Alaskan elders testify to climate changes

When I was a child and we asked for a ride to school, my father used to tell us to get tough: after all, he walked 10 miles through four feet of snow, uphill both ways, to get to and from school. So when I hear that elderly native Alaskans are helping scientists understand how Arctic climate conditions have changed over the past 40 years, I have to smile.

But then I remember the rules: respect your elders. Listen to their stories.

And if the tale takes a metaphoric turn, pay attention to the nugget of truth warming the story from the inside out.