Newbie Tales from the Tundra
Stepping off of the Calm Air flight from Winnipeg I truly did not know what to expect of my Earthwatch adventure. Now, on day 8, I can say it has completely exceeded my expectations. The days are jammed packed with classes, data collection, data processing, action-planning workshops, beluga whale kayaking, polar plunging and lectures from passionate dedicated scientists working everyday toward exposing the damage our behavior is having on our planet. It has truly filled me with so much to think about as we approach our final days here.
Looking down at the terrain of the tundra from the plane as we flew over I never could have imagined all that I would eventually learn. I now know macro-invertebrate data sampling techniques, how to identify them, how to use a GPS, how to walk in waders, tolerate a hazy mosquito cloud (without swatting!), catch tadpoles, identify a wood frog from a boreal chorus frog and… most importantly, the stark evidence supporting climate change and its accelerated negative impact on the Artic.
I feel passionate about sharing what I have learned with others toward contributing to this cause. The seedling for my community action project has grown and evolved into a project with far more reaching impact as my own knowledge has grown. I have really loved this expedition and look forward to continue discovering where my journey takes me.
~Kassidy Loy
climatechangeatthearcticsedge 