University of Colorado Boulder Collaborative Research
Yukon River Watershed
Location — Yukon River Watershed Communities: Goldstream Valley, Circle, and Fort Yukon, Alaska
Challenge
Need for Better Monitoring and Forecasting Tools
Interior Alaska landscapes are changing as a result of climate change. Increasing permafrost thaw, shrinking/drying lakes, and methane emissions can impact utilities, transportation, water quality, subsistence, and other necessary services/activities. This research addresses a need for better monitoring and forecasting tools to help aid local land management planning.
Big Trail Lake, Fairbanks, AK – Frankie Carino
Approach
Semi-structured Interviews, Participatory Mapping
NorthernSER is leading social science, outreach, and engagement activities in this collaborative effort involving other scientific disciplines (observing and modeling) and local knowledge holders. We are engaging local and indigenous knowledge to guide research, understand local priorities, identify sites of interest, define model parameters, and validate model outputs.
Permissions: Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments Resolution 2021-10. June 24, 2021.
IRB #1749162. Approved. April 1, 2022.
Outreach Activities
Over the course of the project, three two-day drone workshops were conducted: Fairbanks, AK (2024), Akiachak, AK (2025), and Fort Yukon, AK (2025). All workshops were taught by two certified UAS (Uncrewed Aerial System) flight instructors from the University of Colorado.
The sessions in Fairbanks and Fort Yukon were open to all community members, while the Akiachak workshop was offered to invited participants and community members, including some who were flown in from nearby villages.
In addition to workshop instruction, we identified several opportunities to enhance the use of existing drone platforms already owned by tribal communities.
Outdoor instruction led by Kevin Rozmiarek and Chase Rupprecht during Fairbanks workshop
“We hope our research leads to better estimates of future methane release from the Arctic, as well as better methods of measuring methane escaping from lakes.”
Outcome
Interviews confirm that changes in climate affect how people are able to travel, hunt and fish. Data collection resulted in a technical report that highlights the need for better monitoring and forecasting tools.
