Salmonid Restoration Federation and California Indian Environmental Alliance Receive NOAA Fisheries “Tribal Capacity and Climate Resilience” Award to Support California North Coast Tribes Fisheries Restoration & Climate Resilience 

Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) and California Indian Environmental Alliance (CIEA) are thrilled to announce that the California North Coast Tribal Capacity and Climate Resilience Project has been awarded through the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This is landmark legislation to advance climate resilience and tribal participation in watershed recovery efforts.

The goal of this project is to increase tribal capacity for California’s North Coast tribes through climate vulnerability and tribal needs assessments; specialized technical education trainings; technical assistance, and increased tribal participation in restoration planning efforts. An additional long-term goal is to build support for watershed restoration projects by offering project development support and facilitating connections between funding opportunities and initiatives that could directly benefit tribal communities.

This project provides opportunities for tribal-led, peer-to-peer learning, technical support, and resource sharing to develop customized, actionable work plans. It will advance tribal participation in restoration project development, provide equitable compensation to encourage tribal participation, and offer technical training tailored to the express needs of the tribes in this project area, which spans from Western Sonoma County to the Oregon border.

Project Partners include Salmonid Restoration Federation, which produces the largest salmon and watershed restoration conference in California and regional technical education trainings, as well as the California Indian Environmental Alliance. CIEA has years of advocacy and technical experience and will take the lead in supporting tribes with climate assessments and adaptation plans. Sherri Norris (CIEA’s founder and Executive Director) clarifies that this tribally-run “organization does not speak for California Indian Tribes, rather; they empower Indigenous Peoples of California to advocate on their own behalf and seeks to open spaces where that is possible. Their strategy integrates watershed and regional approaches and is respectful of the knowledge and lifestyles of Indigenous People.”

Contacts: Dana Stolzman, Executive Director, Salmonid Restoration Federation (707) 923-7501 Sherri Norris, Executive Director, California Indian Environmental Alliance (510) 848-2043