Fresh Eyes on Ice Workshop 2021-22

Welcome to the Fresh Eyes on Ice program 2021-2022 course and workshop. We are pleased to welcome new and returning educators, ice enthusiasts, knowledge holders, and youth to our third winter season of the project. This year we launch the program in the communities of Eagle and Sleetmute, and welcome back teams from McGrath, Anderson, Nenana, Tok, Kenny Lake, Bethel, Galena, Fairbanks, Noatak, Shageluk, Toolik and Venetie.

The goals of the past in-person workshop (2019) and the virtual workshop series and course (2020-21) were to:

• Establish personal & cultural relevance of ice monitoring,

• Understand gaps in scientific knowledge of ice seasonality, formation and degradation and community information needs,

• Train participants in ice safety and monitoring protocols and integrate them into the activities of your youth or school groups,

• Train project participants in sharing basic ice & snow data through a data portal and through social media,

• Build relationships among the community monitoring teams and FEI team, and

• Establish expectations for project participation.

This year (2021-22) will build on that grounding work together to empower youth to ask thier own questions and/or address community needs and concerns about ice through the development of special projects or investigations co-created with scientists. Our 2021-22 online course and in-person workshop centers on building the knowledge, skills, and confidence to facilitate these types of inquiry projects.