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Today's Congressional Action:
The Senate will consider H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Appropriations. The House is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Media
Dry Winter and Warm Spring Set Stage for Wildfire in Canada. A relatively dry El Niño winter, a warm spring that melted snow earlier and years of policies that left forests ripe for burning have contributed to the destructive wildfire that forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray in Alberta, scientists say. Global warming may have played a role, too, although experts cautioned that it was impossible to link an individual event like this one directly to climate change New York Times
Mystery Disease Showing Up in Bering Sea Ribbon Seals. Five years after a mysterious and sometimes fatal disease struck Arctic Alaska ringed seals, causing them to lose their fur or develop bleeding lesions, there are signs of the disorder or something similar to it among a different species of ice-dwelling seals. Federal scientists who just completed a survey of ice seals in the Bering Sea found several ribbon seals with bald patches, including one that was almost completely bald. Five years after a mysterious and sometimes fatal disease struck Arctic Alaska ringed seals, causing them to lose their fur or develop bleeding lesions, there are signs of the disorder or something similar to it among a different species of ice-dwelling seals. Alaska Dispatch News
As Firm Abandon Arctic Drilling, Obama Comes Under Pressure to do More to Avert Danger. Major oil and gas firms abandoned most of their leases in the Arctic this week, just as President Obama and others are coming under increased pressure to avert dangerous warming in the region. Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips, Eni and Iona Energy have relinquished all but one lease in the Chukchi Sea, company officials confirmed Tuesday, as well as some in the Beaufort Sea. The move to give back roughly $2.5 billion worth of oil and gas leases spanning 2.2 million acres of the Arctic Ocean, in the same week that the leaders of five Arctic nations are coming to Washington for a White House summit, has reignited the debate over how best to protect an area that is showing new signs of vulnerability to climate change. The Washington Post
Subsistence Advisory Council Coordinator, Alaska Region. The USDA Forest Service Alaska Region, is outreaching to permanently fill the Regional Subsistence Advisory Council Coordinator, GS030111/12. The Subsistence Advisory Council Coordinator provides relevant technical support and data, and manages the logistics and operations of Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils consistent with implementation of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act. This position is assigned to the Alaska Regional Office (Juneau, AK) and the duty station is Juneau, Alaska. For more information, see here.
UN Indigenous Forum Continues Talks on Collective Rights. On the second day of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, speakers continued to take stock of progress made implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a UN press release said. In a formal announcement that drew a standing ovation, Carolyn Bennett, Canada's minister for Indigenous and Northern Affairs, confirmed that Canada is now a full supporter of the UNDRIP "without qualifications." Nunatsiaq Online
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
ARCUS DC Arctic Research Seminar Series, May 19, 2016 (Washington, DC, USA). Mark Brzezinski, executive director of the Arctic Executive Steering Committee, will provide an update on the activities of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee and the upcoming White House Arctic Science Ministerial being planned for this fall. This event is part of the ARCUS Arctic Research Seminar Series which brings some of the leading Arctic researchers to Washington, D.C. to share in person and via webinar the latest findings and what they mean for decision-making. The seminars are open, and will be of interest to Federal agency officials, Congressional staff, NGOs, associations, researchers, and the public.
High North Dialogue 2016: The Blue Future of the Arctic, May 25-26, 2016. HND is an annual conference hosted by the High North Center at Nord University, engaging a wide audience of researchers and future leaders of the region. It will address the necessary questions to effectively promote dialogue between interested stakeholders on how to sustainably develop the different realities of the many Arctics. PhD and Masters students can also participate in a week long credit awarding graduate course.
14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway). The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
Arctic Ambitions V, June 23-24, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). Arctic Ambitions V conference focuses on commercial opportunities in the Arctic, such as engineering, construction, architecture, natural resource development, environmental services, maritime shipping and logistics, and international trade. This event is sponsored by World Trade Center Alaska.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Virginia, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
Arctic Technology Conference, October 24-26, 2016 (St. John's, Canada). Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. The Arctic Technology Conference (ATC) is built upon OTC's successful multidisciplinary approach, with 14 technical societies and organizations working together to deliver the world's most comprehensive Arctic event.
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