1. Arctic Meeting Concerns, Causes, Ideas for Action www.nativeknowledge.org

2. Summary areas u Health of animals u Imbalance of predators u Respect for animals u Health of people u Sources of contaminants u Onshore development u Offshore development u Climate change u Use of our knowledge u Ideas for Action

3. Concerns – health of animals u Caribou: skinny, sick (pus, tumors), fewer around – vegetation is slow growing and there may be too many caribou u Caribou with liver that is whitish with cysts on it u Groups of caribou that have died (Nuiqsut, Point Hope). Why? Need report. u Caribou used to be around lakes – now fewer u Moose also used to be around lakes and eat off bottom; now they taste different

4. u Beluga: pus u Polar Bears: hungry, skinny u Grayling – taste varies from river to river u Fish with things ? in their bodies u Skinnier wolves, wolverines, brown bears

5. Concerns – health of animals u What happens when fox, wolf eat caribou with cysts on livers – had same cysts (see Warren’s comments) u Fewer small birds: spectacled eiders, phalaropes u Grayling taste different – better in rivers further south u Starving eider ducks (Kaktovik) – sensitive to long winter this year

6. Concerns – imbalance with too many predators u Imbalance in ecosystem with over- populations of predators u Grizzlies eat salmon eggs, decreasing salmon population u Too many seagulls are diminishing the small bird populations by eating their eggs – including Spectacled Eider u Ravens (Anaktuvuk Pass) also have been eating eggs

7. Concerns – imbalance with too many predators u Snow Geese, brants other species of waterfowl being killed by fox u A lot of foxes because they are no longer trapped u Polar bears getting nearer communities, damage camps u Not allowed to sell polar bear hides u Should make pelts available to local communities first

8. Concerns – human respect for animals u Some people disrespect animals like polar bears by tranquilizing them and tagging them u When the caribou gets fat, the collar can choke them. Why collar them? Need for a different procedure. u A moose seen from a plane that had died with a collar (Kaktovik)

9. Concerns – respect for animals u On Barter Island, put collars on grizzlies, they said they had “a lot of fun” doing this. u Collaring of a grizzlie can be too tight and cause them to lack oxygen (and act deranged) u Animal’s brain may not work right after being tranquilized u Knowing where fish and animals migrate is good, but tagging is disturbing

10. Concerns – respect for animals u Young hunters disturbing animals u Should let first animals past before tagging so as not to interrupt migration

11. Concerns – health of people u People getting sick after living near dump sites that we were not warned about u Nuclear testing 1947-68 – exposures affecting us now u Iodine 131 – people used as subjects of experiments, don’t know if study was finished and what results were. Traditional councils need to file in court to establish standing on this issue u Why did 6 people recently die from cancer in Anaktuvuk Pass?

12. Concerns – abandoned sites u Dew line sites – incomplete cleanup; stockpiled materials falling over u Metal and drums brought back up by the ice u Cape Lisburne – waste not contained u Scattered drums left out on the land have deteriorated and leak

13. Concerns: abandoned sites u Transformers filled with PCPs (PCBs?) u Materials along coast displaced by storms are dangerous u Military, Coast Guard dumping offshore u Drums of fuel, unknown chemicals lost in rivers in the 40’s u Drums being exposed along river banks (Nuiqsut)

14. Concerns: natural sources of contaminants u Colville River basin: high source of mercury and other heavy metals

15. Concerns: onshore development u Past uncontrolled oil development resulted in loss of caribou and reindeer and mixing of herds. Herders left herds to take employment in the villages u Prudhoe Bay – at first no regulations on use of sand/gravel to make pads u Taking gravel from rivers can create dips that change the channel and may cause fish to not move up to traditional fishing areas. Can be designed to create good fish habitat u Large amounts of water from lakes being used for ice roads. Water includes fish fry. How will fish survive in winter?

16. Concerns – onshore development u Seismic testing in the winter used to kill fish (other techniques used now) u Devastation of fish in some lakes for several years – our knowledge didn’t affect management u Hunting areas closed due to development u Industry helping to people upgrade their homes (Nuiqsut) u NPRA choppers are disrupting caribou movements (Nuiqsut) u Ice bridges across rivers should not be used.

17. Concerns: offshore development u Offshore activity is increasing. Over time this is infringing on our natural resources. Example: seismic testing east of North Star during time of Nuiqsut whaling u Offshore drilling platform left for 3 years (Kaktovik) u When transporting platform, dumped materials (drilling muds, sand) with oil leakage to get it unstuck

18. Concerns: Offshore oil development u Drilling near Cross Island – swift currents and deep waters on east? side, bearded seal u Displacement of whales from offshore activity

19. Concerns – offshore development u North Star EIS didn’t include biological assessments using traditional knowledge of seal, polar bears, whales u West of Wainwright – with north,north, west winds, it is very dangerous; oil industry needs to know this u North Star island – is a critical feeding area for migrating bowhead u North Star development coupled with climate change will affect Arctic cisco migration Kukpik, Colville rivers

20. Concerns: our communities u Water contaminated by chlorination treatment u Contamination of local lakes u Dumps with no pit liners u Is the dust we create unhealthy? u Our foods are good for our bodies (even though our kids may say it stinks!) u Taste of freezer meats different than meats from ice cellars u Abandoned Landfill – don’t know by whom - (Nuiqsut) being exposed that is close to where people burbot fish

21. Concerns: our communities u Too much focus on money but Iñupiat way of life is being passed on u People throwing cans away when they are out on the land u Sensitivity of our people to environmental change u Drugs are contaminants we bring to ourselves

22. Concerns: climate/weather change u Warmer weather, ocean: fish caught in nets spoil faster (Kaktovik) u Erosion of coastline u Earlier summers, different animals and fish being seen u Heavy waves making travel dangerous (Pt. Hope) u Different animals and fish being seen u Meats can get warm and may spoil

23. Concerns: climate/weather change u Ozone depletion; our area is a most sensitive area u Tundra has changed – finding out about these changes BEO u Ice conditions have changed, affecting whaling seasons, offshore development u Erosion along rivers affecting our environment

24. Other Concerns u Long-range pollution: Orange clouds of industrial activities in Russia.

25. Concern – use of our knowledge u Government preference for written testimony when people aren’t comfortable writing. u We don’t see how what we say changes the law, management, governments, or corporations

26. Ideas for action u Present our traditional knowledge so that it is taken seriously and acted upon u Talk about our concerns in a way that has legal standing u We need to communicate with our youth in Iñupiaq about our traditional ways of living u Find out more about why these changes are happening u Ongoing program to measure contaminants

27. Ideas for Action u Remember value of our knowledge in what we do u Not be so lenient on ourselves; we get right on white people when they don’t do things right u Educate our children in our language about the reasons why our ways of life are valuable, like the ways we prepare our food u Learn to read and write in our language and document everything on paper and help each other

28. Ideas for action u Continue to use permitting system with public hearings u Money is there to pave streets through BIA and DOT. u Local contracting for clean up activities