Indigenous knowledge is often not limited to science fair posters. But for the students in the Sitka High School class, traditional ecological knowledge is central to their work. They recently shared their research at a regional science fair through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society — and two Sitka High teams won awards for their projects on yellow cedar trees.
Students in Sitka High classes, who are funded through grants Sealaska Heritage Institute, have been researching yellow cedar trees for months. Caitlin Woolsey, who teaches the class, said the yellow cedar was a natural choice for research because it is culturally and ecologically important to Sitka.
“This is a really important species for the forest and our community,” Woolsey said. “It has huge cultural significance, and it’s disappearing because of climate change, so it’s an opportunity to learn about our forests, climate change and our community.”
Woolsey’s students recently presented their findings to the public in the lobby of the Sitka Performing Arts Center. To begin their research, students first met with local cultural leaders and observed the Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Climate Action Plan to understand community concerns and gaps in research.
Each team worked with a guide Sitka Acoustics Center, where he learned how to collect data in the field. Mentor Sarah Tobey said part of the goal was to introduce students to technology and tools for environmental monitoring.
“We get to bring that kind of element to it and support students and be mentors for individual projects, which is really fun,” Toby said. “And I think that’s helpful because they each take a different question and get a chance to delve deeper into it with the help of one person and guiding them along the way.
For student Sophia Kibby, it was the environment around the yellow pine trees that attracted her attention.
“My question I wanted to research was how is the environment different between the two sites, and how is that affecting the yellow cedar trees?” Kibby said.
He compared trees in an upland, exposed area on Sitka’s Harbor Mountain to trees in a shady grove at sea level. He hypothesized that mountain trees would be less healthy than sea level trees.
“The yellow cedar trees are dying because the snow is melting, and melting snow during the winter is not good,” she said. “Or for the roots, which can’t even be exposed to 20 degrees. It is not good for it, it will die.”
She says she learned a lot through field work – but it wasn’t all fun.
“I don’t like getting dirty,” she said, laughing. “I was wearing my clothes right here and they got dirty.”
Kibby won an award for his project. Students Lily Mayo and Ben Hedrick won a first place award for their project on cedar bark removal, earning them an invitation to the national conference the following year.
