March is around the corner and Spring plans are made.
Snowchange will host in cooperation with Kola Saami communities, Saami Council, Murmansk State Technical University and Finnish Skolt Saami organisations a workshop “Weaving Saami Nets” in Sevettijärvi, Finland May 20th to 24th, 2009 devoted to community based monitoring and ecological changes.
Snowchange has received new Chairperson for this year, mrs. Saija Lehtonen. As well new Council has been appointed.
The Solar Electrification Project of Kolyma Indigenous communities proceeds so that the first women will land in India to be trained in mid-March. The travel will be paid by the Indian Government.
Participation in the work of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment continues.
Vyacheslav Shadrin, head of the Yukagir Peoples in Sakha-Yakutia will be the lead Snowchange delegate in the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Summit in Alaska, USA in April with other staff and delegates to attend as well.
A 300 page book on the climate change and oral histories of the Kolyma, Karelia/ Finnish and Evenki areas from the community based monitoring will be first published in Finnish as scientific monograph on March 21st, 2009 by University of Joensuu press. This landmark publication will be available later, as resources permit, in Russian and English.
Action Plan for the items of the Snowchange 2008 Declaration is being developed.