climate scenarios

Funding for this project is provided by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Visit Native Waters on Arid Lands's full web site

News Articles, Fact Sheets, Reports...
Assessing Tribal College Priorities for Enhancing Climate Adaptation on Reservation Lands This study was designed to assess the priorities for enhancing climate adaptation on reservation lands. It summarizes the results of an assessment implemented at the 2016 Annual First Americans Land-Grant Consortium Conference. The study represents 25 of the 37 tribal colleges and universities in the US. Fillmore, H.M., Singletary, L., and Phillips, J. 2018, Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, April 2018, 163: 64-78
Climate data and information needs of indigenous communities on reservation lands: insights from stakeholders in the Southwestern United States. This study provides empirical evidence specific to the climate adaptation needs of Indigenous community in the arid southwestern USA. Study respondents prioritize climate information and data that serve to assess local climate change impacts, enhance food security, and integrate and protect the traditional knowledge. Fillmore, H. and Singletary, L. 2021, Climatic Change, 169(37)
Climate Resilient Tribal Waters Stakeholder Perspectives on Climate Information and Data Needs to Enhance the Resiliency of Water Resources on Reservation Lands in the Southwestern United States Fillmore, H. & Singletary, L. 2021, Extension \| University of Nevada, Reno \| SP-21-04
Reclaimed Water: Uses and Definitions Reclaimed water is commonly defined as treated municipal wastewater that is able to be used again, a practice known as water reuse. Municipal water reuse in the United States occurs mostly in California, Florida, Arizona and Texas; but it is growing in other states, including Nevada. Ormerod, K.J., Redman, S., and Singletary, L. 2020, Extension I University of Nevada, Reno FS-20-34
Tribes and Indigenous Peoples Climate change threatens Indigenous peoples' livelihood & economies, including agriculture, hunting & gathering, fishing, forestry, energy, recreation, & tourism enterprises. The economies rely on, but face institutional barriers to their self-determined management of water, land and other natural resources. Jantarasami, L.C., Novak, R., Delgado, R., Marino, E., McNeeley, S., Narducci, C., Singletary, L., Raymond-Yakoubian, J., & Rowys Whyte, K. 2018, Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, & B.C. Stewart (Eds.), Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II. Washington, DC: US Global Change Research Program, pp. 572–603.
Walker River Indian Reservation: Community Needs and Issues This fact sheet contains information on the needs and issues of the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation. Learn about the survey conducted to find the community risk factors and law and order code. Emm, S. 2006, Extension \| University of Nevada, Reno, FS-06-62