The producers of Wisdom of the Elders Radio are currently planning the next series of American Indian public radio programs. We are employing a higher level of multimedia journalism – high definition audio and video, science journalism, and new media web content – as we prepare for radio production by 2013. We are now accepting input regarding scientific and cultural content from tribes, tribal colleges, science universities and federal agencies.
Wisdom of the Elders Radio: Series Four – Indigenous Responses to Climate Change will:
- Feature eight tribes in the Northwest, Alaska, and Hawaii that are responding sustainably to unprecedented environmental degradation and climate change.
- Present Native elders, scientists, youth, educators and cultural leaders.
- Highlight traditional, contemporary and science-based knowledge, as well as oral history and cultural arts.
- Serve as the foundation of a student-centered, culturally tailored multimedia STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum.
Native people are the first and most severely impacted by a shifting climate and degrading ecosystems, so much so they are becoming known as the “canaries of climate change.” This impact is compounded by the fact that many Indigenous communities have few economic resources to mitigate the harmful effects of a changing climate. Even in these tumultuous times, Indigenous communities from around the world are showing their resilience and resourcefulness as they combine both traditional and contemporary ecological knowledge to help preserve their threatened ways of life. Here are a few of the challenges facing Native peoples that will be features in the radio series:
Tribes of the Pacific Northwest are facing severe salmon shortages in part due to a combination of higher winter stream flows and rising ocean temperatures
The Athabascan Nations of central Alaska are losing one of their primary food sources, the caribou, as temperature changes lead to shifts in migration patterns
The Blackfeet tribe of Montana could lose their water supply due to increased glacial melt from temperature changes
The Inupiat of Northwest Alaska are some of the first “Climate Refugees” of the United States. Due to rising sea levels, their land and homes are being washed away, forcing them to relocate.
To learn more or to get involved in this exciting new series, contact:
Isobel Charle, Wisdom Radio Assistant
Isobel@Wisdomoftheelders.org
503-775-4014
