MMS OCS Study # 2007-062 Quantitative Description of Potential Impacts of OCS Activities On Bowhead Whale Hunting Activities In the Beaufort Sea Prepared for: United States Department of Interior - Minerals Management Service Alaska OCS Region/Environmental Studies Contract No. 1435-01-01-CT-31135 Prepared by: Adams-Russell Consulting Applied Sociocultural Research Donald G. Callaway Circumpolar Research Associates Northern Economics, Inc QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF OCS ACTIVITIES ON BOWHEAD WHALE HUNTING ACTIVITIES IN THE BEAUFORT SEA Prepared by: EDAW, Inc. 1420 Kettner Boulevard, Suite 500 San Diego, CA 92101 Contact: Michael A. Downs, Ph.D., Principal Investigator and Adams/Russell Consulting Applied Sociocultural Research Donald G. Callaway Circumpolar Research Associates Northern Economics, Inc. This study was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS) under contract number 1435-01-01-CT-31135, as part of the MMS Alaska Region Environmental Studies Program. Disclaimer This report has been reviewed by the MMS and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the MMS, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government. April 2008 PROJECT ORGANIZATION Report authors and their section of responsibility Author (alphabetical) Section of Responsibility Barbara Bamberger (1) Lead author for research methodology chapter; contributing author for Barrow and Savoonga community profiles and the survey and comparative analysis chapter; editor of draft report; served as Project Manager for majority of study. Donald C. Callaway Lead author for survey portion of survey and comparative analysis chapter. Michael A. Downs (1) Introduction; served as Principal Investigator for the study. Michael S. Galginaitis (2) Lead author of community profiles for Nuiqsut and Kaktovik, contributing author for literature review. John C. Russell (3) Lead author for the Savoonga community profile; contributing author for the research methodology chapter; served as Project Manager in early stages of study. Donald Schug (4) Lead author of literature review, overview of project communities, and the Barrow community profile. Author/Key Personnel affiliations: (1) EDAW, (2) Applied Sociocultural Research, (3) Adams/Russell Consulting, (4) Northern Economics, (5) Circumpolar Research Associates, (6) MMS. Note: in addition to leading or making substantive contributions to secondary sections, most individuals provided review for other sections as well. Other key project personnel and their responsibilities Key Personnel (alphabetical) Responsibility Heidi Essman (5) Household survey implementation David Maas (5) Lead for survey design and survey data analysis Diana Scoboria (5) Household survey implementation Carl Shepro (5) Support for survey design and analysis Therese Tempereau (1) Technical editor Stephen Weidlich (1) Lead editor of final report; Project Manager in final stage of project. Dee Williams (6) Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative for MMS during the final three years of the project Author/Key Personnel affiliations: (1) EDAW, (2) Applied Sociocultural Research, (3) Adams/Russell Consulting, (4) Northern Economics, (5) Circumpolar Research Associates, (6) MMS. Additional thanks to Robin Rice (EDAW word processing and document production), Brandy Noon and Dan Brady (EDAW graphics), and Jessie Lee (EDAW GIS). TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................... ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... ES-1 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1-1 1.1 Study Origins....................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Oil and Gas Development and Bowhead Whaling .............................................. 1-2 1.3 Issues Examined................................................................................................... 1-4 1.4 Organization of this Document............................................................................ 1-9 CHAPTER 2 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................................2-1 2.1 Establishing Community Cooperation, Liaison, and Input.................................. 2-1 2.2 Triangulation........................................................................................................ 2-2 2.3 Secondary Sources: Archival Research/Literature Review ................................. 2-2 2.4 Survey Methodology............................................................................................ 2-3 2.4.1 Overview of Approach.............................................................................2-3 2.4.2 Survey Instruments ..................................................................................2-3 2.4.3 Sampling Strategy....................................................................................2-6 2.4.4 Tracking System......................................................................................2-8 2.4.5 Survey Data Analysis...............................................................................2-9 2.5 Observational and Ethnographic Methodology ................................................... 2-9 2.5.1 Overview of Approach.............................................................................2-9 2.5.2 Ethnographic Protocol...........................................................................2-11 2.5.3 Participant Selection and Interview Analysis ........................................2-11 CHAPTER 3 – OVERVIEW OF PROJECT COMMUNITIES..................................................3-1 3.1 Geographical and Historical Overview................................................................ 3-1 3.2 Demographic Characteristics............................................................................... 3-4 3.3 Subsistence Bowhead Whale Hunting................................................................. 3-7 3.4 Overview of Oil and Gas Exploration and Development on the North Slope... 3-14 3.4.1 Federal OCS, Beaufort Sea....................................................................3-17 CHAPTER 4 – COMMUNITY PROFILES................................................................................4-1 4.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Barrow.................................................................................................................. 4-5 4.1.1 Background and History ..........................................................................4-5 4.1.2 Community Characterization.................................................................4-11 4.1.3 Oil and Gas Development and Proximity to Village .............................4-18 4.1.4 Subsistence and Cash Economy.............................................................4-20 OCS Activities and Bowhead Whaling in the Beaufort Sea Page i Section Page 4.1.5 Community and Whaling.......................................................................4-25 4.1.6 Nexus of Whaling and OCS...................................................................4-44 4.2 Kaktovik............................................................................................................. 4-49 4.2.1 Background and History ........................................................................4-49 4.2.2 Community Characterization.................................................................4-53 4.2.3 Oil Development and Proximity to Village ...........................................4-59 4.2.4 Subsistence and Cash Economy.............................................................4-60 4.2.5 Community and Whaling.......................................................................4-68 4.2.6 Nexus of Whaling and OCS...................................................................4-86 4.3 Nuiqsut............................................................................................................... 4-91 4.3.1 Background and History ........................................................................4-91 4.3.2 Community Characterization.................................................................4-91 4.3.3 Oil Development and Proximity to Village ...........................................4-93 4.3.4 Subsistence and Cash Economy...........................................................4-102 4.3.5 Community and Whaling.....................................................................4-112 4.3.6 Nexus of Whaling and OCS.................................................................4-124 4.4 Savoonga.......................................................................................................... 4-129 4.4.1 Background and History ......................................................................4-129 4.4.2 Community Characterization...............................................................4-130 4.4.3 Subsistence and Cash Economy...........................................................4-137 4.4.4 Community and Whaling.....................................................................4-144 4.4.5 Nexus