METLAKATLA INDIAN COMMUNITY CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTION PLAN - Genelle Winter Climate & Energy Grant Coordinator Metlakatla Indian Community ...
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METLAKATLA INDIAN COMMUNITY
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTION PLAN
Genelle Winter
Climate & Energy Grant Coordinator
Metlakatla Indian Community
Metlakatla, Alaska
METLAKATLA INDIAN COMMUNITY CLIMATE
ADAPTATION PLAN
Topics to be considered
• Where in the world is Metlakatla?
• Climate Plan Development
• TEK and Science based evaluations
• Adaptations Already Occurring
• Climate Impacts and Energy in
Southeast Alaska
• Lessons Learned
• Where Do We Go From Here
• Acknowledgments
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS METLAKATLA?
• Population: 1,460 as of 2010 U.S. Census
• Accessible by float plane or boat
• Climate: Temperate Maritime Coastal
(moderately warm summers and cool winters
with lots of rain)
• Top employers: Fishing industry and tribal
government
Metlakatla’s people are primarily Tsimshian, with some Tlingit and other Alaska Natives. Metlakatla Indian Community is on Annette Islands Reserve, and the only reserve in the State of Alaska. The unique political and social structure of Metlakatla allowed for our Plan to be developed holistically, with lots of local involvement.
Primary factors in our plan are:
• Salmon-commercial and subsistence
• Water temperature as it relates to Salmon
survival
• Algae and plankton blooms
• Other subsistence products
• Seaweed
• Berries
• Bark
• Shellfish, crab and other ocean harvests
• Hunting
• Drought
• Municipal water
• Fishing
• Energy
• Invasive species
CLIMATE PLAN DEVELOPMENT Funding Source • BIA 2015 Tribal Cooperative Landscape Conservation Program • Travel Proposal • Climate Change Planning Proposal • Genelle Winter, Climate & Energy Grant Coordinator • Applied for and received the funding • Co-authored Plan • Julia Scott, Climate Change Analyst • Initiated the Plan • Conducted interviews • Co-authored Plan • Alexis Wagner, Grant & Climate Intern • Created data charts/graphs/tables • Compiled interview data • Co-authored Plan
BASED OUR GOALS AND FUNDING, THIS IS WHAT BECAME THE
LAYOUT OF THE PLAN
• 7. Adaptation Strategies for a
1. Figures/Graphs/Tables
Changing Climate
2. Town Mission Statement
• 8. Vulnerability Assessment
3. Executive Summary
4. Introduction • 9. Implementation
5. Culture • 10. Conclusions
6. Climate Vulnerabilities • 11. Acknowledgements
• 12. Appendix
MIC had the opportunity to participate in training from ITEP on Adaptation Planning, this allowed the
opportunity to study other successful, completed plans. The team studied the Swinomish Climate
Change Adaption Plan and the Salish Kootenai Plan. We really liked how they honored TEK and wanted
to implement that as well. From that we took what would work for Metlakatla, made our own layout, and
got to work.
TEK AND SCIENCE BASED EVALUATIONS
• We faced an interesting challenge when conducting Community
interviews for local knowledge
• “Do you believe in a changing climate?” vs. “Do you believe in
Climate Change?”
• Many community members responded with NO when asked if they
believed or thought we were experiencing Climate Change.
However by changing the question, asking what differences have
you observed in our ‘weather’ or harvesting seasons? That
resulted in a plethora of anecdotal observations and conclusions.
• In the end, we worked to clarify our questions and in, Section 2:
Culture we were able to:
• Summarize answers received from the interviews
• In those responses we often got suggestions/advice for
adaptation strategies from community members.
Challenges in the interview process- This elder is an expert in subsistence harvesting and preservation, but when asked directly if she thought we were experiencing Climate Change, her first answer was No. Rephrased to ask, “what challenges have you experienced in your harvesting lately?” She provided the following. Name: XXXX XXXXX Age: prefer not to answer Clan: Eagle PSP is ruining cockles and clams. Terrible. Seaweed not getting as much any more, the sun is damaging it... Need to change laws to protect environment...Harder and harder to pick seaweed with warmer water temperatures. Too many cars and TV. No one talks any more. Used to grow, Potatoes, carrots, turnips... New Road to ferry terminal ruined yellow cedar. People come to strip our bark wrong. (she gave us some really great bark harvesting wisdom, but acknowledged that environmental cues she relied on in years past, were no longer reliable) Harvesting should begin when geese fly north, that’s when you get the smoke house going. The harvesting season is over when the geese go south, that’s when the smoke house stops.
• Our Culture Section then showed how English and Sm’algyax are integrated into the harvesting calendar, indigenous and significant plants and Traditional Harvest Indicators. • It was noted that many harvest windows were shifting from the traditional calendar.
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
• Using the data from the community
interviews, and local observations, we
then completed the vulnerability
assessment, using the formula
developed and used in similar plans
• Total Priorities were calculated using
the mathematical formula of
(sensitivity x risk – adaptive capacity
= total vulnerability priority).ADAPTATIONS ALREADY OCCURRING
• Interestingly, we found that community members were already
making adaptations to our changing climate. Primarily with harvest
activities, but also with commercial fishing and our energy
challenges.
• Harvesting times are changing, seaweed harvesting is happening
earlier in the spring
• Practices in Commercial Salmon harvesting that have changed
include using a net wash system to clean algae off of nets so that
salmon don’t ‘see’ the net, a clean net has higher success, while a
net full of algae bloom or organic matter is more visible to salmon.
Using different color of nets, is another adaptation.
• Increasing energy conservation due to low water for both municipal
and hydroelectric use.
• Using diesel generation for primary energy due to lack of hydro
resourceCLIMATE IMPACTS AND
ENERGY IN SOUTHEAST
ALASKA
In September of 2018, we received notification from the
National Weather Service that the Southeast Region of
Alaska had officially been classified as being in a Class
D2 Severe Drought.
This unprecedented event, was triggered by the region-
wide lack of sufficient hydro electric resources.
Southeast Alaska is located in a temperate rainforest
and should average 100+ inches of precipitation per
year. •D2 - Severe Drought is characterized by:
•Crop or pasture loss likely
Precipitation on Annette Island averages 106.70 inches •Water shortages common
per year and in 2018 there was 80.08 inches recorded. •Water restrictions imposed
Lower rainfall and less snow has been going since
2015. Right now 1.9% of the State of Alaska is
considered to be in a Severe Drought.Energy Impacts
Due to the reduced rainfall, changing
timing of that same rainfall and much
less snow, the lakes that the entire
region relies, on have been at risk.
Nearly all of Southeast Alaska uses
hydro, due historically abundant rain,
it is a clean energy source, and Chester Lake spring
relatively inexpensive to maintain and 2018, Municipal Water
operate. and 1 MW energy
40 acre lake
These impacts are so significant, that
a group of SE AK stakeholders are Purple Lake, spring 2018
meeting in Juneau in May to help Potential for 2 MW if managed sustainably
develop indicators of drought for 800 acre lake
temperate rain forests, that will
include low hydro reserves or
capacity as an indicator.LESSONS LEARNED
• Our Goal was to keep the plan local, this meant having it authored by the Tribe
• At the ITEP Training in Tulalip (Washington) we were helped to realize that we have to
write it, not contract it out
• Clear ownership of the plan needs to be established
• It was with the assistance of the ITEP training in Tulsa OK, that we realized that we to
ensure the Tribe has ownership of the plan and the data. So much would have been
missed if someone from the outside wrote it, or we could lose control if a non-
community member felt they ‘owned’ or had rights to the completed plan.
• If you are in a rural or tribal community, that relies on subsistence, either as a way of
life or to supplement resources, it can be assumed that adaptations are occurring
naturally. (TEK in Action!) An effort should be made to document those.
• Don’t assume things, our climate is impacting our lives in ways we may not consider to be
directly related to climate change (ex. Diesel generation vs hydro), weatherization of
homes, range of invasive species, impacts from storms, gardening etc.WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
• Continue with Community outreach, focusing primarily on environmental opportunities
• Gardening and composting, harvesting lessons, hosting community events and
celebrating conservation
• Informing the community of impacts on the local environment, such as water and
energy conservation, weatherization and other sustainable practices
• Continue to honor and document TEK in action, adaptations already occurring
• Forming necessary partnerships
• Collaborating with agencies to accomplish monitoring and evaluation efforts
• Participate in regional Drought analysis
• FUNDING!
• Providing sufficient tools and resources needed to conduct climate change research but
more than research, ways to mitigate impacts and improve future results
And
• Get creative, this may be an opportunity, for example, AK can now realistically pursue
alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal more feasibly due to hydro
uncertainty.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We need to thank the following:
This Plan was only possible with the help of all elders
and subsistence users on Annette Islands Reserve!
Key staff were, Alexis Wagner and Julia Scott
Metlakatla Indian Community, particularly the MIC Fish
& Wildlife Department as well as Bureau of Indian
Affairs for their ongoing support.
Science teachers and the Youth at Annette Islands
School District for outreach and conservation
education.
Important Resources Included:
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
PNW (Pacific Northwest) Tribal Climate Change
Network
University of Oregon Tribal Climate Change Project
tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/network/QUESTIONS? AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Genelle Winter
Climate & Energy Grant Coordinator
Metlakatla Indian Community
Box 8
Metlakatla, AK 99926
907-886-5401
genelle.winter@gmail.com
http://www.metlakatla.com/
Photo credit: Aaron Winter - 2018You can also read
