A geologist from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) conducting field work in Alaska Global climate change has a significant impact on the ecology of our planet and human society. This issue has prompted Dr. Chapin to ask whether it is possible to sustain the benefits of social-ecological systems such as economic growth from resource extraction, and traditional identities and cultures in a world where such drastic and large-scale changes are occurring. He concludes that…

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Photo courtesy of the University of Alberta’s Office of Sustainability The Canadian Mountain Network Secretariat is now a silver certified Green Space at the University of Alberta’s north campus. Our office has achieved silver certification by promoting sustainable transportation habits, evaluating consumption and waste production, pursuing eco-friendly purchasing practices, creating a safe and energy efficient work environment, and maintaining an inclusive and diverse outlook. The Green Spaces Certification Program at the University of Alberta promotes…

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Photo Credit: Canadian Tourism Commission Access to many mental health services has historically been a challenge for many Canadians living in rural and northern communities. However, over the last 20 years, several psychologist-led initiatives have focused on remedying this situation for the more than 6 million Canadians currently living in these communities. These initiatives can be categorized into two main groups, those that focus on “recruiting and retaining psychologists in rural and northern communities” and…

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Photo Credit: Nick Parayko @nickparaykoimages Controlled burns are a critical forest management tool and play a role in shaping the habitats of local animal and plant life in Northeastern British Columbia with up to 7,800 hectares burned each year. However, the effects of prescribed fires on ungulates (hooved animals) and their food supply are not yet thoroughly studied. In the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area of northeastern British Columbia, researchers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies…

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Coastal erosion reveals the extent of ice-rich permafrost underlying active layer on the Arctic Coastal Plain in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska. Credit: Brandt Meixell, USGS In Northwestern Canada, glaciers and permafrost have preserved ancient ground ice and glacial sediments dating back to the late Pleistocene, tens of thousands of years ago. However, recent climate changes have caused temperatures and rainfall to rise, thawing out the permafrost and…

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Credit: Travel Alberta Kim TallBear describes her own research ethic as based on a commitment to “Standing With,” and “Speaking as Faith.” She “inquires in concert” with the communities in which she works and researches. TallBear is critical of discourses of “giving back” to the communities that a researcher studies because it maintains a binary between the researcher(knowing inquirer) and the researched(“who or what are considered to be the resources or grounds for knowledge production”)…

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    On Monday, April 10, 2017, the Canadian Mountain Network hosted a webinar regarding Developing a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a Mountain NCE The CMN presented revised Mountain NCE research themes and modes of doing research and is looking for input on the development of a LOI that will be submitted to the anticipated Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) competition opening in April 2017 (LOI expected to be due August 2017). Networks of…

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Yukon Territory. Photo by Matthew Berry This past spring, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Calgary, Sabrina Peric offered a Yukon-based field school for undergraduates entitled, “The Dynamic North: Climate, Economy and Culture in Anthropological Perspective.” The course lasted from May until June of 2016 and will continue to be offered every two years by the University of Calgary’s Group Study Program and the University of Calgary Department of Anthropology and Archaeology. (325)…

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The Canadian Mountain Podcast is Coming Soon…

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Peace River. Photo by Doran Clark, courtesy of Travel Alberta Officially launched in November 2016, Mackenzie DataStream is an open access platform for sharing, visualizing and downloading water data in the Mackenzie River Basin. Mackenzie DataStream, developed by The Gordon Foundation in close collaboration with their northern partner the Government of Northwest Territories,  focuses on promoting knowledge sharing and collaborative decision-making throughout the Basin.  This tool contains data collected by 22 communities, in the Northwest…

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