SWAN Village-to-Village Messaging System: Feedback needed for Nunat - A village website for fish observations, climate change, mining issues

Feedback needed for Nunat - A village website for fish observations, climate change, mining issues

Posted by Lynn Zender on 8/22/2007, 6:44 pm
Message modified by board administrator 8/22/2007, 7:35 pm

Hi everyone! In regards to the recent subsistence and mining messages, Alaska Inter-Tribal Council is developing a website for people to share information on their fish and other subsistence observations, climate change, and mining issues. Like SWAN did for solid waste, Nunat is planned to serve as a one-stop shop for village needs and issues on non-local generated contaminants and environment changes - mainly from climate change and resource development (starting with mining for resource development). Nunat will link to any existing websites and information that are relevant to Villages.
Nunat will go on-line with its Village messaging, fish database, and climate change observation posting in a couple of months. The rest of the site will start a couple of months after that. The message board will link with the SWAN message board so that you can visit just one board.
The purpose of Nunat is to serve as a site for Villages to help Villages protect their subsistence and to share solutions to village problems resulting from climate change. Nunat is also partnering with different groups and agencies around the State and Country to get "western scientists" who specialize in climate change and fish to answer western science questions. We hope Nunat will also bring more attention and money to fund and assist Alaska villages directly in addressing the issues they face now.
We need your thoughts to make this site useful.
1. Are there any fact sheets or other ideas that you would like to see on Nunat?
2. Are there any websites that you like that Nunat should link to?
From village feedback so far, our thoughts on Nunat is that it will include:
- Village to village message board (linked with the SWAN message board) for topics such as climate change, mining, contaminants etc.
- Fish database (see our other message http://members.boardhost.com/SWAN/msg/1187838621.html) - observations on fish and where to go for help. Other animals and plants will be added.
- Introduction tutorials on main and sub-topics and further resources.
- Calendar and funding pages
- Jump on Listserv page to join groups on these topics.
- Where is my mine at? Links to status of permitting process on agency sites with explanations, contact info
- Climate change observations and stories - Video clip and photo capability
- Template and module on how to keep a climate change observation journal
- What are the non-local sources of contaminants
Please see the nunat fish database message (http://members.boardhost.com/SWAN/msg/1187838621.html) for two more questions to share your thoughts on fish observations.
Zender Environmental Health Group, a non-profit, is working with AITC and a graphic artist on developing this site. Please send your advice or questions to nunat@zendergroup.org or Anne Jourdan, AITC Environmental Director, envr@aitc.org.
Thank you very much!
Lynn, Simone, Lisa, and Evelyn