Why observing and monitoring matters

Why Observing and Monitoring Matters

Purpose: The heart of this course is engaging youth in meaningful science investigations that weave local or indigenous knowledge with GLOBE environmental observing to address a climate change issue important to your community. It is often easy to overlook the importance of long-term monitoring of the environment for solving problems, advocating for change, and planning for the future. This assignment is aimed at priming the pump for our discussions on the value of environmental monitoring for local problem solving, self-advocacy and youth learning and engagement in the process. Join course instructors Elena Sparrow, Malinda Chase, and Katie Spellman in their discussion on the importance of environmental monitoring and collaboration between Alaskan youth and communities.

Assignment Instructions:

1. Watch the video “Why Observing and Monitoring Matters."

2. Complete the reflection questions at the end of the video (also written below) with brief written responses.

Reflection Questions:

i. What are the climate change issues in your community that could benefit from long-term monitoring? (list one or two)

ii. What types of information is needed to help address those issues?

iii. What do youth have to contribute to that need? How can we help build a data-literate, empowered next generation of observers?

iv. How do you encourage younger people to pay attention to the environment around them, and then act?

There are so many options for monitoring and observing programs to be involved in!

Here are a few resources to connect your youth group or community to some of those projects:

• Arctic Community-Based Monitoring Atlas- find projects in Alaska and throughout the arctic on sea ice, berries, erosion, community health, and more!

• Arctic Community-Based Monitoring Library - find lessons learned, resources, protocols, manuals, and best practices for community based monitoring in the Arctic.

• GLOBE - Measure almost anything using these protocols for your own community, and contribute your data to ongoing global investigations by NASA and other scientists.

• Indigenous Sentinels Network - Alaska-based network that provides data collection and online data management tools customizatizable for community data sovereignty.

• Community-based monitoring of Alaska’s coastal and ocean environment: Best practices for linking Alaska citizens with science. Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, report SG-ED-78