Call for Community Comment
"Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem: A Social Sciences Plan"
For more information or to comment on the development of a plan for
social science research around the Bering Sea and the plan's integration
with the current Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST) natural science plan,
see:
http://www.arcus.org/Bering/hbest/index.html
"Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem" is a developing plan for social science
research around the Bering Sea, intended to provide the basis for
interdisciplinary and holistic research that will address the role of
humans in sustaining the Bering Sea ecosystem, and vice versa. This
social science plan will be integrated with the Bering Ecosystem Study
(BEST), which addresses the role of climate variability and changing
ecosystems in the Bering Sea.
In order to complement the BEST natural science plan and to capitalize
on interest in collaborations among resident communities, natural and
social scientists, a committee was organized to formulate a social
science plan for the Bering Sea in early winter 2004, with support from
the NSF Arctic Social Sciences Program. Implementing ideas from Bering
Sea community liaisons, an outline of the social science plan was
drafted in fall 2004.
The vision for "Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem" is to encourage
interdisciplinary scientific research that will promote greater
understanding of the dynamic relationships between the Bering Sea and
the humans who live and work there, and of their strong personal and
cultural investment in the past, present, and future of the environment,
as well as their ability to contribute important knowledge about Bering
Sea natural and social system dynamics. Further, a fundamental goal of
this project is to promote science that will address issues of
importance to Bering Sea communities and their survival.
The committee requests your feedback on Sustaining the Bering
Ecosystem's goals and draft outline. The BEST plan and the social
science planning documents are available on the ARCUS web site:
http://www.arcus.org/Bering/hbest/index.html
The social science planning documents include:
- Summary pages on the goals and process created for the development of
a social science plan that begins with community concerns.
- Notes of a March 2004 meeting of Bering Sea community liaisons and
social scientists in Anchorage.
- Draft outline of the social science plan that directly follows the
topics and notes of the March meeting.
- Comments page, to send comments, suggestions, or criticisms to improve
the draft plan.
Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem Organizing Committee
Ben Fitzhugh
Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
E-Mail: fitzhugh [at] u.washington.edu
Henry Huntington
Huntington Consulting
E-Mail: hph [at] alaska.net
Mary Pete
Division of Subsistence, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
E-Mail: mary_pete [at] fishgame.state.ak.us