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Visit to Togiak

LTK interviews at TogiakSubsistence interviews conducted at Togiak

Bering Sea Project investigator Josh Wisniewski and the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game's Ted Krieg visited Togiak from February 1-12, 2010 to conduct LTK interviews with 11 people in Yup’ik and English.

Right: Togiak residents Annie Blue and Nora Flores with interviewer Josh Wisniewski. (Ted Krieg)

A local researcher was hired to help with the interviews and as interpreter. Yup’ik recordings will be translated and transcribed through the BEST-BSIERP Bering Sea Project with the Togiak Traditional Council.  Follow up field work will be conducted in Togiak in fall 2010. Read full report

Climate scientist Nick Bond stops by to meet the community

your correspondent

Nick BondNick Bond is a Principal Investigator for atmosphere- and ocean-related research as part of the Bering Sea Project.

See the Statement of Work for Dr. Bond's project

Photos are from the State of Alaska Community Photo Library.

quotable

"In my early time, there used to be lots of snow ... Our ice used to stay in our bay until sometime in May, but now, in winter, our bay doesn't freeze up ... winds break up the ice." --Frank Logusik, Togiak

map of TogiakAs a principal investigator with the Bering Sea Project, I recently had the opportunity to visit Togiak, located at the head of Togiak Bay, 67 miles west of Dillingham. See larger map

Togiak is one of the 5 communities participating in the local traditional knowledge component of the project. The entire community depends heavily on subsistence activities. Salmon, herring, seal, sea lion, whale and walrus are among the species harvested.

Learn more about Togiak

Interview with Togiak resident Frank Logusak, Sr.

Frank Logusak, Sr., was born in Togiak in 1950 and has lived there all his life. Here, he talks with Nick and describes changes he's seen in the climate along the southern coast of Alaska. (video courtesy University of Washington/JISAO)

Nick's work with the Bering Sea Project

My research has focused the climate of the Bering Sea and Alaska as it pertains to marine ecosystems. My trip objectives were to share my expertise with the residents of Togiak -- especially regarding the future climate of the Bering Sea -- and to talk with them about the environmental changes they have observed in their lifetimes.

Getting there was half the fun

My visit hit an early snag. My scheduled arrival coincided with the onset of much warmer weather than normal after a cold snap; the transition was accompanied by snow, low clouds and stiff winds. I was impressed at the rate that ice built up, and periodically shed, on the wings of the plane I flew from Anchorage to Dillingham. This was not a good sign.

Togiak in summerSure enough, as happens so often in Alaska, there was a wait all afternoon until finally told that the scheduled flight for Togiak was postponed until the following morning. I thought this would be a real problem, because I was supposed to give my presentation at a community meeting that evening.

It turned out to be not that big a deal, and illustrates the resiliency of communities like Togiak that are accessible only by air and water, and hence highly sensitive to the vagaries of the weather. I called a couple of folks in Togiak to give them the news, but they were already aware that the afternoon flight was called off and had gone ahead and postponed the community meeting to the following night. Above: Togiak in milder summertime weather.

Presentation challenges

Drying fishMy first activity once I finally reached Togiak involved the local school. I had a combination of a short presentation and a hands-on activity on the weather of western Alaska. The activity consisted of groups of 5-6 students matching atmospheric pressure maps with extreme weather events (days of record heat, cold, rain, snow, wind) based on the background material I provided. I carried this out first with the middle school students, and then with the high school students. It was more successful with the latter group. I did not realize that the curriculum of Togiak School includes little instruction in science, due to its inability to recruit a science teacher.

If I have a chance to do something like this again, I will design an activity that is more tangible than abstract to better consider the background of the students. However, some of the middle schoolers did catch on right away, which is a tribute to their puzzle-solving abilities. And at the very least I expect I conveyed my fascination with the weather and how satisfying it is to have an interesting job.

Meeting the community

The community meeting was during the evening of my first day in Togiak. This meeting consisted first of a presentation by Ted Krieg of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He reviewed the results from surveys of Togiak households regarding subsistence fishing and hunting. An especially interesting of his analysis, from my point of view, was how recent harvests compare with those in 1999. In brief, catches of salmon have increased and takes of marine mammals have decreased. The attendees of the meeting basically concurred with the summary results that Ted and co-workers have amassed. It was then my turn, and I presented a short talk on climate change and what we expect to happen in the eastern Bering Sea.

My focus was on sea ice, and how fast it is expected to decline in coverage and duration. There appeared to be genuine interest in the subject, based on the questions and comments that sprung up during and after my talk. I closed with a series of questions to the audience about which aspects of the weather and climate that really mattered and/or had changed the most. The response here was a surprise, and may represent an important aspect of the regional climate worthy of further scrutiny.

Togiak basketball court in winterMuch ado about snow

Both at the meeting, and with others I spoke with the next day, there was an emphasis on snowcover. There was strong agreement that there used to be much greater snowfall in the past. People acknowledged that the last few winters had been relatively cold but not that snowy. It is unclear whether the amount of snow more impacts the habitat of preferred targets or the ability to hunt them directly, or is merely related to atmospheric circulation patterns that have more indirect effects.

Nevertheless, whereas my focus has been on air temperatures and sea ice during winter into early spring, and upper ocean stratification in summer, I will now turn some attention to checking snowfall records from the historical record and model projections of snow for future decades. I have discussed this element of the climate with Phyllis Stabeno and Jim Overland of NOAA/PMEL and they are also intrigued. I doubt I would have thought to look into it if I had not interacted with some of the native Alaskans that have been long-term residents of Togiak.

A truly unique experience

Togiak in winterFrom a personal perspective, it was fascinating to get to visit a community like Togiak. Everyone was welcoming and friendly. I did not even encounter a mean dog. A highlight was the chance to attend a birthday party, which involves family and friends crowding into a house for a potluck feast. I enjoyed most of the regional specialities I sampled (beaver, ptarmigan, herring, salmon strips). Akutaq, sometimes called “Eskimo ice cream”, consisting of berries and Crisco (traditionally caribou fat or seal oil is used) must be more of an acquired taste.

From outward appearances, the standard of living in Togiak might seem low, at least from a western perspective. The houses are modest and there is little ostentatious wealth. On the other hand, while admittedly I was there for only a short time, the residents seemed happy and close-knit, and reasonably prosperous.

A big “Thank You” to lots of folks

I would like to acknowledge the people that made my trip to Togiak such a memorable one. First, I want to recognize the support provided by the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) and in particular outreach coordinator Nora Deans. I was encouraged to arrange this visit by Josh Wisniewski of the University of Alaska, who has been conducting surveys as part of the local traditional knowledge (LTK) component of the BEST/BSIERP program. I am also grateful to the aforementioned Ted Krieg, who helped organize the community meeting at which I spoke, and introduced me to a number of Togiak residents.

With regards to local folks, I would like to express my appreciation to the principal of Togiak School, David Morris. I would also like to thank Jonathan Forsling of the Traditional Council of Togiak. Jonathan had insightful comments on my presentation, and took me on a thrilling ride on his snowmachine out to Togiak River where I could watch some locals ice fishing for trout.

Special thanks are also due Frank Logusak, Sr., chairman of the Qayassiq Walrus Commission and member of the Togiak Traditional Council. I had extended conversations with Frank both at the community meeting and the next day, the latter including a filmed interview.

Finally, I would like to recognize Esther Fayer of Togiak, who is associated with the Bristol Bay Native Association and the LTK component of BEST/BSIERP. Esther both promoted my visit to Togiak when the idea came up last fall at a PI meeting for BEST/BSIERP, and provided me a place to stay at her comfortable bed & breakfast while in Togiak. Their help was crucial to making my visit so rewarding and memorable on both a personal and a scientific level.