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  5. Vulnerability of Culturally Significant Plants on the Olympic Peninsula

Vulnerability of Culturally Significant Plants on the Olympic Peninsula

Vulnerability of Traditional Women's Foods to Climate Change on the Olympic Peninsula, WA: Management Projections and Implications for Tribal Perspectives on Usual and Accustomed Gathering Areas

Dates

Start Date
2013-07-01
End Date
2015-03-03
Release Date
2013

Summary

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest rely on plants for food, medicine, and material for culturally important items (e.g., baskets, cages and traps, ceremonial items, tools, and musical instruments). Elders and wisdomkeepers from tribes of the Point No Point Treaty Council have expressed deep concerns about the potential effects of climate change on plant species of key cultural significance, particularly those located in tribal gathering areas on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. This project was a direct response to tribal concerns about the loss of culturally significant plants from tribal gathering areas. Researchers conducted interviews with elders from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to identify eight plants of key cultural concern [...]

Child Items (4)

Contacts

Principal Investigator :
Jesse Ford
Funding Agency :
Northwest CSC
CMS Group :
Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) Program

Attached Files

Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.

NW-2013-3_ElwhaRiver_OlympicNP_JohnMcMillan_NOAA.JPG
“Elwha River, Olympic National Park - Credit: John McMillan, NOAA” 		thumbnail 5.3 MB image/jpeg

Purpose

This short-term project responded to concerns about the disappearance of culturally important plants in traditional gathering areas expressed by elders of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (PGST) (Olympic Peninsula, WA), both currently and in response to continuing climate change. A formal Memorandum of Understanding was developed between Oregon State University and the PGST to guide this culturally sensitive research. We recommend this formal approach to researchers considering tribal partnerships in order to ensure expectations of all parties are clearly outlined. During formal interviews and informal conversation, PGST elders mentioned 37 plants, of which eight terrestrial species and a group of marine taxa were of particular concern due to limited availabilities in 26 traditional gathering locations within the Usual and Accustomed (U&A) gathering area, guaranteed by the 1855 Point No Point Treaty. Landsat data were used to analyze recent changes in land cover within the U&A. Substantial changes in land cover were found between 1975 and 2010. Detailed analysis for 1990-2010 documented recent forest fragmentation, loss of freshwater wetlands, and both losses and gains of saltwater wetlands. Current regional distribution and autecological information for the eight focal terrestrial species were compiled using available databases, herbarium records, and literature. Field studies documented plant communities in which selected focal species are currently found. Downscaled results from existing Pacific Northwest climate scenarios were adapted to the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsula, which house the U&A. These suggest somewhat hotter, drier summers and somewhat warmer, wetter conditions in other seasons by the late 21st century. Changes in seasonal precipitation were less clear, with uncertainty regarding the magnitude and even direction of change. Published information related to climate variables for the eight focal species was sparse, making even semi-quantitative projections of response to changing climates impossible. In addition, we created map of the U&A shoreline representing expected changes in shoreline due to changing climates combined with tectonic events. In summary, this project established a baseline on which future studies of vulnerable traditional women’s plants can be built.

Project Extension

projectStatusCompleted

Budget Extension

annualBudgets
year2013
totalFunds89813.0
totalFunds89813.0

Elwha River, Olympic National Park - Credit: John McMillan, NOAA
Elwha River, Olympic National Park - Credit: John McMillan, NOAA

Map

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Spatial Services

ScienceBase WMS

Communities

  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers
  • Northwest CASC

Tags

Provenance

dmpeditor-1.4.1

Additional Information

Data Management Plan Extension

existingInput
feesNo known fees
descriptionData gathered from the literature on ecological requirements of 10 species; names of species in S’Klallam language and common S’Klallam usage as indicated by elders/wisdomkeepers, common English name and Linnaean nomenclature following Hitchcock and Cronquist 1973 and Pojar 2007
sourceVarious online and library sources to be determined
qualityChecksData will be reviewed for accuracy/quality
formatAccess database
restrictionsNo known restrictions
name[Ecological information on 10 species of key cultural concern]
feesNot yet identified; there is a line item in our budget that includes potential fees
descriptionCurrent and historic Landsat images
sourceUSGS Landsat archive via Glovis
qualityChecksWill be compared with Google Earth reference data
formatLandsat georeferenced images
restrictionsNo known restrictions
name[Vegetation cover]
feesNo known fees
descriptionExisting climate scenarios for Olympic Peninsula
sourceNorth American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program
qualityChecksThese will be standard products that have already been released for public use by appropriate climate centers.
formatNetCDF
restrictionsNo known restrictions
name[Climate Scenarios]
feesNo known fees
descriptionRegional plant distribution records
sourceVarious sources to be determined
qualityChecksDocumented botanical records
formatHerbarium records or other sources of plant occurences
restrictionsNo known restrictions
name[Plant distribution records]
feesNo known fees
descriptionRegional plant distribution data/maps
sourceVarious sources to be determined
qualityChecksReviewed metadata
formatRaster maps, shapefiles, satellite images, etc.
restrictionsNo known restrictions
name[Plant distribution maps]
needs
feesERDAS Imagine: OSU site license, need one seat in each of two calendar years (2013, 2014) = $248. FieldWorks Language Explorer for analysis of interview data (open-source); PC-ORD to identify past and current vegetation associations ($299+100 for simultaneous user)
descriptionERDAS/Imagine for data processing/creation of maps of vegetation change; content analysis program (e.g. FieldWorks or equivalent); PC-ORD for certain kinds of vegetation analysis
sourcewww.esri.comhttp://lingtransoft.info/apps/flexhttp://home.centurytel.net/~mjm/pcordwin.htm
restrictionsLicensed software
name[Name of Software or Other Need]
newInput
descriptionField manual with photographs, names (S’Klallam language, S’Klallam common name, English common name, and Linnean designation), parts used, preparation techniques, and general location description*. See also “Protocols”.
qualityChecksData will be reviewed by all team members, including S’Klallam elders/wisdomkeepers for accuracy/quality
protocolsThis field guide will be developed with the S’Klallam community. They will determine the exact scope and depth of the product
format.pdf. A limited number of hard copies will be created for tribal use.
restrictionsExact locations of any sensitive tribal gathering areas may be omitted from final field guide. Whether or not this product becomes a public document is subject to the decision of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. The copyright will be held by PGST.
dataManagementResources0.25 FTE for OSU research assistant (includes data management for previous two items as well)
name[Field guide to S’Klallam plants]
descriptionVegetation transect, and/or plot, and/or releve data, collected at study sites to both ground truth remote sensing imagery and also investigate distribution and abundance of key plant species
qualityChecksData will be reviewed for accuracy/quality
protocolsTransect survey
formatData gathered in field, then entered into Excel spreadsheet or MS Access database. This will include GPS coordinates of transects and lists of species present
restrictionsExact locations of any sensitive tribal gathering areas may be omitted from final reports/public data
dataManagementResources0.25 FTE for OSU research assistant (includes data management for next item, Interviews with Tribal Wisdomkeepers, as well)
name[Vegetation field studies]
descriptionRaster maps, shapefiles, etc. for 10 species of particular interest to S’Klallam elders/wisdomkeepers
qualityChecksData will be reviewed for accuracy/quality
protocolsClimate scenarios (Existing Collections #3) will be considered in conjunction with Ecological Information on 10 Species of Key Cultural Concern (Existing collections #5) to estimate changes in ranges of these ten species
format.pdf format maps generated in ArcGIS
restrictionsExact locations of any sensitive tribal gathering areas may be omitted from final reports/public data
dataManagementResources0.25 FTE for OSU research assistant (includes data management for previous two items as well)
name[Estimated future plant distribution maps]
descriptionInformation about current and past distribution and abundance of key plant species acquired from interviews with tribal wisdomkeepers; information about likely impacts of changes in access to key plant species on important cultural activities
qualityChecksData will be reviewed for accuracy/quality with interviewees
protocolsInterviews conducted by PhD student Gail Woodside +/- Jesse Ford
formatAudio recordings will be made during interviews. These will be transcribed to a Word document with sensitive material omitted. After transcription, original audio recordings will either be kept in a tribal archive or destroyed.
restrictionsSensitive material will be removed from interview transcripts before they are submitted or made publicly available.
dataManagementResources0.25 FTE for OSU research assistant (includes data management for last item, Vegetation Field Studies, as well)
name[Interviews with tribal wisdomkeepers]
phaseApproved DMP
ratingSatisfactory
templateNameNCCWSC DMP

Expando Extension

object
agendas
themes
number1
nameClimate Science & Modeling
options
number2
nameResponse of Physical Systems to Climate Change
options
number3
nameResponse of Biological Systems to Climate Change
options
number4
nameVulnerability and Adaptation
options
atrue
btrue
number5
nameMonitoring and Observation Systems
options
number6
nameData, Infrastructure, Analysis, and Modeling
options
atrue
number7
nameCommunication of Science Findings
options
nameNorthwest CSC Agenda
urlhttp://www.doi.gov/csc/northwest/upload/NW-CSC-Science-Agenda-2012-2015.pdf

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