Join conservation scientist Mary Blair, associate director at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the Museum, and Anders Oskal, director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in Norway and Secretary General of World Reindeer Herders, as they share a deeply personal story of science, family, and climate change in the Arctic North. Drawing from their research collaboration and familial connections, Blair and Oskal will discuss how Indigenous Sámi reindeer herders are navigating unprecedented environmental shifts.

From ice layers forming between snowpack that block reindeer from grazing to wind farms and tourism developments restricting migration routes, the threats to this traditional way of life are mounting. Yet, Blair and Oskal’s work is not about replacing ancient knowledge with modern tools. Instead, it’s about partnership: using satellite data to track rain-on-snow events and pasture degradation in near real time, in service of Indigenous expertise honed over generations.

Resources for SciCafe’s Frequent Geeks

Quick Pick: Climate change forces Sámi reindeer herders to adapt

Big Bite: Grey Areas, The Moth

Deep Dive: Snow cover and the loss of traditional indigenous knowledge

ASL interpretation is available for this program. Please email [email protected] to reserve seats in our ASL section.

SciCafe: Reindeer and Resilience

Resources for SciCafe’s Frequent Geeks