Abstract

This report synthesizes and presents the results of a planning process designed to help the Pala Band of Mission Indians more proactively prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Prior to this report, Pala assessed its vulnerability to climate change, which was summarized in its Vulnerability Assessment. The Vulnerability Assessment concluded thatelevated temperature, wildfire, storms and flooding, and drought present high-risk climate change exposures for Pala. Each of these exposures result in significant secondary exposures and impacts to Pala’s health, social, natural, and built environments, and is anticipated to threaten community assets and resources that are valued by tribal members and residents. The findings of the Vulnerability Assessment are summarized the section titled “Summary of Vulnerability Assessment Findings”.

As illustrated in Figure 1, a vulnerability assessment is the first major step in a community’s climate change adaptation strategy. The next major step typically involves developing an adaptation plan to determine how to implement strategies that address the vulnerabilities identified, build upon the tribe’s strengths and increase overall resilience. Pala opted to pursue this step and was awarded funding from the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) to complete a climate adaptation plan. In line with NIHB priorities, Pala’s planning process engaged tribal community members and key partners in increasing tribal resilience to climate change, including a unique focus on health, psychosocial, and cultural wellbeing (see description in Appendix B). This report presents the results of a community-driven planning process to determine how to address Pala’s key climate vulnerabilities, build upon Pala’s strengths, and improve overall community resilience through interventions known as adaptation strategies.

This Adaptation Plan identifies and organizes selected adaptation strategies, so they can be effectively implemented at Pala in the short (1-5 years), medium (6-10 years) and long (11- 20 years) term. Selected adaptation strategies include 37 existing strategies and 39 strategies that are proposed to be expanded upon or newly developed, which fall into the following six categories.

• Policy, Planning, and Land Use
• Community Engagement, Education, and Notification
• Infrastructure Improvement
• Data and Information Technology
• Operations Management
• Cross-agency Collaborations

This plan also proposes that the Adaptation Plan be evaluated annually and updated every 5 years.