North Central Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons
Kynser Wahwahsuck Bell and Janna Black
The Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons work for the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance and in collaboration with the NC CASC across the North Central region to connect 32 Federally Recognized Tribal Nations to tools, information, and other resources for building resilience to anthropogenic climate change.
Kynser Wahwahsuck Bell is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas and is a descendant of Shoshone and Sac & Fox Tribes. She received her B.S. degree in Environmental Science from Haskell Indian Nations University and her M.A. degree from the University of Kansas with a focus on nitrogen cycling in headwater streams affected by land-use change. She loves spending time outdoors with her family and being creative through sewing and arts.
Contact: kynser.wahwahsuck@colorado.edu
Janna Black, of Koyukon Athabaskan descent, from the Caribou clan, earned her M.S. in Environment, Natural Resources, and Society from University of Wyoming with a Minor in Collaborative Practice. Janna's research experience is in Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Sense of Place, Social-Ecological Systems, Land-Based Education, Resilience Building, Sustainable Farm Mgmt & Permaculture Design. In her free time, she loves spending time in the sun with her family.
Contact: janna.black@colorado.edu
- Develop climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, proposals and grant applications, and implementation projects
- Connect Tribal resource managers to data, information, and tools
- Facilitate connections and partnerships between Tribes, TCU’s, researchers, and Tribal Organizations
- Support coordination of Tribal workshops, meetings, and gatherings
- Support capacity building by facilitating trainings
- Facilitate knowledge sharing between Tribes and partners
- Organize Tribal community education and youth engagement
- and so much more!
Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance (GPTWA) Registration Open!
The Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance is hosting their 2025 Annual Conference at The Lodge at Deadwood, South Dakota, from November 5-6, 2025. Registration is now open!
Save the Date!
The Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance will be having their annual conference from November 5 - 6, 2025 at the Lodge at Deadwood, South Dakota. Registration and agenda will follow soon.
Advancing Climate Resilience with the Tribal Adaptation Menu
Janna Black, North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center Tribal Liaison, attended the Tribal Adaptation Menu (TAM) Train-the-Trainer Workshop in Minneapolis, MN, on July 22–24.
Janna Black
Building Ethical Space
The Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workshop was a two-part virtual training designed to equip participants with the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary for engaging with Indigenous Peoples, Nations, and communities in collaborative natural resource research and decision-making.
Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña