Indigenous Knowledge holders share knowledge during a participatory mapping workshop in Kotlik, AK.
Nicole M Herman-Mercer
Nicole Herman-Mercer is a Research Social Scientist with the USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Nicole began at the USGS in 2008 as a Student Intern in Support of Native American Relations (SISNAR), a program funded by the USGS Office of Tribal Relations. As a SISNAR, she completed a case study of Indigenous Observations of Climate Change in a rural Alaska Native Village in the Yukon River Basin while completing my master's degree in social science at the University of Colorado, Denver. Her work explores the interactions between different knowledge systems regarding human dimensions of landscape change and water resources in rural Alaska Native villages. Currently, Nicole's focus is on the co-production of knowledge utilizing community-based and participatory methods in the Arctic and sub-Arctic to form a better understanding of environmental change and impacts on the populations of this region. This includes implementing an extensive community-based environmental monitoring program in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of western Alaska where scientific instruments and local observations are used to produce an increased understanding of change in this region. Methods used in this work include semi-structured interviews with community experts, participatory mapping, and focus groups as well as community and K-12 classroom outreach, workshops, and community meetings.
Science and Products
Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Federal Research and Management: Case Studies of Successful IK Engagement
In this webinar, speakers Sarah Rinkevich, Cathy “Cat” Techtmann, Kanoeʻulalani Morishige, and Nicole M. Herman-Mercer discuss examples of successful engagement with Tribes and ethical incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge in existing case studies.
Q&A: Arctic Rivers Project
Alaska is home to numerous cultural and linguistic Indigenous groups and the largest number of Federally Recognized Tribes in the United States. Indigenous Alaskans, often living in rural remote communities, are facing multiple impacts due to climate change. As infrastructure, landscapes, and subsistence resources continue to be impacted by warming temperatures, the safety, well-being, and...
Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska
Coastal flooding and erosion caused by storms and sea-level rise threaten infrastructure and public safety in Alaska Native communities. Though the problem is well known, there are few tools that can assess local vulnerability to coastal flood hazards. Even fewer tools can be customized with specific community information to support local adaptation planning. The main goal of this project is t
Alaska’s Berry Future: Planning for Changing Resources in an Altered Climate
Berries are a crucial nutritional and cultural resource to communities and ecosystems in boreal, subarctic and arctic areas; however, berry abundance and the timing of the berry lifecycle is becoming more variable and unpredictable due to climate change. Climate adaptation plans across the state of Alaska identify changes in berry timing and availability as primary concerns and point to the need f
So you want to build a decision support tool? Assessing successes, pitfalls, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to understand how the USGS is using decision support, learning from successes and pitfalls in order to help streamline the design and development process across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. What should researchers consider before diving into tool design and development? Our goal is to provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practice
Yukon River Basin Indigenous Observation Network
The hydrology of the Yukon River Basin has changed over the last several decades as evidenced by a variety of discharge, gravimetric, and geochemical analyses. The Indigenous Observation Network (ION), a community-based project, was initiated by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and USGS. Capitalizing on existing USGS monitoring and research infrastructure and supplementing USGS col
Participatory Mapping
Indigenous Knowledge holders share knowledge during a participatory mapping workshop in Kotlik, AK.
Science and Products
Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Federal Research and Management: Case Studies of Successful IK Engagement
In this webinar, speakers Sarah Rinkevich, Cathy “Cat” Techtmann, Kanoeʻulalani Morishige, and Nicole M. Herman-Mercer discuss examples of successful engagement with Tribes and ethical incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge in existing case studies.
Q&A: Arctic Rivers Project
Alaska is home to numerous cultural and linguistic Indigenous groups and the largest number of Federally Recognized Tribes in the United States. Indigenous Alaskans, often living in rural remote communities, are facing multiple impacts due to climate change. As infrastructure, landscapes, and subsistence resources continue to be impacted by warming temperatures, the safety, well-being, and...
Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska
Coastal flooding and erosion caused by storms and sea-level rise threaten infrastructure and public safety in Alaska Native communities. Though the problem is well known, there are few tools that can assess local vulnerability to coastal flood hazards. Even fewer tools can be customized with specific community information to support local adaptation planning. The main goal of this project is t
Alaska’s Berry Future: Planning for Changing Resources in an Altered Climate
Berries are a crucial nutritional and cultural resource to communities and ecosystems in boreal, subarctic and arctic areas; however, berry abundance and the timing of the berry lifecycle is becoming more variable and unpredictable due to climate change. Climate adaptation plans across the state of Alaska identify changes in berry timing and availability as primary concerns and point to the need f
So you want to build a decision support tool? Assessing successes, pitfalls, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to understand how the USGS is using decision support, learning from successes and pitfalls in order to help streamline the design and development process across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. What should researchers consider before diving into tool design and development? Our goal is to provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practice
Yukon River Basin Indigenous Observation Network
The hydrology of the Yukon River Basin has changed over the last several decades as evidenced by a variety of discharge, gravimetric, and geochemical analyses. The Indigenous Observation Network (ION), a community-based project, was initiated by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council and USGS. Capitalizing on existing USGS monitoring and research infrastructure and supplementing USGS col
Participatory Mapping
Indigenous Knowledge holders share knowledge during a participatory mapping workshop in Kotlik, AK.
Indigenous Knowledge holders share knowledge during a participatory mapping workshop in Kotlik, AK.