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Draft guidelines for improved cooperation between Arctic researchers and northern communities

Renee Crain at the National Science Foundation contributes the following to Northern Notes, The Newsletter of the International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA), Fall 2004 issue (p. 13):

The Arctic Sciences Section of the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs and the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) have drafted the document Guidelines for Improved Cooperation between Arctic Researchers and Northern Communities available online at http://www.arcus.org/guidelines/. This Guidelines document is intended to provide useful information to researchers planning projects in or near communities in the Arctic.

The document was drafted with the input of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, and the Alaska Native Science Commission (ANSC).

I welcome comments and suggestions from all interested people to improve the document and make it more relevant and useful.

The Guidelines document evolved out of relationships between researchers and communities on the North Slope of Alaska, although the model for communication can be applied to work in other regions of the Arctic. The document contains maps depicting areas of high use for subsistence activities, information about protected species, migration routes of some key subsistence use species and articulates some concerns of northern residents.

In addition, the document contains contact information for relevant organizations, a timeline and a checklist for developing research plans. Taken together, this information can be used by researchers to improve communication with northern communities and plan research activities, particularly field expeditions, in keeping with the Principles for Conduct of Research in the Arctic (http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/arctic/conduct.htm). In addition, the Guidelines document raises awareness of federally protected species in northern Alaska and provides information to help researchers comply with federal laws.

Comments, questions and suggestions for improvements to the document are welcome via an online form or email to Renee Crain at the National Science Foundation (rcrain (at) nsf (dot) gov).

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) is hosting the draft document and comment process as a service to NSF. Comments may be provided anonymously using the online form.