Drought Preparedness for Tribes in the Four Corners Region Workshop - Workshop Report

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), and the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), hosted a workshop at the USGS Flagstaff Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, on April 8-9, 2010, to begin the process of developing a drought early warning system for the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest. Approximately 40 participants attended, representing a broad spectrum of groups concerned about drought and climate change in the region: the Hopi Tribe, the Hualapai Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BoR), the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), the National Weather Service, the USGS, the Western Water Assessment (WWA), NDMC, NIDIS, and CLIMAS.

Two overarching workshop objectives guided the discussion: identifying critical information and data needs and developing a knowledge network.