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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A project is underway to get Tlicho communities ready for climate change.

The two-year project - a partnership between Ecology North and the Tlicho government and communities - began in November last year.

One of the potential effects of global warming is shorter winter road seasons for isolated Tlicho communities, such as on this winter road to Whati. - photo courtesy of Shannon Ripley

"The end goal of the project is to create climate change adaptation plans for each community," said Daniel T'seleie, a climate change planner with Ecology North, who is working full time on the project.

It is hoped that plans will be prepared by October of next year.

T'seleie listed a number of changes that could be coming or have already been observed in the North as a result of climate change - melting permafrost; extreme weather; changing plant, animal and insect species; and the possibility of new and different pollution and contaminants making their way north as a result of changing air currents.

Plus, he said climate change might mean new diseases for the North in animals and humans.

For example, the geographic range of the West Nile Virus and avian bird flu might be extended as temperatures rise.

T'seleie also said climate change might mean shorter winter road seasons, which would disrupt the transportation system in the Tlicho territory.

Three Tlicho communities - Gameti, Wekweeti and Whati - are serviced by winter roads, while Behchoko has an all-season road.

T'seleie said everyone, especially elders, recognizes climate change is happening.

"The potential effects of climate change and global warming are fairly vast," he said, noting it is hard to precisely predict the coming problems. "There is a wide array of possible concerns."

George Bailey, an 18-year-old high school student, is a representative on the 12-member community advisory committee, which has three members each from the four communities.

Bailey, from Behchoko, said the climate change adaptation project is a good idea.

"It doesn't seem like much is being done about global warming and climate change in the North," he said.

People in the Tlicho territory are noticing differences in the climate, such as the ice roads opening later than usual, he added. "The trend is the ice roads haven't been staying open as long."

Bailey also said people are worried about their safety when travelling on ice during the winter.

Plus, he said the weather appears to be more extreme with blizzards seeming to come out of nowhere.

"The elders are noticing something is happening because they've been around a lot longer than we have," he said.

T'seleie said there are a lot of things that communities can do to adapt to climate change. As an example, he mentioned flexible fuel line couplings to avoid spills if the ground shifts. Another idea is changing the slopes of roofs to prevent buildup of the damper and heavier snow predicted for the future.

"There are some very simple things like that," T'seleie said.

The community advisory committee's purpose "is to help guide the project," said T'seleie.

The committee met for the first time in Whati on Jan. 19.

That meeting was followed by a Jan. 20-21 workshop, which included eight elders from the community.

The elders expressed concerns about winters not being as cold as in the past, caribou not being found in their usual locations, the ground being drier than normal and thick fog in the air.

The project will include public information workshops in other communities. One is set for Wekweeti on Feb. 11, followed by Gameti during the week of March 9 and Behchoko sometime in March.

T'seleie said the workshops will raise awareness about the project and get feedback from the communities about what people are concerned about in relation to climate change.

"We're trying to get input from everyone we possibly can in the Tlicho communities," he said.

That will include interviews with elders on how the communities developed and changes they have seen in the climate over the years.

"Their input is extremely valuable," T'seleie said. "They have a lot of knowledge to share."

An external advisory committee will also be formed, which will include representatives of the Tlicho Government, Tlicho boards and agencies, Ecology North, the federal and territorial governments, and technical and scientific experts.

"They'll help us with more regulatory and scientific issues we'll run into in this project," T'seleie said.

The project is being financially supported by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada through its Climate Change Adaptation Fund.