TWO RESEARCHERS presented a paper on traditional weather forecasting methods in an international conference held in the State of Wisconsin, USA.

Ms. Criselda M. Balisacan, university research associate and chief of the Regional Center on Poverty Studies and Ms. Evangeline S. Galacgac, statistician, presented their paper on “Traditional weather forecasting methods in Ilocos Norte, Philippines” in the 2007 International Conference on Sharing Indigenous Wisdom at Green Bay in Wisconsin, USA.

The paper was included in the session on “Sustainable development using traditional knowledge and appropriate technologies” scheduled June 12.

The study documented and tried to bridge the scientific and traditional methods of weather forecasting as it relates to the farming, culture, and life of the Ilocanos.  Today, even with sophisticated weather prediction techniques, most people still utilize these traditional informal understanding of the weather.

The international conference was organized by the Sustainable Development Institute of the College of Menominee Nation and sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, and the Ford Foundation.