Community Training and Video Production for Walrus Haulout Public Education Video

The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 7 intends to award a single source financial assistance agreement as authorized by 505 DM 2.14 (B) to Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI). This notice is not a request for proposals and the Government does not intend to accept proposals. In recent years sea ice has completely melted out of the Chukchi Sea and the ice edge retreated far to the north over the deep Arctic Basin waters. During that time, walruses are forced to come to shore to haulout in various places along the Alaska coast. Many walruses seem to prefer the barrier islands just north of the Native Village of Point Lay (NVPL), Alaska, and this site has been occupied by as many as 40,000 animals. Through this cooperative agreement, the USFWS will be working with the Alaska Teen Media Institute to develop communications products with NVPL to increase public awareness of the impact of climate change on walrus and encourage action to address this threat, reduce the incidence of human-caused disturbances at the haulout site near the NVPL, and reduce the direct requests to the village from the media and the public for information and access to the haulout. The ATMI will work with teachers in the NVPL to develop an opportunity for students to participate in this project. ATMI will provide students and community voluntees in the NVPL with training in the collection and use of video for storytelling. ATMI will provide support to students throughout the video collection process and will provide short video clips and photos to the USFWS over the course of the cooperative agreement. Two 3 to 5 minute videos will be produced by the end of the performance period.