The USET Office of Environmental Resource Management presents the
2024 USET Tribal Climate Resilience Camp

United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), in partnership with the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (SE CASC), will convene a Tribal Climate Resilience Camp this year and will support teams representing USET Member Tribal Nations to attend the camp. Participating teams can be comprised of Tribal Leaders, climate change coordinators, planners, program managers, and/or community members with a goal to gather information, build skills, and develop Tribal policies and plans to address climate change impacts. This year’s participants are encouraged to bring specific climate adaptation objectives and/or projects to focus and work on, and to make headway on resiliency plans. Such projects may include community outreach plans, adaptation plans, vulnerability assessments, funding strategies, or other related initiatives.  USET’s Climate Camp staff, facilitators, and guest speakers will support participants to further develop specific climate adaptation objectives and/or projects. Accordingly, interested USET Member Tribal Nations and their teams should apply early to allow USET to prepare and ensure resources and facilitators are available to fit each project.

When: June 10-14, 2023

• June 10 | 5:00 pm Eastern (Suggested travel day and kick-off dinner)
• June 11 – 13 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern each day
• June 14 | 8:00 am Eastern (Breakfast and departure)

Where: The Avila Center, 711 Mason Rd., Durham, NC 27712
Reservations will be made for attendees when they register for the camp.

Who should attend: This year we are encouraging Tribal Nations to bring with them, to the camp, specific climate adaptation objectives and/or projects to focus on, work on, and make headway on during the week. So, ideal candidates to comprise a Tribal Nation’s team for this year’s camp would be any individual connected to those objectives or projects. USET’s Climate Camp staff, facilitators, and guest speakers will all be on hand to support you, whether you’re working alone or as a team, to begin making progress on those specific climate adaptation objectives and/or projects.

We recognize that some Tribal Nations may only be able to send one participant to the Camp. These “Teams” of one are still encouraged to register and attend and will be grouped with other individual participants to benefit from peer learning and discussion opportunities.

Prospective attendees are encouraged to view a brief video (below) on the camp held in the traditional homelands of the Wabanaki at the Schoodic Institute. This camp was hosted by the Penobscot Nation.

Camp Objectives:

• Learn examples of Tribal climate adaptation planning.
• Identify climate adaptation resources from climate adaptation science centers.
• Build camaraderie with your Tribal Nation team.
• Discuss how climate adaptation can align with the values and priorities of your Tribal Nation/community.
• Create a strategy to engage your Tribal Nation/community in climate adaptation planning.
• Bring with you a climate adaptation objective or a climate adaptation/resilience project to focus on, work on, and make headway on with a team of dedicated camp facilitators to help and support you all week!

Agenda at-a-glance

Register

Registration is open. There is no fee for registration. Space is limited (~30 Tribal participants), and limited spots will be appointed on a first come first serve basis. We recommend teams register by Friday, April 26.

Travel Information

Meals and lodging for Tribal Nation teams at the Avila Retreat Center will be covered by the program. Tribal Nation teams, however, are responsible for covering all travel costs getting to and from the event (including but not limited to airfare, airport parking, mileage, per diem, car rental or other expenses on travel days).  Teams or individuals from federally recognized Tribal Nations may request stipends for travel reimbursement. The Raleigh Durham International Airport is about 24 miles from the Avila Center. Travel options to and from the airport and Avila center could include taxis, rideshare, or vehicle rental. If limited by travel funding, please contact the USET camp coordinators. We will have a limited number of travel stipends on a first come first serve basis.

COVID Protocols 

The USET Tribal Epidemiology Center (USET TEC) is a recognized public health authority supported by the Tribal Nations within the USET region. Throughout the course of the COVID pandemic, we have relied on their expertise to guide us to ensure for the overall safety, health, and wellness for our members, staff, and event attendees. As the impacts of COVID have evolved, we have continued to assess our protocols to ensure that they remain reflective of the current status of the pandemic.

Currently (as of 04/17/2023, subject to change), USET is no longer requiring proof of vaccination to attend USET-sponsored meetings. A supply of masks and tests will be made available for attendees to use at their discretion.

Contact:

For questions, please contact the USET OERM Climate Program: Casey Thornbrough, Climate Program Manager, at cthornbrugh@usetinc.org; Steph Courtney, Assistant Tribal Climate Science Liaison, scourtney@usetinc.org; Tyler Everett, Tribal Forest Adaptation Technical Assistant, teverett@usetinc.org.