The WRRC’s FY 2023 call for 104(b) research grant proposals has been delayed by national level changes to the 104(b) program schedule. Interested researchers at any of Arizona’s three universities should look for the Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2022. As usual
October 01, 2021
Dr. Karletta Chief to Lead New Indigenous Resilience Center
“The current moment is one of unparalleled resilience perils that have had major adverse impacts for Native and Indigenous communities,” said Toni Massaro, the executive director of the UArizona Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, in a statement on the newly created Indigenous Resilience Center (IRC). On September 13, UArizona President Robert C. Robbins announced the creation of the IRC, which will be led by Dr. Karletta Chief, university distinguished outreach professor of environmental science and Cooperative Extension associate specialist. The IRC will be a partnership between Native Nations, the UArizona Institutes for Resilience, the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, and several academic programs and faculty members working to support the resilience of Indigenous communities.
In a KOLD News 13 interview, Dr. Chief said that being part of this new initiative has been a dream of hers since she “started this academic journey coming from the Navajo Nation … Growing up on the reservation with no electricity, no running water, and living in a community impacted by coal mining.” UArizona Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell commented on Dr. Chief’s leadership saying, “I am particularly grateful we had the opportunity to place at the helm Dr. Chief, whose entire career both as a researcher and an educator has centered traditional ecological knowledge solidly within an academic framework.” The IRC will harness UArizona’s expertise in water resources, climate change, drought, resilience, and outreach to conduct community-driven and place-based Tribal research and engagement. IRC faculty will also develop courses that connect traditional STEM education with Indigenous knowledge, Tribal consultation and research ethics, natural resource management, and more.
Image: Courtesy of Karletta Chief
Recent News
November 04, 2022
APW AmeriCorps Spotlight: Juliana Perez
My name is Juliana, and I am one of four AmeriCorps Water Educators in Tucson working with Arizona Project WET (APW). So much happened in our first few weeks on the job. We all jumped right into the action. As water educators, we are tasked with teaching students from 4th grade all the way through high school through APW’s different programs. During the first month, in addition to learning about water and how to lead the lessons through training and seminars, we also had firsthand teaching experiences.
November 04, 2022
Reclamation Announces New Federal Action on the Colorado River
On Friday, October 28, the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) announced the initiation of an expedited process for developing a “Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)” on proposed revisions to the December 2007 Record of Decision relating to the Colorado River Interim Guidelines. The SEIS will lay out options to address the troubling operating conditions facing the river system now and in the future. Public comments submitted by December 20 will be reflected in the draft SEIS to be released next spring, with the final expected in late summer.
November 04, 2022
WRRC Offers Three Events in November
The WRRC has three great events lined up for this month. Next week, on Thursday, November 10, we will be hosting a Brown Bag webinar featuring two University of Arizona (UArizona) graduate students who will each present on their 104(b) research projects. The presentation from Chandler Noyes will address the paleoclimate and past recharge rates in the Tucson Basin across the Holocene.
October 28, 2022
Divine Kickingbird Receives First Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award
The inaugural recipient of the Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award is Divine Kickingbird, who is enrolled at the University of Arizona as a first-year law student and aims to join the graduate program in Tribal Governance.
October 07, 2022
Desalination – A Solution to Dwindling Water Supply?
Desalination is often considered as an important option for augmenting Arizona’s water supply. WRRC Director Sharon Megdal has recently been consulted for news stories from NPR and ABC regarding desalination projects.