Transcript Climate readiness on Lake Superior*s North Shore: Perspectives on

Climate readiness on Lake Superior’s North Shore:
Perspectives on preserving place
in a changing climate
Karen Katz, Graduate Student, University of Minnesota
Mae Davenport, PhD., Associate Professor, University of Minnesota
Erin Seekamp, PhD., Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
Climate Change Vulnerability
“The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or
unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate
change, including variability and extremes.
Vulnerability is a function of the character,
magnitude and rate of climate change and
variation to which a system is exposed, its
sensitivity and its adaptive capacity.”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2001, p. 6
Fat Tire Snow Biking (boundarycoutnry.com)
September 2011 Pagami Creek Fire (Hans Martin, inciweb.org)
June 2008 Flood Grand Marais (bwcaboard.com)
June 2012 Flood Gooseberry Falls State Park, MN (dnr.state.mn.us)
Who are community leaders and how were they involved?
•
Someone who is familiar with and knowledgeable about natural resources, recreation, and tourism
resources in the area.
•
25 one-on-one interviews and 3 focus group discussions
Occupation of participants
2
Business
owners
3
14
5
2
2
23
Years lived in community
Finland
Government
employess
Non-profit
employees
(environment)
Non-profit
employees
(other)
Tourism
professionals
5
6
1
2
0-5
7
3
Grand Marais
1
5-10
11-15
15
16-20
21-30
8
5
8
31+
Missing Data
Self-employed
5
Retired
Self-Identified Community of
Interview Participants
6
North Shore
Region
Cook County
Gunflint Trail
5
What did we ask?
• Asked about community assets,
participants’
concerns
about
natural, recreation, and tourism
resources, and the community’s
preparedness for climate or
ecological change
• Data was analyzed using standard
qualitative
thematic
analysis
procedures.
What are community members concerned about?
“…places and their names,
the kinds of things they sell,
or their little symbols might
be about moose…that’s the
‘Up North’ symbol. And that
may have to change. At some
point we may not have
moose up here
anymore…Birch tree is
another kind of iconic symbol
of the North Shore…so I think
that may change. And the
way that businesses
associate themselves with
this North Shore…those
things may evolve.”
Photo: Elias Anoszko
“This was the first year where I actually felt fear from climate
change…It could literally put this place out of business…Am I
setting my kids up for this really bad experience, trying to keep
up with this family tradition…[to] just have it blown away by
one big wind storm? It’s scary.”
“If we don’t take care of things and start worrying about how
this climate is going to change these forests…if these trees go
then what’s going to happen to your woods that you love so
dearly? And it’s that understanding. And what’s going to
happen to tourism. How are your kids going to make it here?
So it’s finding a way to connect everything…”