(Photo by Matt Martin/KDLG)
Villagers from Togiak, Illiamna, Port Heiden, among others, traveled to Dillingham last week for scientific training. It’s part of the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program or IGAP. The researchers are looking to set a baseline data set of water quality and temperature in the region.
The Environmental Protection Agency requires all IGAP coordinators to attend an annual training. The coordinators record water quality, and this is the first year they’ll also measure the water temperature. Sue Mauger, a Science Director with Cook Inlet Keepers, headed up the training.
“So of the work we are doing, the water temperature, we are targeting salmon streams because we are trying to see whether we have temperatures that (cause) stress to salmon,” added Mauger.
Mauger is one of two full-time researchers who work with the community scientists. Dan Bogan is the other. He’s been a part of this annual training for a decade.
“I guess what motiates a lot of the people that are here are the threats on the horizon in some of the villages; mining threats, development coming in and potentially changing water quality,” Bogan said.
Bogan says the work of the environmental coordinators set up a baseline that researchers like himself can use to see what, if any, changes happen to the water systems in the future. And that data would be hard to come by without the researchers.
“We have 40% of the nation’s surface water in this state and know about less than1% of it,” said Bogan. “In just about every one of these villages they are the only people out there collecting this information.”
Aisha Upton flew in from Togiak for the training. She says she’s ready to put her new skills to work when she gets home.
“Get everybody informed about how important it is to save our environment and especially preserve it for many years to come, for the next generation,” Upton said.
