Draft: "Guidelines for Improved Cooperation between Arctic Researchers
and Northern Communities"
A draft of the document "Guidelines for Improved Cooperation between
Arctic Researchers and Northern Communities" is available for download
and public comment via email or an online form from the ARCUS website:
http://www.arcus.org/guidelines
This document is intended to provide information and contacts for
researchers planning projects in or near Arctic communities to
facilitate cooperation and collaboration in keeping with the "Principles
for Conduct of Research in the Arctic", federal guidelines for protected
species, and subsistence harvest practices. Comments and suggestions
from researchers, northern residents, and other interested parties are
welcome via the online form or email to Renee Crain at the National
Science Foundation (rcrain [at] nsf.gov).
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). It is in draft form and available for public comment.
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.gov). The Arctic Research Consortium of
the U.S. (ARCUS) is hosting the draft document and comment process as a
service to NSF. Online comments may be provided anonymously.