Sustained capacity building and knowledge exchange are vital to increase the use of NASA Earth Observations for Indigenous natural and cultural resource management. This presentation will explore multiple collaborations with NASA and the Indigenous Community including NASA's Indigenous Peoples Pilot project and the Navajo Nation Drought Severity Evaluation Tool project. Given the size of the Navajo Nation, the lack of consistent climate data, limited resources, and the increasing extent and severity of droughts, tools that assist water managers are essential.

Dr. Amber Jean McCullum is a researcher and capacity building specialist in the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center. She serves as the Impact and Transition Lead for NASA's Western Water Applications Office. She is the lead for a project focused on agricultural management with the Navajo Nation and OpenET. She is also the lead trainer in land management for NASA's Applied Remote Sensing and Training Program, a team member and engagement coordinator for NASA's Indigenous Peoples Capacity Building Initiative, and a lecturer with San Jose State University.

Nikki Tulley is a member of the Navajo Nation. She is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Environmental Science with a concentration in Hydroscience at the UArizona. Her research focuses on ensuring that people living in Indigenous communities have access to clean drinking water to sustain their way of life in an ever-changing environment through sustainable practices and water policies and management.

Photo: Navajo Nation Drought Severity Evaluation Tool - Intro - 1 of 5 - NASA Video

Webinar Attendance Information:
Attendees will be able to ask questions using the Zoom chat function.
To request an alternate format of this webinar for disability-related access, please contact us at wrrc@email.arizona.edu