Thanks to NASA grant support, a group of University of Richmond geographers will research climate impacts on local Native American communities. The researchers will co-design an online portal combining geographic information, satellite imagery, and other data to allow the Native American nations of Virginia to identify climate trends and educate tribal members and allies about climate threats and how to adapt to them.

David Seward Salisbury, an associate professor of geography, environment, and sustainability, received the three-year, $804,605 NASA grant to fund the collaborative project. Salisbury will work closely with members of the Nansemond, Mattaponi, and Monacan Nations; University of Richmond geography professor Stephanie Spera; and Yunuen Reygadas in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech, who worked on their previous NASA project in the Amazon rainforest.

"The proposed work that will be done will definitely enhance the collaborative work that is being done throughout the Chesapeake Bay and provide the participating tribes with data and perspectives of our environmental landscapes that we did not have before," said Keith Anderson, principal chief of the Nansemond Indian Nation and a 1989 UR alum.

“As a UR alum, this is personally endearing to me and very special. The Nansemond Indian Nation is excited to work alongside the University of Richmond staff and students, NASA, and our sister tribes — the Monacan and Mattaponi,” he said.

A significant component of this project includes educating university partners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies about the changing dynamics in Virginia’s Indigenous landscapes. For example, changing weather patterns and the increased risk of flooding due to rising sea levels are major concerns as they could impact access to traditional food sources, leading to food insecurity.

“I’m hopeful our One Planet, One Home framework and the dashboard tool we create can be used by other Native American nations to identify environmental justice concerns and build capacity for climate resilience and environmental justice work,” Salisbury said.

Salisbury has completed extensive research about climate impacts, land use, conservation, and development over the past 20 years with Indigenous communities in the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon. Indigenous people, like most rural people, rely on the environment for most of their resources, including food, so climate change is a threat to their livelihoods and culture.

“While the continents are different, many of the issues and challenges to historically overlooked Indigenous peoples and landscapes are shared across the Americas,” said Salisbury. “One thing we know from experience is that robust data, engaging maps, and storytelling with science and culture are key to advocacy and impactful in driving change to support marginalized communities.”

Nathan Winiarski, a senior geography major, has worked closely with Salisbury and Spera during his time as a UR student. He was part of the research team on their first NASA grant and is currently researching climate change and infrastructure development in the southwestern Amazon rainforest. He traveled with Salisbury this summer to a remote corner of the Peruvian Amazon to share climate change maps of local Indigenous communities and analyses of threats facing this part of the Amazon, including environmental destruction and degradation.

“Maps are a critically important tool to demonstrate sovereignty and independence,” said Winiarski. “Research has continuously shown the climate crisis impacts marginalized communities first, with many of these being Indigenous communities.”

Salisbury and Spera have already begun assembling a Local Indigenous Landscapes Team of UR student researchers to work with Indigenous partners in Virginia.