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Diary entry by Catherine, Campaigner
The real name of St. Lawrence Island is Sevokaq which, we are told,roughly translates as the earth that is left when the water is squeezed out. The legend among the Siberian Yupik people is that when the Creator made the earth he looked on his work and realized something was missing. He reached down, seized a handful of the ocean and squeezed out the water to deposit this last lonely island in the middle of the northern sea. The island is Sevokaq - and that is why you can see the marks of the creator's hand in the ridges of hills and valleys. The open boat day was a huge success. The village teenagers were lined up on shore first thing in the morning, anxious to come aboard. The beach landing was tricky for the zodiac crews, with high surf breaking in the shallows. To load the boats we had to back them in stern first. Richard and Shaun spent the day in dry suits, up to their shoulders in the frigid sea water, holding the boats steady. Tanya would load people into the soft shell inflatable and take them offshore for transfer to the larger Hurricane. Then Emma drove the Hurricane to the ship where folks could climb aboard. By the second hour we had dozens of people in the mess, the lounge, the hold, the bridge, even the poop deck. Kids were everywhere, munching cookies and flushing toilets. The village of Savoonga has neither running water or a sewage system. Paula began ferrying elders out in the helicopter which was a huge hit and a great thrill for them all. The galley crew cranked out gallons of tea, coffee and juice and the deck crew worked to keep excited children away from the helicopter as it landed on the stern. The zodiac crews were amazing, keeping things moving all day in tough conditions. The teenagers camped out in the lounge, playing every CD the crew owned. By day's end they were all asking for marine division application forms. At 7 p.m. Steve, Captain Arne and I went ashore to meet up with Angie, Sallie and Margie from the land team. We all made our way to the village hall for the public meeting. The turnout was excellent for such a small town. We gave an overview of the objectives of the climate campaign and asked if these people, who live so close to the land, could tell us of any changes they had seen in the local climate. It was like opening the floodgates. Villagers told us of early springs, changes to the sea ice pack, southern birds such as bald eagles and robins that had never been seen so far north before. We heard of whale migration patterns being altered which, combined with earlier ice melt, made subsistence hunting more difficult and more dangerous. We were told of plants and berries, gathered by the people for winter supplies, turning brown in the unusual heat. Fishermen are catching more chum and pink salmon, as the salmon migrate further north in search of colder waters. The scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have predicted such physical changes to the arctic ecosystem. The people of Sevokaq are living with, and struggling to cope with the manifestation of these changes right now. To them, climate change is not a theory, it is a reality affecting their lives, their food supply and their future.
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