Story Published: Sep 20, 2009 at 10:27 AM PST
Story Updated: Sep 20, 2009 at 10:27 AM PST
The 2009 EPA Region 10 Tribal Leaders Summit wrapped up in Lewiston, with many from the Nez Perce Tribe focusing on air quality and the health of the area's rivers and salmon.
But as tribal members from around the region made it to town for the annual event, a delegation from Alaskan tribes were talking about what they rarely get, heat.
"Winter's going to be starting like next month in Alaska, and it's probably 45 degrees there," said Anvik, Alaska resident Charles Jerue.
"This is interesting, "said Barrow, Alaska resident Lloyd Paningona. "I like it, I like the heat. This Eskimo is hot."
While some joked about a 50-degree difference in daytime highs, they said the temperature is the very thing they're concerned about back home. Climate change, and its effects on Alaska's native tribes, was one of the main topics of discussion at the conference.
"The tundra is drying up and it's sinking," said Nez Perce Tribe Water Resources Director Gwen Carter. "They have villages that are being washed out because they don't have the protective ice."
Paningona is feeling the effects in a whaling community with the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost state's northernmost tip.
But Carter said it's not just Alaska's disappearing tundra. The minor changes it's having on things like harvests thousands of miles away make it a discussion worth having everywhere.
"Things are getting ready sooner," said Carter. "We're going out and digging sooner and we're going to gather berries and things like that sooner. I think it's something we all need to address and be aware of and collectively try and figure out how we are going to deal with it."
