Indigenous Peoples' Climate Change Assessment
Fact Sheet Pacific Northwest Tribes

Map of the Pacific Coast in North America

Name of the Communities:

The Tribes of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of US and the Pacific Southwest of Canada (PSW)

Geographical Location:

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) of US and the Pacific Southwest of Canada (PSW) — the southern part of northwest North America or Salmon Nation — at approximately 40 x 55 latitude and 117 x 125 longitude — encompasses northern California, nw Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in the US (Idaho would probably qualify as well since its rivers drain into the Pacific Ocean); and southern British Columbia in Canada.

Ecosystem/biome:

There are two major biomes: Temperate Forest Biome and Arid Great Basin/Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe Biome. Ecosystems within the biomes are:

  1. Coastal Mountain mixed evergreen/conifer Forest (No. California and SW Oregon) Mediterranean Mountain Climate Zone (wet winters, dry summers)
  2. Coastal Mountain Conifer Forest (No. Oregon to So. BC)
  3. Interior Mountain mixed evergreen/conifer Forest (No. California and SW Oregon) Mediterranean Mountain climate Zone
  4. Interior Mountain Conifer Forest (No. Oregon to So. BC) Wet Mountain Climate Zone
  5. Southern Valley Grasslands (No. California and SW Oregon) Mediterranean Climate Zone
  6. Northern Valley Grasslands (No. Oregon) Wet Climate Zone
  7. Arid Great Basin/Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe (No. California, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, south central BC) Arid/Cold Basin and Range Climate Zone

Socioecological data:

Major Tribes of PNW and PSW (listed by Ecosystem number)

  1. Lower Klamath River: Wiyot, Yurok
    Smith River: Tolawa
    Rogue River: Tututni, Coquille
  2. Umpqua River: Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siusla
    Siletz River: Confederated tribes of Siletz (27 tribes), Grande Ronde
    Columbia River/Willapa Bay: Chinook, Tillamook, Shoalwater Bay
    Puget Sound/Olympic Peninsula: Chehalis, Suquamish, Puyallup, Tulalip, Federated Tribes, Makaw, Quinault, Quilieute, Lummi, Lower Elwa, Hoh, Nisqually, Muckelshoot, Nooksack, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, Aauk-Suiattle, Port Gamble, Upper Skagit, Swinomish, S’klallam
    Frazier River: Coast Salish (Squamish, Sechalt)
    Vancouver Island: Nu-chah-multin (Nootka), Kwakiuti, Coast Salish
    So. BC Coast: Haisla, Heiltsuk, Sto:lo Nation,
    Haida Gway: Islands: Haida
  3. Mid Klamath River: Hoopa, Karuk
    Mountains: Nor-Rel-Muk Wintun, Winnemum Wintun, Shasta, Takelma, Cow Creek Umpqua, Pit River, Mt. Maidu
  4. Transition-Mountains to Shrub-Steppe: Warm Springs, Umatilla, Yakama,
    Okanagan, Shuswap, Colville
    Idaho Mountains: Nez Perce
    Interior Mountains: Cariboo, Carrier Sekani, Carrier-Sekani, Gitxsan, Kootenay
    Fraser Canyon: Lillooet, Ktunaxa Kinbasket, Musgamagw Tsawataineuk, Nlaka’pamux Nuxalk, Lower Similkameen
  5. Valley Grasslands: Winnemum Wintun
  6. Valley Grasslands: Calapooya
  7. Shrub-Steppe: Modoc, Yahookin Paiute, Klamath, Fort Burns Paiute, Pyramid
    Lake Paiute, Fort Bidwell Paiute, Fort Independence Paiute, Cedarville
    Paiute, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Yakama, Colville, Walla Walla, Okanagan,
    Kamaloops, Coeur D’Alene, Spokane, Mt. Salish

The largest population concentrations in the Temperate Forest Biome are: Lower and Mid Klamath River Drainage (Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk), Puget Sound, Frazier River, Vancouver Island, and Haida Gway.

The largest population concentrations in the Arid Great Basin/Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe Biome are: Pyramid Lake, Klamath Lake, Warm Spring, Umatilla, Yakama, Colville, Okanagan

Populations in these areas are relatively low, probably averaging just a few thousand in each place.

Major livelihoods in the Temperate Forest Biome are: logging (reduced), fishing (all but disappearing), construction and other mostly manual work in towns and cities , non-timber product gathering (berries, evergreen laurels, beargrass, submerch poles, bioregeneration from forest slash, etc), casino work, and per capita tribal member income, tourism and recreation.

Major livelihoods in the Arid Great Basin/Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe are: ranching, farming, some logging, some fishing, manual trades in towns and cities, casino work and per capita tribal member income, tourism and per capita tribal member income, non-timber products.

Current Climate Trends:

Temperate Forest Biome

O.7° C warming of last century in addition to poor landcare practices have contributed to the following ecological problems:

  1. Loss of up to 50% of mountain glaciers and greatly reduced snowpack
  2. Rain has replaced snow in autumn and snowmelt now occurs earlier in season, resulting in two-month shorter winter snow season and in a longer forest fire season due to early drying of fuels.
  3. Longer dry season has increased both the intensity and frequency of major fires, causing more reproductive cycles of forest pests like bark beetles (from two to 4 or 5 cycles). This in turn kills drought-stressed forest conifers which then are more vulnerable to fire. An overabundance of small tree and brush regrowth following forest fires is putting stress on larger mature trees and causing massive water loss through evapotranspiration while leading to loss of once perennial springs, wetlands, and streams (that are now ephemeral). Long periods of smoke affect air quality and aggravate asthma and respiratory problems.
  4. Increasing frequency and intensity of forest fires favors invasion by exotic plants while favoring novel suites of animal species due to radically changed habitat conditions.
  5. Compaction of forest soils due to poor logging practices (e.g. clearcutting with cat-tractors and exposure to increased sunlight and drying winds), causing precipitation to flow downslope on ground surfaces instead of infiltrating soils and replenishing groundwater or providing underground-cooled water to streams, thereby degrading aquatic habitat and fisheries.
  6. Loss of quality aquatic habitat coupled with siltation of salmon spawning places, lack of mature streamside vegetation for shading during summer hot spells, and warming water due to atmospheric warming has dramatically increased disease epidemics for fish that have lowered disease-resistance due to poorer aquatic habitat. Dams on most of our rivers have exacerbated already degraded fish aquatic habitat by increasing algae growth that deprives fish of adequate oxygen levels in dry season (a massive die-off of 70,000 Coho salmon occurred several years ago at the mouth of the Klamath River). Wild fish stocks are going extinct while others are listed as endangered (e.g. only 300 salmon were harvested last year in the Klamath River). Dams divert water to agriculture and municipalities which keep downstream water levels too low in dry years, causing fish die-offs.
  7. Warming North Pacific Ocean waters and absorption of CO2 is causing acidification which in turn is reducing calcium needed for fish bone development as well as reducing shell thickness for shellfish. In fact, the entire northern Oregon coast is now considered a “dead zone” due to warming waters and rampant algae growth from excessive nutrient runoff from dairies and agriculture.
  8. Rapid water runoff and loss of riparian and estuarine habitat are decreasing the filtering capacity for toxins. This is affecting fish and other aquatic life.
  9. The net effect of all of the above is a loss of 1/3 of groundwater, most fisheries, and range shifts in plant and animal species (northward and upper elevation movements), and increase of disease pathogens.
  10. Indian cultures and livelihoods in the US PNW and Canadian PSW are very dependent on fish, eels, and shellfish of all kinds. Moreover, there are health concerns due to much reduced nutrition from lack of a diet of marine and freshwater species (e.g. Lower and mid Klamath River tribes now average 5 pounds of fish per year compared to 150-200 pounds historically per person). Poverty is now increasing as well. Lack of culturally, economically, and spiritually important aquatic and terrestrial species increases the migration of tribal people to cities in order to find work. This in turn weakens cultural ties to the land and reduces the potential for traditional landcare practices.

Arid Great Basin/Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe Biome

In addition to problems of snow pack and groundwater loss (2/3 loss predicted by 2050) and its effects on water quantity/quality, important species and Indian livelihoods as described above for the Temperate Forest Biome, climate change is causing ecological problems peculiar to the Shrub-Steppe Biome:

  1. Pyramid Lake (Nevada) is experiencing reduced water levels which is affecting fisheries (e.g. Lahonton trout which is both an important cultural and spiritual fish species).
  2. Warmer temperatures and longer dry seasons are contributing to an increase in fires that kill sagebrush-a keystone species for sage grouse and other wildlife - which in turn promotes invasions by exotic cheatgrass that is highly flammable and is spread by fire. The increase in cheatgrass increases the likelihood of fires in an ever-increasing positive feedback cycle at the expense of native plants.
  3. Warming is increasing infestations of Mormon crickets, which affect rangelands and croplands that many tribes are dependent on for livelihoods (colder temperatures kill over-wintering larvae).
  4. Air quality problems are resulting from the increasing number of dry lake beds that contribute to dust storms. (e.g. Honey Lake and Winnemucca Lakes). Increased numbers of major fires create smoke, degrading air quality. This aggravates asthma and respiratory problems.
  5. Lowering water tables are initiating water wars that the arid Western US is famous for (e.g. increase of water rights purchased by developers, municipalities and big corporate agriculture at the expense of tribes and native vegetation).
  6. Crop and rangeland production is lowered by drier climate.

Focus of Assessment:

The assessment should focus on places most vulnerable to and currently affected by climate change. These places should be representative of important ecosystems in the two major biomes. Also, select communities rely on a variety of livelihoods. There will be a focus on: tribes that still possess at least some Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and whether existing and/or restored traditional knowledge is adequate to address climate change; and whether Western science/technology is needed to complement TEK; intertribal watershed/regional networks that IPCCA can partner with in addressing climate change, including Indigenous climate change assessments underway by the Congress of American Indians and The American Indian and Native Alaskan climate Change Working Group; partnerships with academic institutions where appropriate; empowering communities to use their own Traditional Knowledge and values in making assessments; sharing knowledge and experiences with climate change between communities-particularly in similar biomes or ecosystems; influencing UNPFII, UNFCCC, CBD, IPCC, MEA, and other global institutions, assessments, and networks. This should be a secondary focus, with community assessments receiving top priority; and finding funding sources to leverage existing funds.

Coastal Mountain forest

Coastal Mountain mixed evergreen/conifer forest-Mid-Klamath River-showing a river with few salmon remaining due to climate change and dams

High Country of eastern Basin and Range Mountains

High Country of eastern Basin and Range Mountains suffering from reduced snowpack due to climate change