Our team has returned to Denali for summer field work! Over the course of a few weeks, we held three focus groups, seven interviews, and several meetings with folks from the local communities, State DNR, and the Board of Fish and Game. Our team had many exciting experiences during these few weeks including celebrating Healy’s Centennial with local community members, travelling near the end of the park road and interviewing stakeholders at their business positioned at the center of the park, touring Denali State Park, and coming to know the community of Talkeetna – a previously unexplored study community.
While most of our team has returned to Illinois, Ben Leitschuh will continue field work during the whole month of July. The remainder of his trip will include a visit to the Native Village of Nikolai, which will fodder the development of his dissertation research and add exciting elements to the broader study. He will also continue conducting interviews and holding meetings in the various communities included in our study.
Back in Illinois we will continue entering and analyzing data from the previous trip as well as start gearing up for a regional survey that will be included in the next phase of our research. We are looking forward to reflecting on all we have learned from our summer visit and preparing for our next visit during the fall.
