Forum focuses new challenges in Aleutians

A six-day forum focused on the role of communities in preparing for challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing environment is slated for Aug. 15-20 at the Grand Aleutian Hotel in Unalaska.

Agenda topics include fisheries in a changing climate, ocean acidification, vessel traffic and oil spill preparedness, coastal hazards of erosion, inundation and contaminants, effective science communication, and establishing effective local environmental observer networks.

The forum is designed to ensure an exchange of local and traditional indigenous knowledge with top scientists to give them new perspectives and insights to fuel their research on these issues, said Tom Robinson, president of the Aqwalangin Tribe of Unalaska.

Along with forum sessions, there will be the second in a series of regional workshops hosted by the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and Alaska’s Landscape Conservation Cooperatives on strategizing on what’s known and what’s needed by agencies and communities trying to address climate change.

The agenda and other information is online at http://www.aleutianlifeforum.com/

The forum is a collaborative effort of the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Alaska Ocean Observing System, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Aleutians and Bering Sea Islands Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

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Speakers include Matthew Baker, North Pacific Research Board; Jon Warrenchuk, Oceana; Terry Johnson, Alaska Sea Grant; Darcy Dugan, Alaska Ocean Observing System; Jessica Cross, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory; Bob Foy, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center; Steve Colt, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, and many others.

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