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AKLAVIK - Bonnie Koe has begun to see the affects of climate change on the land.

“We were out and saw the inconsistencies of the snow,” she said, how it went from powder to sugar snow and then back. “We’ve learned a lot from what we are able to see with our own eyes.”

Elder Sara Jerome, left, and youth researcher Bonnie Koe pluck geese in the cabin at the camp they spent the week at studying the effects of climate change on the aboriginal way of life. - photo courtesy of Denise Kurszewski

Koe is part of a group of young researchers from Aklavik working on a documentary film project on climate change and how it affects the traditional aboriginal way of life.

The group spent a week out on the land studying the effects of climate change, interviewing numerous elders from the region who have seen the rapid change on the land.

“It’s going to climate change and how it affects aboriginal people,” Koe said. “We’re talking about health too, and how the change is affecting us.”

Denise Kurszewski, director of research development for the Arctic Health Research Network and coordinator of the project, said they wanted to get youth involved in the project because the combination of the classroom knowledge with the knowledge gained from the elders gives a well-rounded understanding of the issue at hand.

“It’s important to get students involved because they begin to see some of the health issues and it’s part of the ownership of the problem and finding solutions to it within the community,” Kurszewski said.

Arctic Health Research Network partnered with the Akalvik health committee to organize this project to work toward a final product, a DVD to show people exactly how climate change is affecting the health of aboriginal people.

“They decided to form because they were concerned about some of the issues in the community and they wanted to start doing some of their own research,” she said.

“We’re really hoping other communities pick up on this. There is a lot of work going on in Aklavik to partner with different agencies and everyone is working together. We want to show other communities they can do the research themselves and find a way to help their people.”

Koe said the initial thing they learned so far with the project is slowing down climate change is possible and adapting to the changes is part of dealing with the change.

“They’re saying there is nothing we can do to stop it but there are ways to slow it down,” she said. “It’ll be more clear once the video is complete.”

As one of the organizers and recent Aklavik graduate, Koe said this opportunity presents a new perspective on the topic of climate change for the students.

“They know what it’s like to learn about climate change on paper, in class, reading about it and taking that all in, but here they get to see it with their own eyes how climate change is affecting our people,” she said.

Aklavik teacher Ed Hartley is originally from Newfoundland and while his history is much different he said he is able to understand the importance of being able to provide for your family by living off the land.

“It’s part of their culture it’s part of how they live,” he said, his ancestors fishermen and farmers in Newfoundland. “It wasn’t that long ago that there grand-parents were living like this. It teaches you that there is more to life than T.V. and Ipods.

“Life was different because you appreciated it more.”