Polar Outreach Catalogue

In August 2008, 14 students and instructors from Yukon College completed a 14-day field course on the Yukon North Slope. This project gave students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience working alongside researchers from the Arctic WOLVES (Wildlife Observatories Linking Vulnerable Ecosystems) project. The students carried out plant sampling, bird nesting habitat descriptions, small mammal trapping, insect trapping and probing permafrost thaw depths at several study sites. Through their fieldwork, the students were able to see first hand the impacts of climate change on tundra wildlife. As part of the course, students and instructors also had an opportunity to learn about traditional means of travel and weather forecasting from the Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park rangers. Following the course, the students presented their field experiences to their student body, faculty and the general public.