Zoe

Zoe sitting on a rock in front of Sage Beach where her dad collected herring eggs when they first moved to Sitka eight years ago.

I remember when we moved here my dad and I didn't know much about subsistence, but we came here and grabbed a branch of herring eggs. And in the past years I've seen fewer and fewer herring eggs in general around, but also on the beaches they used to wash up a lot on seaweed, but there just isn't anymore.

And it's really beautiful [here] and just kind of sad to see these resources draining away. We lived down Indian River, and there are the ups and downs of the seasons, but when we first moved here there were a whole bunch of salmon running up, and now there's a lot less.

And over-fishing... I think the herring is mostly over-fishing, but I think also climate change -- I think the two of them working in tandem definitely dropped herring populations by quite a lot. Salmon populations too. They haven't adjusted the catch rates to reflect the number of salmon out there. And that leads to more over-fishing the next season, but then climate change is sadly dropping the numbers of fish.

How do you feel about those changes?

Fish basically drives our economy -- fishing -- and so the economy is going down because of that, but also the fishing community is what makes Sitka so beautiful...

And that starts with the fish -- they fertilize the trees [when they] wash up, they feed the bears, they feed the whales, they feed the people. And starting to lose the fish means starting to lose Sitka, almost.

[As we were talking, three or four sea lions came up, eating the pink salmon returning to the hatchery behind us]

Is there anything you wish school had taught you about the changes?

I wish there had been -- well I understand this year was life science for us and because of Covid it was definitely cut short a bit, but there was like a small bit on climate change interspersed in the biodiversity stuff, but it definitely could've been expanded on a lot more -- like looking at the changes to the world. And with the biodiversity unit, seeing what impact it has on biodiversity. And yeah it definitely could've been broadened quite a bit.

Did you learn anything about it in middle school?

I don't think so. Maybe a little bit in life science.

Yeah definitely not enough to make an impression.

I think the only [other] class it would be relevant in would be health and social studies, and I don't think those mentioned it at all.

Do you wish you knew more about how the economy will change as a result of climate change?

Definitely. A lot of kids who grow up in Sitka are gonna stay in Sitka. So it's definitely important to know what our future is [going to be] like in Sitka and what we can do to have a good future.

What do you think about Sitka's climate change education in general?

I think it's definitely severely lacking.

There are definitely a lot of areas where it could be broadened. It's nice that there is at least a little bit, but... making it a curriculum requirement -- I think it would definitely help -- help the next generation see what they can do to help and see what changes are happening in the environment.

Zoe wants:

More climate change education in school

STEAM, Scientists in the School, and GLOBE (Programs #1, 2, 4) incorporate climate change education into regular school classes.

Weather Stations and TROP ICSU (Resources #1, 2) can both help teachers incorporate climate change into their classes in many different subject areas. Climate change is such a broad and important issue that affects so many topics that it needs to be taught in many different contexts, many times.

To know what Sitka's future will look like and how students can thrive in it

Apprenticeships (Idea #2) would allow students to talk to adults who work in their field of interest about the problems they're facing now and predictions they have for the future of their field. They would also prepare students to work right out of high school or give them the tools to continue education in their field of interest.

Vocational Training (Program #5) prepares students for the workforce and gives them valuable skills that reflect a changing economy to help them succeed whether they choose to stay in Sitka or go elsewhere.

Crew Training Program and ADF&G Internships (Summer Opportunities #6, 7) teach students about issues that are affecting these professions right now and what could affect them in the future. They also teach students the skills to work in the relevant fields after they graduate high school.