A wetter climate means a lot more than just soaked shoes, leaky roofs and garden slugs.

It means changes in the environment that affect fish and fishing, animals and hunting, people and recreation.

The WCA, with a $222,000 federal grant, is embarking on a public outreach effort to hear from people on how climate change is affecting their lives and livelihoods, and what Wrangell possibly can do to adapt.

“This is just the initial start,” WCA Tl’átḵ | Earth Branch coordinator Kim Wickman said of the community meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Nolan Center.

“Share your vision and priorities to help guide the development of Wrangell’s resiliency plan,” according to promotional material for the public meeting.

WCA has contracted with an Anchorage-based company, Two Bear Consulting, to run the meeting and help develop a community adaptation plan for Wrangell, Wickman said.

For example, she explained, heavier rainfall could make salmon streams run faster, flush more forest debris into the streams and stir up more sediment in the water, possibly harmful to spawning salmon and salmon smolts. An adaptation could include digging deeper pools in the streambed, providing a safe area for salmon to rest and stay out of the debris flow.

Another adaptation could be adjusting or shifting fishing periods to accommodate changes in salmon run timing.

People who live past the municipal water system and who pull water from streams or wells might need help to set up storage systems or to clean up the water if turbidity levels have risen, Wickman said.

The work with Two Bear Consulting and the public input is to identify changes in the environment and determine what could be done to help adapt.

The community adaptation plan is scheduled for completion next summer, she said.

“Questions and comments are welcome and encouraged” at the meeting. Snacks will be served.

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs last year awarded the grant to WCA for a two-year planning effort for the adaptation project.

In surveys conducted last year, tribal and community members said they had observed warmer winters and cooler summers, earlier and weaker salmon runs, less game on the island and an increased presence of invasive species, according to the Earth Branch report.

The climate action and adaptation plan is intended to help people adjust to the changes and reduce the impacts, especially as it affects subsistence, recreation and cultural practices.

Two Bear Consulting for the past 10 years has been helping communities document, understand and deal with the impacts of changing environments.