More systematic use should be made of the expertise that Alaska Natives have in observing the environment, extending back many decades in personal memory and farther in what has been handed down from past generations. Subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering are vital and irreplaceable activities for Alaska Native communities, but it is difficult or impossible to express their full significance. A common thread to these and other discussions during the workshop was that climate change is a far-reaching threat to coastal communities. It is essential that such communities be involved in research and policy concerning environmental change. Community-based programs should be coordinated or integrated so that the communities can make best advantage of the programs in which they participate.
Research needs to involve young people, especially through schools.
Progress requires dedicated individuals, not just good ideas. Research involving the participation of local researchers must adequately compensate those participants. Promote long-term commitments , especially for collaborative research that requires recruiting and training local researchers. Take better advantage of existing programs , including those that are already active in Arctic communities and those that upon which community-based research can be built. Research Develop a formal plan for recording systematic observations by residents of coastal communities .