AMERICAN INDIAN FARMERS AND RANCHERS PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC BASE FOR RURAL AREAS IN THE GREAT BASIN DESERT AND ARID LANDS OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST. SUSTAINING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION FOR CEREMONIAL PRACTICES, SUSTENANCE, AND TRADE IS BECOMING MORE CHALLENGING FOR AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITIES DUE TO THE SCARCITY OF WATER RESOURCES, RAPID CHANGE IN ECOSYSTEM COMPOSITION AND HEALTH, AND HISTORIC LAND TENURE POLICY ARRANGEMENTS. CLIMATIC CHANGE INCLUDING REDUCED SNOWPACK AND RAINFALL AND INCREASED TEMPERATURES, COMBINED WITH URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION IN THE AMERICAN WEST IS INCREASING DEMAND FOR A DWINDLING SUPPLY OF WATER FROM RIVERS, STREAMS, AND UNDERGROUND AQUIFERS. CLOSE CULTURAL TIES TO NATURAL RESOURCES, GEOGRAPHIC REMOTENESS, AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES HAVE LED SOME TO CHARACTERIZE AMERICAN INDIAN AGRICULTURALISTS AS SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. OUR PROJECT SEEKS TO ENHANCE THE CLIMATE RESILIENCY FOR AGRICULTURE ON AMERICAN INDIAN LANDS OF THE GREAT BASIN DESERT AND SOUTHWEST BY BUILDING THE CAPACITY WITHIN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT RESERVATION-WIDE PLANS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT. WE WILL ANALYZE PAST AND FUTURE CLIMATE RISKS TO TRADITIONAL AND PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND WATER MANAGEMENT POLICIES TO ENHANCE RESILIENCY. WE WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS BY HARNESSING THE EXPERTISE OF RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FACULTY FROM 1862 LAND GRANT UNIVERSITIES (UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, AND UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FIRST AMERICAN LAND-GRANT CONSORTIUM OF 1994 TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCHERS FROM THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL AND DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE, AND TRIBAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM NEVADA, UTAH, ARIZONA, AND NEW MEXICO.OUR INTEGRATED TEAM OF RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FACULTY WILL PARTNER WITH AMERICAN INDIAN WATER SPECIALISTS, CULTURAL ADVISORS, AGRICULTURALISTS, AND EDUCATORS TO COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP CLIMATE SCENARIOS AND WATER SUPPLY PROJECTIONS FOR THE TRIBAL LANDS AND SURROUNDING ARID AREAS. TRIBAL MEMBERS AND RESEARCHERS WILL TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXISTING AND FUTURE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS TO OPTIMIZE PROFITS AND PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES UNDER THESE CLIMATE SCENARIOS. RESEARCHERS WILL STUDY ALTERNATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT POLICIES BEING ADAPTED WORLDWIDE IN RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL AREAS AND ASSESS HOW THESE POLICIES COULD IMPROVE CLIMATE RESILIENCY IN OUR AREA. POLICY EXPERTS AND TRIBAL MEMBERS WILL ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S "TRUST" LAND TENURE SYSTEM TO SUPPORT OR IMPEDE TRIBAL WATER MANAGEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY UNDER THE CLIMATE SCENARIOS. RESEARCHERS WILL CREATE A SET OF TIME SERIES OF PALEOECOLOGICAL DATA OF TRIBAL LAND ECOSYSTEMS AND CORRELATE THIS WITH CLIMATE DATA TO IDENTIFY EXTREME EVENTS AND PERIODS OF PROLONGED CLIMATIC CHANGE. INTERVIEWS WITH TRIBAL MEMBERS WILL BEUSED TO GATHER TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE TO THESE EVENTS AND THE IMPACTS OF THESE EVENTS ON TRIBAL CULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. KNOWLEDGE GENERATED AND SHARED THROUGH THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD UNDERSTANDING AMONG TRIBAL AND NON-TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINING TRIBAL AGRICULTURE AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE.