ABOUT

The “Gikinoo’wizhiwe Onji Waaban” (Guiding for Tomorrow) or “G-WOW” Initiative is a unique educational methodology to increasing awareness of how climate change is affecting the environment, people, cultures, and economies; and promoting action to address it by:

  • Integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of the Lake Superior Ojibwe people and place-based evidence of climate change we are observing in our communities, with "academic" climate research to investigate how climate change may be affecting cultural practices that you value. These may be recreational or business practices, or traditional cultural "lifeways."
  • Offering evidence of how climate change is affecting traditional cultural practices of the Lake Superior Ojibwe Indians to demonstrate how climate change is affecting people of all cultures.
  • Bringing Native perspectives, tribal knowledge, and involvement to addressing issues of climate change.
  • Providing learners with knowledge about what they can do to mitigate or adapt to a changing climate.
Key G-WOW message points
  • Climate change is real.
  • Humans contribute to climate change.
  • Weather and climate are different.
  • Climate affects culture
  • We can make a difference
G-WOW Climate Field Course

G-WOW Changing Climate, Changing Culture Outreach Tools

Discovery Center
This interactive exhibit at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, WI explores the impacts of climate change on the environment, culture, and economy.  Traditional Ecological Knowledge the Lake Superior Ojibwe and place-based evidence is integrated with academic science to demonstrate how climate change affects all cultures.
Web-Based Service Learning Curriculum
This G-WOW website www.g-wow.org features a 4-season curriculum focused on how climate is affecting traditional Ojibwe lifeways, plus a unit on water and climate change, to help middle school to adult learners evaluate how climate change is affecting their community and culture, and take action.  The website includes educational tools, climate data bases, visual resources, and an interactive blog where climate resiliency projects can be shared.
Educator Professional Development and Youth "Climate Camps" 
Experiential climate change professional development field courses for educators and community leaders to build teaching and communicating skills using the G-WOW model.  G-WOW "Climate Camps" are single to multiple-day customized programs where students discover how climate affects their culture and what they can do about it. For more information contact Cathy Techtmann-UW Extension Environmental Outreach Specialist at cathy.techtmann@wisc.edu or call 715.561.2695
Project Partners include the:
University of Wisconsin-Extension , Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland, WI.
Additional Partners Include the:
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and Chicago Botanical Garden.
This project was funded in 2014-15 by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management
under the Coastal Zone Act, Grant #NA11NOS4190097
With additional support from The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative National Parks Foundation, NASA through a partnership with the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and EPA through partnership with the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Special thanks to the following organizations and individuals:

Wisconsin Intiative on Climate Change Impacts
Climate models, maps, and interpretation
Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Impacts
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
Climate Wisconsin
Climate Wisconsin videos
Climate Wisconsin, a project of the Wisconsin Media Lab, for climate videos, Finn Ryan-producer.
Project Budburst phenology resources
Project Budburst phenology resources, Project Budburst, National Science Foundation

G-WOW CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN

CURRICULUM DESIGN TEAM

University of Wisconsin-Extension:
Cathy Techtmann-Environmental Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Extension
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission:
Sue Erickson-Public Information Director and Jim St. Arnold- Program Specialist (Nigaanigiizhig) - Program Director/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Coordinator
Apostle Island National Lakeshore-National Park Service:
Neil Howk-Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education and Damon Panek-Park Ranger/Ojibwe Cultural Specialist
US Forest Service:
Jason Maloney-Director; Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Wild Rice Harvesting Unit
Peter David- Manoomin Biologist and Lisa David-Wildlife Biologist; Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Fishing Unit
Mark Luehring- Inland Fisheries Biologist and Bill Mattes- Great Lakes Section Leader Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Respecting Our Culture Unit
Jonathan Gilbert-Wildlife Section Leader and Tanya Aldred, GLIFWC Wildlife Biologist; Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Maple Sugaring and Birch Bark Harvesting Unit
Alexandra Wrobel-Forest Ecologist; Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
“What Can We Do” Section, service learning template, and curriculum editing
Megan Brown- Environmental Outreach Intern; UW-Extension, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center
G-WOW Logo Development
Jennifer Burnett-Outreach Specialist; Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Project Support
Sarah Traaholt- Office Manager; UW-Extension, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center