Gikinoo’wizhiwe Onji Waaban (Guiding for Tomorrow)

or “G-WOW”Changing Climate, Changing Culture InitiativeA New Model for Climate Change Literacy & Action

Cathy Techtmann- Environmental Outreach State SpecialistUniversity of Wisconsin-Extension

NOAA Climate Stewardon behalf of G-WOW Team

Boozhoo (Hello)

Funding Provided by:

G-WOW Project Partners

Additional technical support and resources

Wisconsin climate science research, climate maps, interactive climate mapping tools

Assessments of climate change for northern Wisconsin forests and habitats

Multi-cultural examples of climate change impacts

Project Location:

Located in the heart of the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) Indian Country. This area includes 11 Ojibwe Tribes living within the “Ceded Territory”

Based at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center Ashland, WI

Applicable to other locations & cultures

G-WOW Roots

• Increasing evidence that climate change is affecting the sustainability of Lake Superior coastal resources, communities, and cultures

• Concern about climate change impacts to Ojibwe treaty rights and traditional cultural practices within the Ceded Territory

• “Traditional” climate literacy models were not resonating with audiences

Diverse project partners came together as the G-WOW Team to develop a new climate

change educational outreach strategy

“…local, place-based evidence of climate change gained through experiential learning is as, or more effective than, simply studying

analytical climate change data to increasing climate change literacy.”

“The Psychology of Climate Change Communication”, Columbia University 2009

Research basis for the G-WOW Model

The Lake Superior Ojibwe have relied on the sustainability of key plant and animal species for generations to support subsistence, cultural, and

spiritual practices or “lifeways”

Tribes have traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of natural systems that provides place-based

indicators of climate change impacts for people of all cultures

Unprecedented cancellations of tribal wild rice harvests and poor harvest years (2007-2012)

Place-based Evidence

Lake Superior ice cover at Bayfield, Wisconsin has decreased approximately 3 days/decade or 45 days over the past 150 years

Lake Superior reached near record lows by 2013

From 1950-2006:

• +1ºF over all temperature increase

• +2 - 2.5ºF increase in NW Wisconsin.

Scientific evidence of a Changing Climate

WI has gotten warmer & wetter over the past

60 years

Historic (1950-2006)

Projected (1980-2055)

A1B ScenarioOVERALL WARMING

Change in Average Annual Temps +4-9ºF

Average +12 days growing seasonDrought

WARMER WINTERSDecrease in Frequency of Cold Nights

(70% decrease in northern WI)Less ice cover on lakes, more

evaporationMore precip as rain, not snow

EXTREME WEATHERUp to 4.5 inch annual mean

increase in precip, but a projected 25% increase in the frequency

of 2-inch or greater rainfall events

2014Record or near-record cold for the Midwest

Alaska warmest since records began in 1918 (National Weather Service)

Globally the hottest year on record (NOAA)

You had to ask… what about 2014?

2015 ??

and

2015Record cold & snowfall for eastern cities

Alaska: 40-degrees above average, record high temps for February

Second hottest January on record (NOAA). Oceans at 3rd warmest

Warmest March on record. Highest CO2 level ever at 400 parts per million

9 out of the past 10 years have been the warmest on record

Our Goal through G-WOW

- Place-based evidence of climate change

- Climate change scientific research.

Increase awareness of climate change impacts on the sustainability of resources, cultures, and communities by integrating:

Create an e-z to understand climate literacy model , transferable to other cultures & locations

Fight climate change with change through service learning

G-WOW Key Principles

• Climate change is real

• Humans contribute to climate change

• Weather and climate are different

• Climate affects culture

• We can make a difference!  Projected change in

Wisconsin’s annual average temperatures

in ºF, 1980-2055

Harvesting birch bark- a boreal species that relies on a cool climate

Why Is the G-WOW Model Unique?

It based on understanding how climate change affects

habitat conditions needed for the sustainability of plant or animal species that supports a cultural

practice.

• Creates a culturally relevant climate change perspective

• Links cultural, place-based evidence with scientific climate research

• Makes the model transferrable across different cultures

• Promotes action through service learningG-WOW uses impacts on Ojibwe cultural practices as

an indicator of a changing climate for all cultures

The Ojibwe lifeway of wild rice harvesting depends on the sustainability of manoomin.

The sustainability of manoomin depends on habitats with:

• shallow water• moderate water level fluctuations• cool growing season temperatures

Appling G-WOW model: Wild Ricing

Manoomin (wild rice) is an important species to the Ojibwe for subsistence, spiritual, and ceremonial purposes.

Place-based evidence of climate change affecting the sustainability of manoomin?

Annual average temperatures in ºF,

Do Culture and Science Agree?

Frequency of 90-degree days Change in frequency of 2” + precip

Scientific evidence of climate change affecting the sustainability of manoomin?

HEAT DROUGHT GUSHE

RS

2007 - 2012: Significant changes observed in wild rice harvests and yields based on TEK due to drought, fungal disease, storms

Cultural Practice

Key Species Place-based & Scientific Evidence

Requires cool moist forest habitats, cold winters for

sugar production

What does this mean for sustainability of sugar maple,

the businesses the rely on sugar maple?

Projected frequency of days over 90-degrees

F, 1980-2055

Example: G-WOW application

Cultural Practice

Key Species Place-based and Scientific Evidence

Requires cold water habitats with high oxygen

levels

Climate models predict up to 95% of Wisconsin’s brook trout habitat across could be lost if the average annual summer air temperature increased just over 5 º F.

Projected change in Wisconsin’s annual average summer temperatures in ºF,

1980-2055

Example: G-WOW application

Example: G-WOW application, South Milwaukee HS, WI

Cultural Practice

Requires cool water. Warmer

water also favors invasives that compete with Yellow Perch

How could the G-WOW model engage students in the issue

of climate change?

Credit: GLERL.

Perch fish fry

Cultural Practice

Invasive Burmese python:

requires very warm, moist “tropical”

habitats

Example: G-WOW application, Southern Florida

Increase in 95+-degree day/year,

2041-2070.What does a changing climate mean for the sustainability of this invasive species? How could this affect recreation, nature-based tourism economies?

Hiking in the Everglades

Large circles = 50 or more pythons captured

Cultural Practice

Key “condition”

Place-based and Scientific Evidence

Projected change in Wisconsin’s winter average temperatures in ºF, 1980-

2055

What do these changes mean for species and cultural practices that

depend on cold and snow?

Example: applying the G-WOW model to a “non-species” dependent cultural practice

Cultural Practice

What habitat conditions does the

species need to survive and thrive?

Your Turn--Create Your Own G-WOW model

Do culture and science agree? What implications does this have for your

community?

What cultural practice do you enjoy?

What species is needed to support this

practice?

What changes are you seeing in the key species or in the habitats it needs? What changes in

environmental variables critical to supporting these habitat conditions are projected by climate science? Variables may include: temperature, precipitation, drought, intense rain/ storms, humidity, etc.

Ojibwe LifewaysPlace-based evidence of climate impacts on 4-seasonal Ojibwe cultural practices

Investigate the ScienceClimate science from federal, state, and tribal sources

Culture informing Science The G-WOW MODEL COMPONENTS

What Can We Do?Taking action through

climate service learning projects

Talking Circle

Sharing service learning

projects via an interactive blog

Do culture and science agree… is climate change affecting the sustainability of the key species that supports an Ojibwe lifeway?

What is the future for this cultural practice based on place-based evidence and scientific climate change projections?

What do these changes mean for the cultural practices you enjoy, the environment, community, economy?

… then engages learners to act through service learning

What can we do to mitigate or adapt to climate change impacts?

The G-WOW model guides investigation…

G-WOW Curriculum Outreach Tools

Experiential learning

Ojibwe language, TEK, and cultural elements infused

Multi-cultural perspectives

Web Curriculumwww.g-wow.org

Educator Training

Institutes

Climate Change

Discovery Center

TARGET AUDIENCES

Learners (middle school & above)

Teachers-Educators

General Public

G-WOW Website and Curriculum

www.g-wow.org

On-line climate change service learning curriculum

Ojibwe Lifeways

WinterOjibwe Lifeway:

Respecting Our Culture

Key species: American marten

SpringOjibwe Lifeway:

Maple sugaring and Birch bark harvestingKey species:

Sugar maple and paper birch trees

SummerOjibwe Lifeway:

FishingKey species: Cold and

coolwater fishFall

Ojibwe Lifeway: Wild RicingKey species: Manoomin

Learning objectives

Cultural connection: importance of the key species to culture

Baseline ecological information: habitat conditions needed for sustainability of the key species(s) depends on

Place-based evidence of how climate change impacts key species

Each Ojibwe Lifeway unit includes:

Students investigate place-based evidence within their culture.

Activity Guides guide student investigations.

Linked to an Ojibwe Lifeway unit, customized for that unit.

A toolbox to investigate and evaluate scientific climate change research via interactive maps and soon NASA climate.

Students research climate trends and projections & evaluate impacts on the sustainability of key species.

Investigate the Science

“Test It” : students test their own climate change hypothesis through self-designed investigations.

Activity Guides focus student investigations.

• Students act on knowledge gained to develop a service learning project to address climate change impacts in their community

• Provides service learning project templates and ideas

What Can We Do?

Ready-made project templates such as Project Budburst, climate phenology wheels, climate collages provide fun, service learning options

• Students share results of their service learning project through this web blog

• Projects are segmented by location and type

Talking Circle

Online tools allow students to evaluate their project impacts

Other G-WOW Website Resources Teacher Resources

G-WOW Curriculum GuideTeacher Training vignettesNews & opportunities

Games Interactive climate change games

Climate Change Climate literacy basics

About Project background Partner acknowledgements

ContactFor more information

4-day experiential professional development based on the G-WOW model Location: Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center-Ashland, WI; Apostle Island National Lakeshore; tribal communities of Red Cliff and Bad River.

Stockton Island Climate Walk

Kakagon Sloughs Tribal Manoomin Tour

G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Institute

"When I saw that we would be teaching about climate change…, I thought Ugghhh!!!. Now I see that the cultural impact of climate change is how to approach middle school kids with this topic.“ - G-WOW Institute Teacher

Major exhibit and interactive kiosk located at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland,

WI

100,000 visitors, students, community members annually

G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Discovery CenterNorthern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland WI

Ripples…

• Partnering with the Fond du Lac Tribal College (Duluth, MN) to expand the G-WOW model throughout Ojibwe Ceded Territory via a $1.09 million NASA Innovations in Climate Education-Tribal (NICE-T) grant.

• Partnering with Chicago Botanical Garden’s EPA climate initiative integrating G-WOW model into regional climate change outreach.

• Sharing the G-WOW model to increase climate change literacy to people of all cultures.

The G-WOW Initiative & Team received 2013 Honor Award

from the Eastern Region of the US Forest Service

for “Courageous Conservation”

We invite you to use and expand the G-WOW model

to increase climate change literacy based on the

unique lifeways of your culture

www.g-wow.org

Miigwech ! (Thank

you)For more information, please contactCathy Techtmann-Environmental Outreach

State SpecialistUniversity of Wisconsin-Extension

715.561.2695

catherine.techtmann@ces.uwex.eduhttp://fyi.uwex.edu/nglvc/