Field Preparation Questions and Answers

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Author Topic:  Field Preparation Questions and Answers Last updated: 5/22/2010; 6:11:02 PM

Norm Easton Message Info Reads: 1426 Responses: 8 Posted: 5/17/2010; 9:27:46 AM  Hello Everyone. This topic stream is meant for you to post general questions and receive answers regarding your preparations and travel to the field, for example: - How cold can we expect it to get? (Answer: June / July temps range from 5 to 30 degrees celcius, usually, although it can hover around zero on a colder night.) - Should I bring a fishing rod? (Answer: Not unless you intend on fishing before or after fieldwork; we have several on site for use, with a guarantee that you can catch a fish, even if you never have before, permits permitting). - What about electronic gear - is there electricity for charging my IPod or computer? (Answer: We have a simple electrical charging capacity through connecting a dc / ac inverter to the automobile batteries at the Little John site or plugging into the cigarette lighters with an adapter, so you can charge up your electronics - just don't drain the batteries beyond being able to restart the vehicles) By posting your questions to this discussion group I am hoping that I will not have to answer the same questions from you multiple times. In addition, I expect that each of you may have some ideas or solutions to share with your peers on these matters. Norm Easton Respond to this message! Norm Easton Message Info Reads: 1517 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/17/2010; 8:08:27 PM  Alyssa Money writes to ask: It seems like we will be doing a lot of work on the computer with papers, blogs and other posting assignments. Will we have a lot of computer access for these assignments or should we consider bringing a laptop? If we decide to bring a laptop will there be a safe place to store it and will there be wifi access anywhere? Thanks, Alyssa Money   Answer: We will have at least two computers on site for recording data, both of which will have copies of the readings installed as independent files. There is internet access in Beaver Creek (but not at the field camp - no satellite yet I'm afraid) and I am hoping that you will be able to post some notes to this website once a week or so. If you decide to bring a laptop with you there will be secure storage at the field camp (either locked in the vehicle or the cabin) and power to charge it as noted in my previous note. As for the readings, I am attempting to post as many of them as internet accessible PDFs so that you can begin to read them. When you arrive you will recieve a smaller printed out reading package prior to our departure for the field; it will not contain everything that I post to the internet but a core common package. Right now you should be reading whatever interests you. I hope this answers your question. Norm Easton Respond to this message! Gladis Rubio Message Info Reads: 1499 Responses: 1 Posted: 5/18/2010; 6:40:58 AM  I know Verizon covers Whitehorse, but is there cell phone service in Beaver Creek or at the site? I've read that one can get a sat phone in Whitehorse; do you know if anyone rents those, of if they are only for sale? Respond to this message! Alyssa Money Message Info Reads: 1552 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/18/2010; 8:10:03 AM  I don't know about all the answers, but I know that Verizon coverage in Yukon is really expensive. I am with verizon and we checked rates per minute in Canada; it is $4.00 a minute so you might want to consider a satellite phone or changing your cell plan to international coverage. Text messaging is just as expensive. Hope this helps, Alyssa Money Respond to this message! Norm Easton Message Info Reads: 1474 Responses: 1 Posted: 5/18/2010; 10:45:17 AM  Regarding Cell 'Phones - You might want to ask yourself why you need one at all, particularly since the majority of your time will be in the bush, where one of the advantages is precisely disconnecting you from the hurly-burly of urban life. I go into Beaver Creek almost daily to pick up youth workers and / or Elders, water, ice, liase with the First Nation, and attend to a myriad other administrative aspects of the program; usually one fieldworker will accompany me to assist me or undertake some ethnographic or other community service work. As a group we go into the village at least two or three times a week, sometimes more, for showers and / or other activities. In both cases there is opportunity to check your email and / or make 'phone calls, drop or pick up mail. Internet access is free for using as a message medium (i.e., not for an hour of surfing about).  The cheapest way to telephone is by a local long-distance 'phone card or credit card charge using NorthwestTel, the local communications service provider. As Alyssa notes above, additional charges will prevail to your 'phone bill if you route its service (provided it even can be routed) through NorthwestTel infrastructure. I've contacted NorthwestTel and they tell me that while there is cell service in Beaver Creek they cannot say what your own service providers will charge you; you need to check with them yourself to determine this. I will be posting seperately a list of emergency contact numbers for you to pass on to your significant others in the event that you need to be reached. This will include the local RCMP and the First Nation who have in the past relayed messages to us either when we are in town or, in real emergencies, come out to the camp to do so. We are 14 miles from Beaver Creek and directly accessible to the Alaska Highway. Travel to or from the village takes about 15 minutes. So although we are "in the bush" we are not really that isolated. Have a look at this photos of the field camp site to see its proximity to the highway, and this page for a map showing the relationship between the Little John site and the village of Beaver Creek. The program tries to balance your plugged-in connectivity needs with coming to adapt to living off the grid in the bush. I encourage you to consider reducing the former with a view towards expanding the latter; you'll all be back into the urban hurly-burly soon enough, but may never find yourself in bush camp again, with the opportunity to be unplugged from the one and fostering connection with the other, sucking in views like this with wonder. I hope you will make the most of the opportunity. Norm Easton Respond to this message! Norm Easton Message Info Reads: 1492 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/18/2010; 12:34:15 PM  Regarding Vehicles in the Field: Chris McMillan writes: I was wondering your policy on vehicles as Sarah and I will be traveling to Whithorse with my VW Jetta from Grande Prairie. I am wondering if I will be re-embursed for gasoline if used for the field school. If I can save money by not insuring the vehicle or paying for gas for two months it would help. I am willing to drive to the site if I am being subsidized otherwise I will store the vehicle in Whithorse for the duration of the field school. Answer: Students who travel by personal vehicle into the field will be reimbursed for gasoline costs for travel to / from Whitehorse and assigned travel while in the field. We do not provide insurance coverage, nor pay for gasoline associated with personal vehicle use, such as taking off to Tok on your day off. Norm Easton Respond to this message! Gladis Rubio Message Info Reads: 1523 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/19/2010; 11:33:23 AM  I agree it's liberating to leave the hustle and bustle behind, and I'd like to do nothing more than disconnect entirely, but my two small children are a little nervous about my being gone for so long. They're only 4 and 7 (turning 5 and 8 in the next couple of weeks), and I want to be able to give them an answer before I leave as to when they can expect me to call and say goodnight. A couple of times a week would be fine. It's just nice to know. Respond to this message! Alyssa Money Message Info Reads: 1450 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/22/2010; 3:25:06 PM  I know that you mentioned a local stop where we will be able to send out mail and recieve it. Do you have an address just in case family or friends want to send letters, ect.? Thanks, Alyssa Money Respond to this message! Norm Easton Message Info Reads: 1459 Responses: 0 Posted: 5/22/2010; 6:11:02 PM  Hi everyone: I've replied to the mail query from Alyssa in a seperate discussion post - Scottie Creek Project - Important Contact Information You can print this out and distribute to your significant others. Regarding the prior note from Gladis about communication, here's an extract of my reply: I can only assure you that yes, you will be able to call Outside a couple of times a week - when, from where, for how long, these are questions I cannot answer due to the contingent nature of scheduling anything in the field. While we will have "regular" access to telecomunications I cannot say that it will be this day or that day at this time or that time - this is not how time is organized out there. Having said this, I will endeavour to accomodate everyone's desire to communicate with the Outside, and you shall be able to on some regular basis. I hope that this clarifies the nature of camp life in the bush. As I've noted previously, some students in the past have even been able to use their cell phones from the camp, so this remains an possible option. Beaver Creek was the hottest place in the yukon yesterday at 23 degrees. Bring your sunscreen (better to buy it here and not have it confiscated by airport security). I'm nothing but busy getting ready for your arrivals and the field. I should be finished posting most of the reading resources this weekend - please don't get freaked out by the volume. I'm putting up a bunch of stuff that you can pick and choose from as you are interested. A single common printed reader will be here that will form the core shared readings. But each of you have different foci and so my intent is to provide something additional for everyone. SCHNURR (our Van) is tuned up and ready to ride and Max Fraser is dubbing out copies of Little John Country for each of you. WRFN has sent their formal band council invitation to host you on their lands. And Pete Bowers of NLUR in Alaska has called me regarding hiring graduates of the program for work with his company in Alaska through August. I'm posting a seperate note on this opportunity -  Post - Field Course Opportunities Norm Easton   Respond to this message!

Last update: Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 6:11:02 PM
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