Traditional Knowledge Transect: Engaging Communities in Discussions of Environmental Change through a Dog Sled Expedition Across Northeastern Alaska

在阿拉斯加，气候和环境变化的现有和潜在影响是许多社区的主要关切。许多阿拉斯加村庄正在寻找科普这些影响的方法，从不断变化的天气和冰况导致的越来越不安全的狩猎条件，到严重的海岸侵蚀导致的家园搬迁。经常发生的情况是，社区和社区成员的个人观察、声音和需求没有被听到，因为他们陷入了对北极变化的概括和对北极地区可能经历的广泛预测。近年来，北极社区的声音越来越强烈。北极土著人民经常通过与北方研究人员的合作，公开表达他们的意见和关切。该项目以这项工作为基础，重点关注两个重要主题，以了解北方最近环境变化的人的方面。1)关于环境的传统知识和当地对变化的反应是理解变化的性质以及适应变化的可能性和需要的关键。2)研究人员将访问阿拉斯加圈，育空地区堡，Venetie，北极村，Kaktovik和普鲁德霍湾/Deadhorse的六个社区，沿着从该州中心到北海岸的横断面，使用快速农村评估（RRA）方法的变化来收集社区的基线信息。该项目将加入去北方！2005年2月开始的狗拉雪橇探险利用狗和陆地旅行作为我们讨论和活动的切入点，我们希望与社区建立一种不同于通过标准研究方法建立的关系。该项目将涉及气候变化、其影响以及阿拉斯加农村社区的潜在应对和适应等关键主题。通过去北方！在线教育工作，我们将与学童互动，我们的研究，我们的发现，和我们的经验，就像在去北方成功地做！核心研究问题：1）在RRA/样带方法允许的水平上（即社区数量较多，时间相对较短），就气候和环境变化对当地的影响以及社区对气候变化的看法和讨论方式而言，样带沿着社区之间的主要差异和相似之处是什么？2)社区对样带方法（通过狗拉雪橇考察）有何反应，这种方法与其他方法和手段相比有何不同，并如何促进北方社区参与气候和环境变化研究？

In Alaska, present and potential impacts of climate and environmental changes are of primary concern for many communities. Many Alaska villages are looking for ways to cope with these impacts, from increasingly unsafe hunting conditions due to changing weather and ice conditions, to the relocation of their homes due to severe coastal erosion. It often happens that individual observations, voices and needs of communities and community members, are not heard because they get caught in generalizations of Arctic change and broad projections of what Arctic regions are likely to experience. In recent years, the voices of Arctic communities have been getting stronger. Arctic indigenous peoples have been speaking out about their observations and concerns, often through collaborative work with northern researchers. This project builds on this work and focuses on two important themes in understanding human dimensions of recent environmental change in the North. 1) Traditional knowledge of the environment and local responses to change are key to understanding both the nature of changes, and the possibilities and needs for adapting to change. 2) Finding creative ways for engaging Arctic indigenous peoples in research to understand their knowledge and concerns.Researchers will visit six communities in Alaska-Circle, Fort Yukon, Venetie, Arctic Village, Kaktovik and Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse-along a transect from the center of the state to the north coast, using a variation of the Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) approach to gather baseline information from communities. The project will join the Go North! dogsled expedition set to begin in February, 2005. Using the dogs and land travel as our point of entry for discussions and activities, we hope to forge a different relationship with communities than would be developed through standard research approaches. The project will address crucial topics of climate change, its impacts, and potential responses and adaptations in rural Alaska communities. Through the Go North! online educational effort, we will interact with schoolchildren about our research, our findings, and our experiences, as was done successfully on Go North!'s 2004 journey in theNorthwest Territories and Nunavut.Core research questions: 1) At the level allowed by the RRA/transect approach (i.e. larger number of communities, relatively short amount of time), what are the key differences and similarities between communities along the transect in terms of local impacts of climate and environmental change, and the ways climate change is perceived and discussed in the communities? 2) How do communities react to the transect approach (via the dogsled expedition), and how does this approach compare and contribute to other methods and methodologies for engaging northern communities in climate and environmental change research?