Inupiat Traditional Knowledge and Energy Development Decisionsc666043.r43.cf2.rackcdn.com/hidden/...
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Alaska
Inupiat Traditional Knowledge and Energy Development Decisions
Taylor Brelsford Joan Kluwe, Ph.D Jon Isaacs URS Alaska Operations
Alaska
Topics • Early North Slope TK Initiatives • The Maturing Field of TK Research • TK and the North Slope Borough Oil and Gas Plan • Conclusions
Alaska
A North Slope Starting Point • Modern era of Traditional Knowledge research emerged with 1977 IWC moratorium on bowhead whaling 9 Inupiat Elders challenged low estimates of bowhead populations 9 NSB initiated a bowhead population research program 9 AEWC and NOAA signed a Cooperative Agreement
• Inupiat knowledge of bowhead population largely confirmed by western science • AEWC exercised substantial management over subsistence harvest, relying on traditional authority of whaling captains
Alaska
A North Slope Starting Point • Modern era of Traditional Knowledge research emerged with 1977 IWC moratorium on bowhead whaling 9 Inupiat Elders challenged low estimates of bowhead populations 9 NSB initiated a bowhead population research program 9 AEWC and NOAA signed a Cooperative Agreement
• Inupiat knowledge of bowhead population largely confirmed by western science • AEWC exercised substantial management over subsistence harvest, relying on traditional authority of whaling captains
Alaska
A North Slope Starting Point • Modern era of Traditional Knowledge research emerged with 1977 IWC moratorium on bowhead whaling 9 Inupiat Elders challenged low estimates of bowhead populations 9 NSB initiated a bowhead population research program 9 AEWC and NOAA signed a Cooperative Agreement
• Inupiat knowledge of bowhead population largely confirmed by western science • AEWC exercised substantial management over subsistence harvest, relying on traditional authority of whaling captains
Alaska
Ongoing Inupiat Assertions of TK • Over 70 public meetings from 1975 – 2001 • Inupiat residents emphasized TK on: 9Storms and ice conditions 9Inadequate engineering, spill response technology 9Disturbance to animals 9Impacts to subsistence activities
Alaska
A Working Definition of TK Traditional Knowledge
is observation-based, accumulated by a community from direct experience on the land over generations. Though based in tradition, it is a living and contemporary body of knowledge.
Components of TK •
• • •
Environmental Observations 9 Ice and weather, ocean and landscape, seasonal availability of animals, life cycles, traditional taxonomies Effective Harvest Practices 9 Seasons, locations, travel routes, harvest techniques, intricate systems of place names Stewardship Traditions 9 Ethical principles, selective harvest practices, habitat protection Worldview and Belief Systems 9 Articulate the relation of humans and natural world, give legitimacy to stewardship practices Alaska
Components of TK •
• • •
Environmental Observations 9 Ice and weather, ocean and landscape, seasonal availability of animals, life cycles, traditional taxonomies Effective Harvest Practices 9 Seasons, locations, travel routes, harvest techniques, intricate systems of place names Stewardship Traditions 9 Ethical principles, selective harvest practices, habitat protection Worldview and Belief Systems 9 Articulate the relation of humans and natural world, give legitimacy to stewardship practices Alaska
Components of TK •
• • •
Environmental Observations 9 Ice and weather, ocean and landscape, seasonal availability of animals, life cycles, traditional taxonomies Effective Harvest Practices 9 Seasons, locations, travel routes, harvest techniques, intricate systems of place names Stewardship Traditions 9 Ethical principles, selective harvest practices, habitat protection Worldview and Belief Systems 9 Articulate the relation of humans and natural world, give legitimacy to stewardship practices Alaska
Components of TK •
• • •
Environmental Observations 9 Ice and weather, ocean and landscape, seasonal availability of animals, life cycles, traditional taxonomies Effective Harvest Practices 9 Seasons, locations, travel routes, harvest techniques, intricate systems of place names Stewardship Traditions 9 Ethical principles, selective harvest practices, habitat protection Worldview and Belief Systems 9 Articulate the relation of humans and natural world, give legitimacy to stewardship practices Alaska
Alaska
Initiatives in the Last Decade Northstar Project EIS (1999) • Cooperative Plan for TK 9Compile TK from previous testimony 9Group interviews with Whaling Captains • TK presented in EIS • TK applied in design modifications 9Protections against storms and ice override 9Lighting, noise, and colors
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Minerals Management Service • Initiated multi-agency working group – 1996 • Compiled database of testimony: 1975 – 2001, 4400 pages • TK more prominent in environmental reviews • Continuing concerns about weight of TK in decision-making
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Bureau of Land Management • Northeast NPRA EIS 1998 9Special consultation over subsistence 9Established Subsistence Advisory Panel • NPRA NE Amendment 2006 • North Slope Science Initiative 9Major multi-agency effort 9Inventory project, unify science agenda 9Technical Group on Traditional Knowledge
Alaska
North Slope Inupiat and Industry • Conflict Avoidance Agreements 9 AEWC and Industry, since 1980s 9 Communication re location of operations; avoid interference with whaling 9 Mitigation – zones of exclusion 9 Monitoring – marine mammal observers • NSB Planning Department Permits 9 TK in permit conditions • Caribou passage and pipeline height, • Bridge near Nuiqsut 9 Subsistence Representatives – on-site role in route selection, liaison with community
Alaska
North Slope Inupiat and Industry • Conflict Avoidance Agreements 9 AEWC and Industry, since 1980s 9 Communication re location of operations; avoid interference with whaling 9 Mitigation – zones of exclusion 9 Monitoring – marine mammal observers • NSB Planning Department Permits 9 TK in permit conditions • Caribou passage and pipeline height • Bridge near Nuiqsut 9 Subsistence Representatives – on-site role in route selection, liaison with community
TK and the North Slope Borough Oil and Gas Plan
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• Plan initiated as a result of Comprehensive Plan Revision (2005) 9 Maximize benefits, minimize adverse effects 9 Examine aging infrastructure, cumulative effects 9 Directed attention to improving the use of TK in environmental management and development decisions
Traditional Knowledge Workshop September 6, 2007
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• Identified as a critical element of the Oil and Gas Technical Plan • Sponsored by NSB Planning Department • 40+ participants from Industry, State and Federal Agencies, Researchers, NGOs, NSB Departments, and NSB Planning Commission
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TK Workshop Goals & Objectives • Improve the acceptance and incorporation of TK • Identify opportunities and obstacles for use of TK • Examine case studies, draw lessons • Improve the dialogue • Develop stakeholder recommendations
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TK Workshop Format • Morning session – Overview of TK and concerns about application • Afternoon session – Example projects, lessons learned and recommendations
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Methods For Documenting TK Concerns: • Hard to recognize TK in a public hearing format • Methods for TK research not well known in industry • Must address questions of validity and authenticity
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Methods For Documenting TK Recommendations: • Design research in consultative and interdisciplinary approach • Focus project on information needed for decision making • Develop guidelines for incorporating TK comments into description, analysis and decisions • Develop central data repositories to reduce duplication of efforts
Protocols for Working with Communities
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Concerns: • Communities not informed, have little say • Results not shared, communities see little benefit
Protocols for Working with Communities
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Recommendations: • Apply AFN, NSF, BASC guidelines for respectful working relations • Individual communities can provide guidance on contacts and ongoing interactions • Researchers must coordinate to reduce duplication and burden on communities
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Communication with Communities Concerns • Residents frustrated with burden of public meetings • Residents want to protect traditional way of life • Strike balance between frequent consultation and overwhelming the community
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Communication with Communities Recommendations • Commit to long-term conversation and relationships • Early notice, close coordination with local governments • Follow through: “this is what you told us last time and this is what we did with it” • Listen respectfully, communicate frankly on disagreements • Provide clear information on agency mandate, decision process
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Planning and NEPA Concerns: • NEPA process does not allow adequate use of TK • TK is frequently lost at higher levels in decisionmaking • Communities are frustrated at lack of followthrough
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Planning and NEPA Recommendations • Get the high-level decision-makers to visit and listen • Be clear about who makes the decision and how • Be frank about information needed and how it will be used • Address TK in stipulations and other EIS decisions
Project Design and Implementation
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Concern: • TK cited in descriptions, but not applied in project outcomes
Project Design and Implementation
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Recommendations • Ask Elders about impacts, include TK in forecasting impacts • Consider alternative design elements to address TK concerns • Get people with TK on-site when you’re “turning dirt” • Ensure that Subsistence Representatives and Marine Mammal Observers give villages updates about ongoing projects
The Mayor’s Oil and Gas Summit
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Barrow, September 2007
• Over 200 representatives from North Slope communities, industry, and agencies • Historic opportunity for direct discussion • The Borough recognizes that oil and gas is a key to economic prosperity, but fears “too much, too soon, and too fast” • The Borough seeks science-based decisions to protect resources and way of life • Industry and agencies expressed appreciation for the intensive exchange, and commitment to ongoing dialogue and coordination
The Mayor’s Oil and Gas Summit
Alaska
Barrow, September 2007
• Over 200 representatives from North Slope communities, industry, and agencies • Historic opportunity for direct discussion • The Borough recognizes that oil and gas is a key to economic prosperity, but fears “too much, too soon, and too fast” • The Borough seeks science-based decisions to protect resources and way of life • Industry and agencies expressed appreciation for the intensive exchange, and commitment to ongoing dialogue and coordination
The Mayor’s Oil and Gas Summit
Alaska
Barrow, September 2007
• Over 200 representatives from North Slope communities, industry, and agencies • Historic opportunity for direct discussion • The Borough recognizes that oil and gas is a key to economic prosperity, but fears “too much, too soon, and too fast” • The Borough seeks science-based decisions to protect resources and way of life • Industry and agencies expressed appreciation for the intensive exchange, and commitment to ongoing dialogue and coordination
The Mayor’s Oil and Gas Summit
Alaska
Barrow, September 2007
• Over 200 representatives from North Slope communities, industry, and agencies • Historic opportunity for direct discussion • The Borough recognizes that oil and gas is a key to economic prosperity, but fears “too much, too soon, and too fast” • The Borough seeks science-based decisions to protect resources and way of life • Industry and agencies expressed appreciation for the intensive exchange, and commitment to ongoing dialogue and coordination
The Mayor’s Oil and Gas Summit
Alaska
Barrow, September 2007
• Over 200 representatives from North Slope communities, industry, and agencies • Historic opportunity for direct discussion • The Borough recognizes that oil and gas is a key to economic prosperity, but fears “too much, too soon, and too fast” • The Borough seeks science-based decisions to protect resources and way of life • Industry and agencies expressed appreciation for the intensive exchange, and commitment to ongoing dialogue and coordination
Alaska
Conclusions • The North Slope Inupiat have been at the forefront in asserting the critical value of TK in energy decisions • TK research has matured with effective methods and well established protocols for community partnerships • Environmental documents show improved recognition of TK • NSB, agencies, and industry have key successes in incorporating TK into decisions and field practices
Alaska
Conclusions • The North Slope Inupiat have been at the forefront in asserting the critical value of TK in energy decisions • TK research has matured with effective methods and well established protocols for community partnerships • Environmental documents show improved recognition of TK • NSB, agencies, and industry have key successes in incorporating TK into decisions and field practices
Alaska
Conclusions • The North Slope Inupiat have been at the forefront in asserting the critical value of TK in energy decisions • TK research has matured with effective methods and well established protocols for community partnerships • Environmental documents show improved recognition of TK • NSB, agencies, and industry have key successes in incorporating TK into decisions and field practices
Alaska
Conclusions • The North Slope Inupiat have been at the forefront in asserting the critical value of TK in energy decisions • TK research has matured with effective methods and well established protocols for community partnerships • Environmental documents show improved recognition of TK • NSB, agencies, and industry have key successes in incorporating TK into decisions and field practices
Alaska
Conclusions • However, Inupiat remain concerned that TK is not given sufficient weight in some energy decisions • Discussions now can structure the next 40 years of energy development
Alaska
Photo Credits Photographs in this presentation were used by permission. URS would like to credit the following photographers & copyright holders: ARCO Tom Dew, NPS Gordon Brower Jon Isaacs, Joan Kluwe Angsar Walk Dirk Ingo Franke Division of Tourism DCED
