COAST-X Begins in Community: Lessons from Point Lay
Before COAST-X moves across Alaska’s western and northern coasts, it begins in community. During the first week of February, a team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Arizona State University, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Science, our ACTION Community Research Lead from the Native Village of Gambell, and the Goldstream Group traveled to Point Lay as part of the NSF-funded ACTION project. Our purpose was not to collect samples or deploy instruments. We were there to listen. The visit centered on a community visioning effort, an opportunity to better understand local priorities, concerns, and observations, and to ensure that the science guiding COAST-X reflects the lived realities of the people who know this coast best. Listening on the Chukchi Sea Coast In Point Lay, we met with the Native Village of Point Lay Tribal Council, elders, tundra travelers, teachers, and community members. Conversations focused on coastal change, winter travel, terrain, safety, and life along t...
