Tribal Nations Advance Climate Resilience Through Restoration and Renewable Energy
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The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are implementing a long-standing climate action plan, including restoring whitebark pine forests and developing renewable energy, despite shifting state and federal policies. Tribal climate coordinator Mike Durglo Jr. is also assisting other tribes in the region to develop their own resilience projects. This summer, the Tribes are opening clean air centers on their reservation.
Facts First
- The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are propagating whitebark pine trees to regrow fungus-resistant seedlings after half the population died.
- The Tribes received a $20 million grant from the Biden-era Solar for All program for renewable energy development, though the program was later canceled.
- Three 'clean air centers' will open on the reservation this summer as part of a broader air quality monitoring initiative.
- Tribal climate coordinator Mike Durglo Jr. has assisted multiple tribes in creating climate plans, including the Blackfeet Nation.
- The U.S. government returned management of the National Bison Range to the Tribes in 2022.
What Happened
Mike Durglo Jr., climate change coordinator for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), wrote one of the first tribal climate action plans in the United States over 15 years ago. The Tribes are now actively implementing projects from that plan. Their Department of Forestry Nursery is propagating whitebark pine trees by harvesting cones from healthy trees to regrow seedlings, responding to a population decline of over half since the 1990s. The Tribes also received a $20 million grant from the Biden-era Solar for All program for renewable energy development. This summer, they are opening three 'clean air centers' across their 1.2-million-acre Flathead Indian Reservation.
Why this Matters to You
If you live in or near the Flathead Indian Reservation, you may benefit from improved local air quality monitoring and access to clean air centers during poor air quality events. The Tribes' work on forest restoration and renewable energy could contribute to regional ecosystem health and energy stability. For residents of other tribal nations in Montana and surrounding states, the collaborative workshops led by Durglo may lead to similar climate resilience projects in your community, such as the Blackfeet Nation's plan to reintroduce beavers and engineer water-retention structures.
What's Next
The CSKT's climate action plan includes ongoing projects for wind energy development, water conservation, and ecosystem restoration. Durglo and Gerald Wagner, director of the Blackfeet Environmental Office, are meeting with other tribes this summer to prioritize climate projects and identify joint funding opportunities. The opening of the three clean air centers on the CSKT reservation is a concrete next step for this summer.