Wayfaring the BW project

9.Covid-19 Remote interviews

"Our territorial government collaborators are currently working from home with no field work permitted for the foreseeable future, and southern labs remain closed. We are working on plans to achieve our community goals remotely, but the full impact of COVID-19 on both lab work and field work remains to be seen." (schedule H report March, 31, 2020).

One year later, by March 2021, the project PI’s reported to have adapted their strategy to the Covid-19 restrictions on travel from the South and to the national public health social distancing practices in force. The polar bear denning surveys that had been planned for the region, had been executed under local leadership, and methods to compile TEK had been adapted together with Co-PI Leonard Netser to allow southern BearWatch team members to “participate remotely.” Despite the fact that much effort, technology and resources were put into the adaptation of these TEK interviews to take place with involvement from the South, the interviews were dis-continued after one pilot interview and the first interview with a Coral Harbour elder. The material circumstances required to record and livestream these interviews proved to be too disruptive for the task at hand.

You have bumped into an ice-pressure ridge. Follow it to learn more about how the material aspects of our Covid-19 adaptations interfered with the dynamics between interviewer and interviewee. Understand why it was considered unworkable, and why a cup of tea was suggested as a replacement technology. Alternatively, you can take the pilot recording in which Leonard shares his detailed knowledge on Southampton Island, and keep going.

Ice pressure ridge: Tech, TEK and Tea

10. Fieldtrip BW Team Coral Harbour Summer 2021

Although collaborations had already taken place remotely between local PI Leonard Netser and the PI’s from the South, it was only in the Summer of 2021 that the respective team members from the North and the South got to meet each other for the first time within the community. A short 5-day introductory fieldtrip was organized to visit Coral Harbour. During this trip several BearWatch researchers presented the proposed research activities that were upcoming to the Coral Harbour HTA and other interested community members. The time was also used to set up material equipment for a simple local lab to support further community lead sampling efforts, to be conducted over late 2021 and early 2022. The trip was finally used to visit some of the sampling areas that were pointed out by Leonard and elder [name] during the TEK mapping interviews of 2020.

Tag along, and get a sense of Southampton Island in the Summer. Otherwise, move straight ahead to the second leg of this fieldtrip, towards Gjoa Haven.

Invitation: Drive across  the Island