Coastal climate impacts to First Foods and Swinomish Community Health and Wellbeing
Presentation Abstract
The combination of sea level rise, wave impacts, and shoreline development are changing coastal ecosystems that support Swinomish first foods and place-based relationships, which in turn impact community health and well-being. In this presentation, we will discuss a current Swinomish-led project assessing how community health may be impacted by changing nearshore habitats and resultant changes in the quantity and quality of first foods. First foods, local natural resources that community members have harvested since time immemorial, are an integral part of Swinomish community health and wellbeing, supporting social, cultural, mental and physical realms of health. Yet there are no established measures to determine how these multiple aspects of health may be impacted when access to first foods deteriorates. Here we will explain how we employ a set of health indicators that reflect Coast Salish definitions of health, called Indigenous Health Indicators (IHI), to work with community members in evaluating how different aspects of health may be impacted, and to what degree. We will also discuss how project results will be employed in established climate change impact assessment and action plan matrices as part of the Swinomish Climate Initiative. These matrices will guide planning and decision-making related to nearshore and community health sustainability strategies. Project outcomes may be useful for other tribes who wish to enact vulnerability assessments and planning strategies related to first foods and community health and well-being.
Session Title
Changes in Ecosystem Function and Climate Revealed by Long-term Monitoring in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Swinomish Indians; Indians of North America--Food; Indians of North America--Health and hygiene--Washington (State); Food security--Social aspects--Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation, Washington; Food supply--Climatic factors--Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation, Washington; Climatic changes--Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation, Washington
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation, Washington
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Coastal climate impacts to First Foods and Swinomish Community Health and Wellbeing
2016SSEC
The combination of sea level rise, wave impacts, and shoreline development are changing coastal ecosystems that support Swinomish first foods and place-based relationships, which in turn impact community health and well-being. In this presentation, we will discuss a current Swinomish-led project assessing how community health may be impacted by changing nearshore habitats and resultant changes in the quantity and quality of first foods. First foods, local natural resources that community members have harvested since time immemorial, are an integral part of Swinomish community health and wellbeing, supporting social, cultural, mental and physical realms of health. Yet there are no established measures to determine how these multiple aspects of health may be impacted when access to first foods deteriorates. Here we will explain how we employ a set of health indicators that reflect Coast Salish definitions of health, called Indigenous Health Indicators (IHI), to work with community members in evaluating how different aspects of health may be impacted, and to what degree. We will also discuss how project results will be employed in established climate change impact assessment and action plan matrices as part of the Swinomish Climate Initiative. These matrices will guide planning and decision-making related to nearshore and community health sustainability strategies. Project outcomes may be useful for other tribes who wish to enact vulnerability assessments and planning strategies related to first foods and community health and well-being.
