.png)
Our Fieldwork
Our fieldwork in Alaska – 2026
July 31–August 12, 2026
The SESTRA multidisciplinary team of researchers and students from UNH, UAF, UNI, and GWU conducted fieldwork in McGrath, Akiak, and Akiachak,– three communities located within Alaska’s Kuskokwim River basin.
The fieldwork brought together environmental monitoring, social science research, community engagement, education, and knowledge-sharing activities to better understand how rapid environmental change is affecting riverine communities and local livelihoods, and to identify adaptation measures that can strengthen adaptive capacity and support long-term resilience.
On behalf of our team, we'd like to sincerely thank our local partners and supporters:
Joel Neimeyer (Neimeyer Consulting, Akiak Native Community), Kimberly Wortman (McGrath Native Village Council), Michele Greenamyre, Tim Yoder, Joyce Turner (McGrath City Council), Sheila Williams Carl and Lena (Maamcuk) Foss (Akiak Native Community (Tribal Council), James Boldosser (Akiak School), Christine Harrington and Clinton Spafford (Radio Station “KSKO, 89.5 FM” (Kuskokwim Public Broadcasting Corporation) in McGrath, and all the other wonderful people we had the pleasure of meeting during our field trip.
Our special thanks go to the participants of the Unit 4 Working Meeting in Akiak, as well as to all interview participants, for sharing their perspectives, hopes, and concerns about the future of their communities.
SESTRA senior researchers participating in the fieldwork:
Alexander Shiklomanov (UNH), Alexander Kholodov (UAF),
Marya Rozanova-Smith (CCAS), Victoria Sharakhmatova (UNI).
SESTRA students–research assistants:
Evan King (GWU) and Amelia Ogawa (GWU).
Fieldwork community meetings and project presentations
July 31 –August 12, 2026
McGrath – Akiak – Akiachak, Alaska
SESTRA engaged communities through a variety of collaborative and knowledge-sharing activities.
The team organized two Community Potlucks with project presentations in McGrath Tribal Council (August 3) and Akiak Tribal Council Bingo Hall (August 7).
The gatherings provided an informal and welcoming setting for residents to learn about the SESTRA project, participate in door-prize activities, meet members of the research team, discuss environmental changes affecting their communities, and share their own observations and experiences.
The field team also brought the project to a broader regional audience through KSKO 89.5 FM, Kuskokwim Public Broadcasting Corporation, in McGrath on August 5. During the radio program, researchers introduced the SESTRA project, discussed its progress and preliminary findings, and invited greater engagement from residents of McGrath and neighboring communities.
More news and videos will be available soon.
Humanizing Interview Procedures
August, 2026
McGrath & Akiak, Alaska
During fieldwork, project team conducted 25 in-depth interviews. SESTRA social scientists gave a special attention to creating a welcoming and safe conveniently located space that would be a private, quiet place with a relaxed and informal atmosphere where participants would feel comfortable and less intimidated, so that they are more comfortable with open conversation.
Special attention was given to the details, including various seating options, ambient lights, comfortable room temperature. In Akiak, the Project team also considered incorporating useful for this project community maps, which were appreciated by many of our study participants.
Although it is usually recommended for focus groups format to provide coffee/tea and snacks for participants, adapting this practice to individual interviews is important as comfort food and refreshments not only appreciated by research participants but also may trigger a temporary feeling of calm and stress relief and fuel a positive environment.
Photo: Interview settings in McGrath and Akiak.
Photo credit: Marya Rozanova-Smith.
More information on humanizing social research in the Arctic is available here:
Rozanova-Smith, M., & Petrov, A. (2026, February 23). Reframing Social Research in the Arctic:Humanizing and Indigenizing Pathways to Improve Research Quality and Sociocultural Relevance. Arctic Observing Summit (AOS), Aarhus, Denmark. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18749664
The White Paper is available here:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18749664
Unit 4 Working Meeting
August 8, 2026
Akiak, Alaska
In collaboration with local partners, SESTRA organized the
Unit 4 Working Meeting in Akiak, Alaska. The meeting brought together representatives from all four Unit 4 communities to discuss current environmental challenges, community responses, and locally relevant adaptation strategies and solutions.
The meeting had two primary goals:
-
To discuss the environmental threats facing each of the four Unit 4 Tribes, including the ways these challenges are shared across communities as well as how they differ according to local environmental, social, and infrastructural conditions.
-
To provide each community with an opportunity to share how it is responding to these threats, identify approaches that are working well, and discuss areas where additional community-led action or support from external agencies could strengthen preparedness and adaptation.
The meeting included representatives from Akiak (12 participants), Akiachak (4 participants), Kwethluk (6 participants), and Tuluksak (2 participants).
The meeting was also open to the general public and welcomed additional participants from the Akiak community, including K–12 students. This broader participation created an opportunity for intercommunity knowledge sharing and dialogue across generations, bringing together local leadership, community members, researchers, and young people.
Discussions highlighted both shared and community-specific concerns related to environmental change and provided an important forum for identifying existing community capacities, barriers and opportunities for stronger coordination and institutional support.
The Unit 4 Working Meeting Report will be available soon.
Photo credit: Marya Rozanova-Smith.
SESTRA team observations, data collection, and monitoring
July 31 –August 12, 2026
McGrath – Akiak – Akiachak, Alaska
The Alaska fieldwork demonstrated the value of combining environmental monitoring, social science research, Indigenous and local knowledge, and community engagement.
From installing sensors and documenting changing riverbanks to listening to community knowledge-holders experiences, meeting with local leadership, sharing research through public radio, and gathering around community potlucks, the fieldwork created multiple opportunities for two-way knowledge exchange.
Kuskokwim Riverbank Erosion
Riverbank Erosion Mitigation and Protection Measures
The team collected locally recorded meteorological data from SESTRA’s automated weather station in McGrath.
Instrumentation of the long-term observation site in Akiachak: SESTRA team installed the station for continuous measurements of air temperature and relative humidity; wind speed and direction; barometric pressure; rain and ground temperature at the soil surface, 50 cm. and 150 cm. depths.
These activities will contribute to SESTRA’s broader effort to understand how rapid environmental and socioeconomic changes are reshaping riverine communities and to support the development of community-relevant approaches to vulnerability assessment, resilience, hazard preparedness, and adaptation across the Kuskokwim River basin and other rapidly changing Arctic regions.
More detailed information and videos will be available soon.
Photos credit: Marya Rozanova-Smith.
Video credit: Amelia Ogawa.
VIDEO: Permafrost measurements and sampling procedures: Dr. Alexander Kholodov collected permafrost cores in the villages of Akiachak and McGrath to analyze basic physical parameters of frozen soil including soil density, volumetric ice content, organics content and soil texture. These data will be utilized for estimation of potential ground surface subsidence due to thawing of permafrost.
Our field work in Mongolia in August 2025
August 1–22
SESTRA team working sites:
Mörön, Bayanzurkh, Tsagaannuur, Sukhbaatar, Khatgal.
Research objectives:
-
Permafrost measurements in Bayanzurkh
-
PhotoVoice master-classes and drone surveys in Bayanzurkh and Tsagaannuur
-
ArtSLInK workshop in Khatgal
-
Workshops and RIMS trainings in Mörön and Sukhbaatar.
On August 11-18, 2025 SESTRA team traveled in Khövsgöl and Selenge aimag, meeting with local communities, stakeholders, and decision makers to learn about riverine social-ecological systems and share the progress of the project.
On August 12, 2025, the team convened sessions in the regional government office in Mörön, Khövsgöl aimag, and on August 15, 2025, in Sukhbaatar, Selenge aimag, to discuss the transformation of socio-ecological systems in sub-Arctic river basins under the influence of climate change. The meeting brought together academic researchers, governmental representatives, and local stakeholders, with a particular focus on the SESTRA project and related initiatives in Mongolia. The agenda was structured to facilitate a combination of knowledge sharing, project updates, discussions, and collaborative conceptual modeling.
The sessions began with introductions, the meeting organizers welcomed participants, outlined the objectives, and provided an overview of the day's events. Alexander Shiklomanov from the University of New Hampshire presented the SESTRA project, an initiative focused on understanding and guiding the transformation of socio-ecological systems in sub-Arctic river basins under the pressures of climate change. His presentation covered the project’s objectives, research methodologies, and the significance of integrating ecological and social perspectives to address climate-related challenges. Andrey Petrov, the University of Northern Iowa, discussed the socio-economic dimensions of the SESTRA project. This presentation explored how climate change and ecological transformations impact local economies, livelihoods, and social dynamics. Topics such as resource management, economic diversification, and community resilience may have been addressed. The morning sessions concluded with extended discussions, providing a platform for participants to engage with the morning’s presentations, share perspectives, raise questions, and identify areas for deeper exploration.
In Mörön, Khövsgöl aimag, Enkh-Amgalan Sandag from the Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, addressed the phenomenon of “dzuds” — harsh Mongolian winters characterized by heavy snow and extreme cold, which can devastate livestock and rural livelihoods. Dr. Sandag’s presentation focused on the causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies associated with dzuds, emphasizing their significance within the broader context of climate change and socio-ecological stress in Mongolia.
The afternoon sessions focused on conceptual modeling — a process of mapping the complex interactions between social and ecological components within riverine systems. This exercise involved representatives from various agencies and sectors in the region. The aim was to address climate and river systems, review related projects, and share concerns and visions for community futures.
Photo credit: Natalya Saprunova.
Photo credit: Natalya Saprunova.
Photo credit: Natalya Saprunova.
The following representatives contributed to the dialogue: the regional administrations, representatives of Department of Agriculture, Department of Emergency, Hydrometeorological Agency, Construction and Urban Development, representatives of the Center for Environment and Climate Change. Participants worked collaboratively to identify local priorities, challenges, and opportunities for future projects and partnerships. Through dialogue and shared analysis, the group sought to articulate a roadmap for effective collaboration that addresses both scientific and community needs. Meaningful participation by local agency representatives and community stakeholders was pivotal in grounding discussions and ensuring that proposed strategies are contextually relevant and sustainable. Presentations and discussions repeatedly highlighted the urgency of developing adaptation plans following examples from Alaska. Representatives of different agencies expressed interest in learning more about the experience of climate adaptation and mitigation from other cold regions. In Sukhbaatar, local teachers expressed interest in training specifically targeting teachers and educational opportunities that the project could provide for them.
Our field work in Mongolia in June 2025
This summer, the SESTRA Project research team conducted a field work in Mongolia.
June 7–20:
-
Expedition to Khövsgöl aimag included: Ulaanbaatar- Erdenet -Mörön-Khatgal-Bayanzurkh-Mörön- Erdenet-Ulaanbaatar (7-17 June)
-
SESTRA Project presentation at the International Conference Environmental Science and Technology – EST 2025 (The Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, 18-20 June). Our special thanks to all Mongolian colleagues and the Director of the Institute, Dr. Dashtseren Avirmed.
SESTRA-RIMS Trainings in Mongolia in August 2025
On August 11, 2025, SESTRA research team organized RIMS training workshops in Mörön, August 15 – in Sukhbaatar, Selenge aimag on Rapid Integrated Mapping and data analysis System (RIMS) for SESTRA project developed at UNH.
The workshops generated great interest among various environmental specialists representing the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Hydrometeorological Service, Construction and Urban Development and Water Management Agencies as well as geography teachers from several local high schools who found that the RIMS tool is very useful for various educational applications.
Our field visit to Mongolia
July 2024
The SESTRA Project research team conducted a field visit to Mongolia in July 2024, where they participated in a Workshop Interrogating the cooperative governance of water in Inner Asia and engaged with project partners and local stakeholders.
Our field work in Alaska
August 2024
The SESTRA Project research team conducted field work in Alaska in August 2024.
The team worked in Bethel, Akiak, Kwethluk, and McGrath, focusing on identifying and analyzing changes in hydroclimatological components of the natural system that affect human activities and ecosystem services, as well as examining changes in riverine socioeconomic systems.
An important part of this trip was the in-person engagement with project partners, local stakeholders, local media, and community members.
