The Cocopah Indian Nation and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) have partnered to host a Tribal Lands Climate Conference—the first event of its kind—on the Cocopah Reservation in Somerton, Arizona, December 5-6. Indigenous people are among the first to experience and document the devastating impacts of climate change by comparing their historical experiences and knowledge to the natural cycles and resource availability they observe today. NWF is reaching out to the continent's first inhabitants to collect their stories and first-hand, on-the-ground accounts about the natural resources that have sustained changes due to carbon emissions and climate change related events. The conference will gather representatives from over 50 tribes from throughout the Southwest, Northwest, Midwest, and Alaska, and political leaders, climate scientists, and NGOs to exchange ideas on proactively addressing climate change. Climate change is a matter of environmental justice. As such, the Tribal Climate Conference aims to engage and empower tribal advocates on climate change and connect them with key decision-makers. With thousands of years of traditional knowledge and connections to the environment, Native Americans are important eyewitnesses to our changing planet. Native people can play a significant role in shaping how Americans address and generate active responses to combat climate change.

Black Mesa Water Coalition
http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org/

Black Mesa Water Coalition (BMWC) is dedicated to protecting the health and sustainability of Mother Earth - her land, water, plants, and all living beings. BMWC has been working towards addressing issues of water depletion, natural resource exploitation, and health promotion particularly within the Four Corners region. BMWC strives to empower young people while building sustainable communities.

Cocopah Indian Tribe
http://www.cocopah.com/

For over 3,000 years, the Cocopah (Kwapa) – the River People – have lived on the Lower Colorado River and Delta. As river people, the Cocopah traveled the waterways on log rafts, poling them down the mouth of the Colorado River to collect wild wheat and gather shellfish in estuarine waters. They fished for Colorado salmon and farmed in the flood plains of the wild river’s spring floods.

A generous and nonmaterialistic people, the Cocopah have maintained their traditional beliefs through a changing landscape and political environment. Ever resilient, during the Gold Rush Cocopah men became the captains of steamboats that traversed the mile-wide river. With the coming of railroads and the damming of the river for agriculture and the growth of cities, the Cocopah eventually expanded their reservation to comprise over 6,500 acres much of which is leased agricultural land to non-Indian farmers.

Indigenous Environmental Network
http://www.ienearth.org/climate_campaign.html

"A network of Indigenous Peoples empowering Indigenous Nations and communities towards sustainable livelihoods, demanding environmental justice and maintaining the Sacred Fire of our traditions."

National Tribal Environmental Council
http://www.ntec.org

The National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) was formed in 1991 with just seven tribes and input from several intertribal organizations, including the Council of Energy Resource Tribes and the Native American Rights Fund, as a membership organization dedicated to working with and assisting tribes in the protection and preservation of tribal environments. NTEC membership is open to any federally-recognized tribe throughout the United States, and currently has 184 member tribes. Although NTEC is a membership organization, its services are provided to all federally-recognized tribes.

Tribes have been witness to continuous and accelerated degradation of the land and resources surrounding their homelands. Our challenge is to integrate timeless traditional teachings and values into modern day practices. While strength exists in the great diversity of tribal cultures and governments, a united approach that respects tribal differences and works towards cleaner tribal environments is also critical. Thus, NTEC's mission is to enhance each tribe's ability to protect, preserve and promote the wise management of air, land and water for the benefit of current and future generations.

Native Energy
www.nativeenergy.com

American Indian majority-owned, NativeEnergy is a national marketer of renewable energy credits or “green tags,” offering individuals and organizations a means to compensate for their global warming pollution, or to effectively power their homes and businesses with renewable energy. NativeEnergy’s patent-pending business process brings upfront payment to renewable projects for their estimated future green tag output, enabling its customers to help finance the construction of new wind farms and other renewable energy projects, such as tribal wind projects and methane digesters on family dairy farms, which directly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to meet the nation’s electricity needs.

Native Movement
http://www.nativemovement.org/

Mission Statement: Young leaders motivating the world's peoples toward balanced relations with each other and Mother Earth.