Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

Communities, businesses, and individuals are taking action to document their vulnerabilities and build resilience to climate-related impacts. Click dots on the map to preview case studies, or browse stories below the map. Use the drop-down menus above to find stories of interest. To expand your results, click the Clear Filters link.

Ice damage to a camp near Golovin, Alaska

Addressing Links Between Climate and Public Health in Alaska Native Villages

As the environment changes, a public health group helps people understand—and build resilience to—climate change impacts on community health.

Photo of Gambell, Alaska, an Alaskan Native Village Corporation and a member of the Bering Sea Alliance, LLC

Alaska Native Villages Work to Enhance Local Economies as They Minimize Environmental Risks

As reduced sea ice conditions bring increased shipping and development opportunities to the Arctic, Alaska Native Village Corporations are at the table with resource developers, representing the interests of their people and land.

Alaskan Tribes Join Together to Assess Harmful Algal Blooms

Tribal communities in southeastern Alaska are partnering with federal and state agencies to investigate increasing frequency, duration, and extent of harmful algal blooms—events that pose human health risks to subsistence harvesters.

An Integrated Plan for Water and Long-Term Ecological Resilience

Recognizing their vulnerability to drought and climate change, federal, state, tribal, and local partners in Washington’s Yakima River Basin developed a comprehensive plan to meet their diverse needs for water into the future.

Standing man looking at a stand of trees in a forest

And the Trees Will Last Forever

In northern Wisconsin, tribal foresters from the Menominee Nation are working to speed regeneration of forest areas that have been treated for invasive diseases. Their efforts are also creating forests that are better adapted to future conditions.

Assessing the Timing and Extent of Coastal Change in Western Alaska

An interactive map based on four decades of satellite images helps residents, resource managers, and stewards of the land anticipate and plan for coastal change.

Aerial view of the Blue Lake Rancheria 500kW solar PV array within the Tribe’s community microgrid

Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe Undertakes Innovative Action to Reduce the Causes of Climate Change

Named a Climate Action Champion, this California tribal community is building community resilience as it undertakes mitigation action.

Building Resilience in the Face of Ocean Acidification

The Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward, Alaska, is collaborating with federal and academic partners to measure the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish—and develop possible adaptation strategies.

College of Menominee Nation's Sustainable Development Institute Builds Capacity for Tribal Climate Change Adaptation

The Institute—a regional service provider for many Tribal Nations—has developed a unique sustainable development model that incorporates traditional knowledges.

View of the Ruby Beach with large trees slightly obstructing the view. There are people exploring the beach which is filled with large rocks.

Community Leadership Paves the Way to Promising Erosion Treatment

A project that mimics aspects of cobble sand beaches virtually stopped the erosion of shoreline uplands in pilot studies aided by NOAA and Washington State’s coastal zone management program.

Landscape with a lake in the foreground and snow-covered mountains in the background

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: Applying the Values Taught by Our Ancestors

Incorporating elders’ wisdom in the process of systematically analyzing climate impacts and vulnerabilities in nine categories of tribal life prioritizes actions to take to enhance the evolution of an ancient culture, while protecting tribal traditions.

Defending in Place: Shaktoolik's Adaptation Plan Supports Local Decision Making

Faced with challenges that force some villages to relocate, three governing entities worked together to come up with a single plan to keep residents and buildings safe while a longer-term solution is developed.

Developing the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community developed their hazard mitigation plan with guidance from a framework for integrating Indigenous and traditional knowledge and practices into climate adaptation planning.

How Vulnerable Are Salmon to a Changing Climate?

Researchers in Washington's South Fork Nooksack River are seeking to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on water quality and salmon recovery—a process they hope can be replicated and scaled in other watersheds across the country.

Iñupiat Work to Preserve Food and Traditions on Alaska's North Slope

Residents of North Slope Borough, Alaska, look to solar-powered ice cellars and other strategies to preserve their traditional whaling lifestyle.

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Plans for Change on the Olympic Peninsula

With valuable cultural and dietary assets at risk from sea level rise, this Pacific Northwest Tribe developed a plan to identify community adaptation priorities and concerns, and charted a course of action to address them.

Looking to the Future on Alaska’s North Slope

As ice retreats and energy resources along Alaska's North Slope become more accessible, diverse stakeholders consider potential futures and develop a science-informed view of the implications of development in the region.

Mescalero Apache Tribe Adapts to a Warmer and Drier Climate

In the face of a changing climate, the Tribe is building capacity—and climate resilience—through forestry management, habitat protection, and an innovative approach to healthy eating.

Moving Forward Together: Building Tribal Resiliency and Partnerships

The four member tribes of the Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation collaborated on a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, resulting in a quantified assessment of their shared concerns and establishment of a common foundation for future adaptation efforts.

Photo of Dr. Hiza Redsteer and students on dunes

Navajo Nation: Hotter, Drier Climate Puts Sand Dunes on the Move

Sand dunes cover roughly one-third of the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Higher temperatures and lower precipitation totals projected for the region have researchers monitoring dune motion and considering solutions.

Our Spirits Remain Tied to This Land

The Puyallup Tribe conducted a climate change impact assessment for their ancestral lands along the Puyallup River and the coasts of Puget Sound—and improved tribal and regional adaptive capacity.

Preparing to Respond to Oil Spills in the Arctic

Increased activity in the Arctic means an increased risk of oil spills. Crews on annual scientific expeditions practice skills and test technologies to keep themselves prepared to respond.

Quinault Village of Taholah on the Pacific Coast, October 2009

Quinault Indian Nation Plans for Village Relocation

As the threats of tsunami and sea level rise are joined by real and potential climate impacts, the Quinault community looks to move the lower village of Taholah to higher ground.

Photo of young men trying to mitigate erosion near Kivalina, Alaska

Relocating Kivalina

Rising seas and coastal erosion are eating away at the barrier island on which the Alaska Native Village of Kivalina rests. Residents and others are making concerted efforts to move the community to safety.

Homeland of the Suquamish Tribe taken from Port Madison Bay

Suquamish Build Resilience to Ocean Acidification Through Education

Changing ocean chemistry could have a disastrous impact on shellfish and fisheries in Puget Sound. The Suquamish Tribe is working with partners to inform the public about this problem while they elicit support for research and monitoring the issue.

Fond du Lac Resource Management and Tribal Court Building

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Combine Mitigation with Capacity Building

This Minnesota tribal community—which subscribes to the Seven Generations philosophy—is taking action to reduce its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously building community capacity to adapt.

Controlled burn in the Klamath watershed

The Karuk’s Innate Relationship with Fire: Adapting to Climate Change on the Klamath

Members of the Karuk Tribe in northern California maintain that the age-old tradition of prescribed burning holds the answer to climate adaptation planning in the Klamath River range.

Lone Tree Point on the Swinomish Reservation, La Conner, Washington

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Prepares for Climate Change Impacts

From changes in traditional foods to concerns of displacement from rising seas, this coastal community in the Pacific Northwest is assessing potential impacts to make decisions for their future.

Cloudy sky over ocean and flat beach environment

Tribal Community Partners with Researchers to Monitor Food and Climate

Residents of a rural Alaska village are studying their environment to understand and protect their food. Their research partnership hires and trains students and local residents to contribute to high-quality research...and builds the capacity of the local workforce.

Image of drummers in a Salmon procession

Tulalip Tribes: Saving Their Sacred Salmon

People of the Salmon collaborate with farmers to ensure survival of their sacred fish.

Meandering river in Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Yukon Delta Villages Document Baseline Environmental Data

Students and community residents of four remote Alaskan villages measure environmental data to identify their climate vulnerabilities.