1. Tribal Communities in the Face of Climate Changes: Current Level of Understanding and Collaboration with the UAF Academic Community

2. How this Project Began Noticed permafrost issues
Approached University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
Worked with National Science Foundation (NSF)
Collaborated on writing grant
Telida currently collaborating with UAF and being funded by NSF

3. The Survey

7. Survey Results 50 Telida and Nikolai Tribal members
Gender
20 Females
30 Males
Age Ranges
17 or younger = 2
18 – 25 = 6
26 – 50 = 24
51 and older = 18

8. Length of Years Living in Village
1 to to to to to to to Whole life -- 9 No Comment --1
This was perhaps misleading as the respondents for “whole life” could fit into any of these age categories. Otherwise this is as fairly good cross section of the communities.

9. People Living Subsistence Lifestyles
Hunters? Yes – 49 No – 1 Fishers? Yes – 43 No – 7 Gatherers? Yes – 47 No – 3
From these numbers you can see that this is a traditional subsistence lifestyle region.

10. Definition of Climate Change
Change in Temperatures
Changes in Weather patterns
Warmer Winters
Hot summers
Lots of rain
Seasons changing
Effecting lifestyles
Late freeze up
Early berries
No Berries
Softer ice – not frozen ice
Swamps, rivers and lakes water level lowering
New bugs
Less fish
The first three were by far the most the common response. Other responses show more effects of climate change.

11. Source of Climate Change Info
1. Based on Personal Observation = Based on News and Public Media = Based on the Web or Internet = Based on Information learned from Family/Elders = 25
A high percentage of people are listening to their Elders and family members, as well as paying attention to what is going on around their own lives.

12. Definition of Permafrost
42 people responded with some form of “frozen ground”
5 people did not know, or had no comment
Other answers included:
Place to put food to save,
Thawing and land is sinking in,
Less of it therefore it takes longer to freeze in the Fall and quicker snow melt in the Spring

13. Personal Observations – Effects on Personal Lives
9 individuals said that there were no changes whatsoever.
Milder winters
Later freezups
Harder winter travel
Harder to trap, thin ice
Dangerous travel for subsistence activities
Don’t burn as much wood
Too warm for dogs to pull sled
Harder on snowmachines
Dangerous travel between villages and camps

14. Personal Observations – Effects on Personal Lives
Hotter, Wetter Summers
Earlier breakup
Changes in food gathering
No berries
Fish don’t dry as good at fish camp
No permafrost to store fish
Different rain patterns
Excessive erosion
Loss of log stands
Kuskokwim River is dropping
More vegetation

15. Personal Observations – Effects on Personal Lives
Hotter, Wetter Summers and Fall
Sinkholes
Low bird migration
New birds showing up, like magpies and seabirds
Harder to keep moose and fish from rotting
New animals and insects showing up
Disappearing gravel bars, more lake hunting
Gardens planted earlier

16. Biggest Environmental Concerns for the Future
Thin ice
Warmer weather
Unpredictable weather
Dangerous travel
Wildfires
More rain
Migration of subsistence sources to other places
Bad berry years
Animal behavior

17. Biggest Environmental Concerns for the Future
Increased wind
Lightening storms
Drownings in open water in ice
Traveling by boat or snowmachine
Permafrost melting
Pollution
“The overall climate change will eventually effect every part of our lives.”

18. Questions? Contact: Environmental Director Teresa Hanson
Telida Village Council