2021 Southwest Drought Virtual Forum

On September 21-22 and 28-29, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) will host the 2021 Southwest Drought Virtual Forum to assemble stakeholders, decision-makers, and drought experts for a cross cutting dialogue on long-term implications of drought in the Southwestern United States, response and relief efforts across levels of government and sectors, with the goal of supporting communities and building long-term drought resilience in the region.

The Forum will address the following questions:

How did we get here? How bad is the drought, and when will it end?

• The Forum will take stock of drought conditions over the past year and in the context of the past two decades of drought in the Southwest.

• The Forum will illuminate the communities and ecosystems most at risk by drought.

What is already being done about it?

• The Forum will deliver information about what activities and efforts are in place to build long-term drought resilience in the Southwest.

What more could be done that is not already being done?

• The Forum will discuss new information needs and opportunities that help support the region’s proactive approach to drought risk management.

How do we work together to realize those new opportunities?

• The Forum will provide an opportunity for high-level collaboration among officials from Federal, Tribal, state, and county-level governments, drought experts and decision-makers from drought-impacted regions and economic sectors, along with the private sector, and research institutions in an "all hands on deck" approach.

Our desired results from the Forum are to:

• Realize an exchange of state-to-state and local best practices and innovative ideas to build drought resilience in the Southwest region, including those that address the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

• Engage in discussion of timely, relevant Federal resources to support long-term drought resilience strategies.

• Share insights from leading partners engaged in addressing drought in the Southwest region and suggest ways to address ongoing gaps in actionable information for decision-making.

• Formulate recommendations for collaborative actions that bring additional resources to bear to address drought across the Southwest.

​Click on the links below for read-ahead materials (coming soon!) and relevant news, stories, and research.

• • Latest NIDIS news and events

Special recognition and thanks to the Southwest Drought Forum Planning Committee members for their time and dedication.

• US Chamber of Commerce - Chuck Chaitovitz

• American Water Works Association - David LaFrance

• Walton Family Foundation - Ted Kowalski

• Environmental Protection Agency - Roger Gorke

• Colorado Water Conservation Board - Becky Mitchell

• California Water Resources Control Board - Joaquin Esquivel

• Western States Water Council - Tony Willardson

• US Department of Agriculture - Gloria Montano

• US Bureau of Reclamation - David Raff

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Brad Doorn

• National Congress of American Indians - Dante Desiderio

• National Association of Counties - Jonathan Shuffield

• Public Policy Institute of California - Ellen Hanak

• National Drought Mitigation Center - Mark Svoboda

• Xcel Energy - Martin Doern

• Western Resources Advocates - Bart Miller

• NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center - Michelle Stokes

• Colorado River District - Dave Kanzar

• NOAA - Roger Pulwarty