About the Northeast indigenous climate resilience network (NICRN)
The Northeast Indigenous Climate Resilience Network (NICRN) is a network that engages numerous Tribes, inter-Tribal organizations, and scientific partners who generously support climate resilience work, including the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) at the College of Menominee Nation (CMN), Department of Interior's Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (NE CASC), Sustainable Climate Risk Management (SCRiM), Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA) and the Timnick Chair and National Science Foundation funded programming at Michigan State University (MSU). A more detailed list can be found under our partners page.
Geographical Scope – The “Northeast,” includes the Great Lakes and the Northeastern coastal regions, and is home to numerous Tribal Nations such as the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Haudenosaunee Nations in New York and the Meskwaki Nation in Iowa, and extends to the Atlantic coast, including at the southeastern end the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and on the northeastern end the Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Tribe. The “Northeast,” includes the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Missouri, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
Geographical Scope – The “Northeast,” includes the Great Lakes and the Northeastern coastal regions, and is home to numerous Tribal Nations such as the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Haudenosaunee Nations in New York and the Meskwaki Nation in Iowa, and extends to the Atlantic coast, including at the southeastern end the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and on the northeastern end the Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Tribe. The “Northeast,” includes the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Missouri, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
Federally Recognized Tribes in the Midwest and Eastern Regions
Purpose – The purpose of the NICRN is to serve as a network of Tribal government leaders, Tribal professionals and managers, Indigenous students and knowledge-keepers, and climate justice activists in the Northeast region. This network will focus on sharing information and opportunities to influence federally-funded climate science applications and research from an Indigenous perspective, and provide timely information about federal and non-profit climate science programs that Tribal nations and communities can benefit from. This network will be sustained through regular meetings and email communications hosted through CMN-SDI and partners.
Our Mission
The Northeast Indigenous Climate Resilience Network (NICRN), guided by the work of an Advisory Council, is committed to the reality that Indigenous peoples are the original peoples of what is known as the Great Lakes, Midwest and East Coast of the U.S. jurisdictional area of Turtle Island. Diverse Indigenous peoples, from the many Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations to the Haudenosaunee and Algonquin Nations, totaling over 100 unique and self-determining peoples, continue to exercise their rights to cultural integrity and political sovereignty in the region. As peoples with ancient heritages and ongoing practices of environmental conservation, stewardship and governance in the Northeast region, Indigenous peoples have the right to access, understand, and use climate science resources which they may identify as important to their efforts to plan proactively in support of their resilience in response to climate change.
NICRN works to develop representation from across the Northeast region to provide and share Tribal experiences and understanding in an effort address equity issues created through federal policies. NICRN does this by harnessing the expertise of Advisory Council members to ensure Northeast Tribes can take advantage of opportunities and climate science in their policy and technical work.
NICRN works to develop representation from across the Northeast region to provide and share Tribal experiences and understanding in an effort address equity issues created through federal policies. NICRN does this by harnessing the expertise of Advisory Council members to ensure Northeast Tribes can take advantage of opportunities and climate science in their policy and technical work.