RESEARCH PROJECT

The seasonal timing of recurrent annual events, such as bird migration and fruit production by plants, is called phenology. Phenological cycles around the world have been increasingly shifting due to climate change. The objectives of this project are threefold: (1) to describe and elevate Indigenous approaches for tracking phenological changes in coastal bird migration and associated habitats in Molokaʻi and southcentral Alaska; (2) to create or expand the content and accessibility of existing databases that track phenological changes in migratory birds and associated habitats in both locations; and (3) to synthesize and share gathered phenological knowledge with students and other community members in hopes of strengthening cultural ties among humans, coastal birds, and their habitats. This project is a conservation priority because it brings together multiple ways of knowing and will be used to co-produce specific outcomes that will benefit both communities in understanding and tracking climate change.