Work During Quarter

•Outreach to the Cook Inlet communities through a presentation by Erica Mitchell at the Kachemak Bay Science Conference in Homer on March 9, 2018. She presented the LEO Network as a tool for documenting environmental change around the Kenai Peninsula, and participated in a panel discussion on the ways in which scientific findings can be distributed to the public, and integrated in to policy.

• Outreach to North Slope community members through a presentation by Erica Mitchell in Wainwright on March 29, 2018. Erica traveled to Wainwright in coordination with the University of Alaska Anchorage, Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies contractor Luc Mehl. UAA is working with the Wainwright Environmental program on a project providing satellite locator devices to those traveling between communities, for subsistence, or Search and Rescue. Erica and Luc presented to the Wainwright 7th grade class, followed by a presentation to interested community members. Erica gave copies of the ANTHC developed LEO Lesson Plans to the principal of the Alak school. Fourteen people attended the community presentation, three of which declined to participate in LEO. Of the remaining participants, all were interested in becoming involved with LEO, however only four had email addresses – currently a required component of LEO enrollment. Three residents of Wainwright have joined LEO, and two observations have been posted following the workshop. Sharing of observations is still possible by working with a member and can be accomplished by co-posting with any of the five LEO Network members in the community, including the Environmental Coordinator, Alana Shaw, with the Village of Wainwright.

• Statewide outreach through a presentation by Mike Brubaker, Mike Brook, and Erica Mitchell at the Alaska Forum on the Environment. LEO members from the University of Norway, the Saami Education Institute, and from a Saami reindeer herding community Finland also attended the conference and presented on LEO Observations they made, and asked the audience if they had experienced anything similar.

• LEO was referenced in a State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Epidemiology Bulletin, released January 8, 2018, titled “Assessment of the Potential Health Impacts of Climate Change in Alaska.” The Bulletin included participation in the LEO Network to monitor changes affecting human health, including circumstanced which may increase risk of injury and/or impact food and water security.

• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Arctic Investigations Unit completed a descriptive paper of the LEO Network and the ways in which the Network fits within a One Health framework. Upon completion of internal institutional reviews, the paper will be submitted to the One Health journal.