Indigenous communities and migratory pathways
Indigenous communities and migratory pathways
Connecting Hawaiian and Alaskan cultures through birds
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and partners are conducting a project to describe and share Indigenous approaches for tracking phenological changes in coastal bird migration and associated habitats on Molokaʻi and in southcentral Alaska. The project brings together Indigenous Knowledge Holders and conventional scientists to document environmental changes and understand their impacts on birds, people, and coastal ecosystems.
The project called “Climate change impacts on the phenology of migratory birds as a means to connect Indigenous Pacific Island and Alaskan communities” is a collaboration among the USGS, Molokaʻi Wetland Partnership, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Sustʻāinable Molokaʻi, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, and the Chugach Regional Resources Commission and is funded by the USGS Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center. The first year of the project was focused on building relationships between the Indigenous communities on Molokaʻi and in southcentral Alaska.
In early May of 2025, an intergenerational group of Native Hawaiians from Molokaʻi traveled to Cordova, Alaska to attend the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival. Following the festival, the USGS and its partners facilitated a two-day Knowledge Exchange workshop with the Native Hawaiians, Native Village of Eyak Tribal Members, and project collaborators. This geonarrative chronicles the first year of the project including the activities and outcomes of the Knowledge Exchange workshop.
Read the geonarrative: Indigenous communities and migratory pathways