Dr. Bonnie Hamilton on Field Research, exploration and Indigenous Partnerships in the arctic

Q: How important is collaboration with northern and Indigenous communities?

Collaboration matters, but true partnership is the most important aspect of working in the North. Researchers must be prepared to check their priorities at the door and pivot, or shut down research projects if the community/local partners request changes. Ultimately, many of us are fortunate to be guests on these lands, and it is important that local priorities guide and drive the work.

Robert Poortinga

Oct 16

3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

To someone looking at a map, the Arctic can appear distant, empty and difficult to reach. For researchers working there, the reality is considerably more complicated. Fieldwork can involve months of logistical planning, equipment transported across thousands of kilometres and the constant possibility that conditions will force an entirely different approach.

At DeSalvio Travel and Sarasota Cruise Agency, our Polar Knowledge project explores the Arctic beyond its spectacular landscapes. We want to understand the realities of working in these environments, learn from people with direct experience of the region and consider what their knowledge means for those who visit.

In our conversation with Dr. Bonnie Hamilton, ARF’s Senior Research and Partnerships Manager, who has been recognised as an explorer by National Geographic since 2019. We explore what happens when scientific plans meet the realities of the North. Her responses highlight the importance of resilience, careful preparation and collaboration, but one principle stands out above the rest: working in the Arctic requires genuine partnerships with the Indigenous and northern communities who call it home.

Research cannot simply arrive with its own priorities and expect local people to accommodate them. Meaningful partnerships require researchers to listen, adapt and recognise that community priorities must help guide the work. The same principle applies to tourism.

What visitors perceive as remote wilderness may be a familiar homeland with thousands of years of human history. Understanding that distinction is essential to approaching the Arctic responsibly.

We invite you to read Dr. Hamilton’s perspective and discover what Arctic fieldwork can teach us about preparation, humility and the responsibility we share when entering places that others have long called home.

Dr. Hamilton in the Arctic Field

What does working in the Arctic teach researchers that is difficult to understand from a desk?

You simply cannot be afraid to fail because most of the time, things don’t go exactly as planned. You have to pivot, bend, and think on your feet to make it work and get things done. It teaches a level of resilience, problem-solving, intentionality, and gratitude that cannot be replicated at a desk or in a lab.

What makes Arctic fieldwork so logistically demanding?

It can be extremely expensive to mobilize people, field gear, sampling equipment, etc., from the south. It is rarely as simple as packing a cooler of gear and shipping it North. It can often involve coordinating cargo drops at airports; mobilizing gear to send on a sea lift 12+ months in advance of when the field work is taking place; sometimes, it involves packing small bush planes ( or large planes!) full of gear, creating a makeshift runway in the snow, and dropping the gear off 100-1000s km from the nearest town to run a field camp. Collaboration, coordination, and redundancies are often the key to success!

Ice fishermen on a snowy frozen lake, one man pulls line from an ice hole while others work near snowmobiles. — Setting nets for fish sampling near Cambridge Bay

How important is collaboration with northern and Indigenous communities?

Collaboration matters, but true partnership is the most important aspect of working in the North. Researchers must be prepared to check their priorities at the door and pivot, or shut down research projects if the community/local partners request changes.

Ultimately, many of us are fortunate to be guests on these lands, and it is important that local priorities guide and drive the work.

What can modern travellers learn from the realities of Arctic scientific work?

Like most of nature, the Arctic cannot and should not be underestimated.

What do you think people should understand before calling somewhere “remote”?

As a traveller, you have an obligation and responsibility to do your homework on the place you are visiting, including its history and culture. While it may seem “remote”, Indigenous groups have called the circumpolar Arctic home for millennia. It is critical to acknowledge that while these lands may seem distant and barren to you, they are home to many.