Native Americans meet in Minn. on climate change

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. (AP) – Native American groups gather in Prior Lake, Minn., on Wednesday to strengthen their clout in global climate change talks.

The Native Peoples Native Homelands conference aims to give indigenous people more say ahead of a 192-nation conference on climate change in Copenhagen next month.

The conference will look at the effect of climate change on Native American communities, touching on subjects including subsistence economies, traditional plants and sacred sites. Organizers say global warming has a disproportionate effect on Indian communities because of their relationship to the land.

Sponsors include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 36 tribal colleges and Native American environmental groups. The conference runs through Saturday at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.