Grand Challenges Champion Wins Grant to Partner with California Indian Communities for Climate Adaptation

In an exciting new partnership, the University of California and the State of California are joining
forces to fund over $80 million in climate action research that will help communities in California
mitigate and adapt to climate change. The funded projects were announced on August 23rd and
involve more than 130 partners from across the state, including community organizations,
industry groups, and public agencies. Among the recipients of the grants was Grand Challenges
Champion Beth Rose Middleton Manning with her project Planning Landscape Resilience for
California Indian Allotment Lands, which will receive approximately $1.6 million in funding.
In partnership with California Indian Legal Services, California Public Domain Allotees
Association, and UC Berkeley, Professor Middleton Manning is working alongside California
Indian communities to develop adaptation strategies for reducing climate and fire risk on
California Indian Public Domain Allotments. The core focus of the collaborative effort is to
engage with California Indian communities, merge climate- and fire-risk assessments with
Indigenous knowledge, and empower their communities with the tools to acquire funding that
supports place-based stewardship practices.

The project’s goal of collaborating with California Indian communities to achieve climate
adaptation aligns with two of the UC Davis grand challenges: reimagining the land-grant
university and the pursuit of climate solutions. We congratulate Professor Middleton Manning on
the award and look forward to the positive outcomes of the project.

Read more about Grand Challenges Champion Beth Rose Middleton Manning at
https://nas.ucdavis.edu/people/beth-middleton.