V. Sebastian Zavoico
@vszavoico.bsky.social
Ecologist, love the Arctic and winter. Former🫎 population MS, current PhD Student at University of Alaska Fairbanks studying biodiversity impacts of arctic beaver ponds 🦫🪰🌿🦆🐦⬛
Fieldwork for the beaver project has wrapped up, but I got to go to Nome for **fun** this past weekend and boy was it fun! Soaking in Pilgrim was well worth the pond crossings 😎 Nice to stop for birds and musk ox as we liked. Fall is in full swing on the Seward Peninsula
Check out this great new storymap about some of our beaver research, created by @uafairbanks.bsky.social Geophysical Institute's Rod Boyce. Lots of great, fun arctic beaver videos and photos, and also great info about our latest publication: www.gi.alaska.edu/news/changin...
Changing channels | Geophysical Institute
Far up in Alaska, between 64.593 degrees north latitude and 66.870 degrees, sit 11 research sites emblematic of the wide-scale change being brought by a small mammal.
gi.alaska.edu
Trump has issued a compact that would allow oversight of hiring, firing and teaching decisions at higher ed institutions and restrict enrollment of int'l students. Please consider signing this petition along with UA Unions by Nov 3 at noon telling the Board to reject this compact! bit.ly/3JAAOjk
Reject the Federal Higher Education Compact to Maintain UA’s Autonomy
The new federal Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education mandates that universities surrender their autonomy and give control of key authorities, such as hiring, curriculum, research, and s...
bit.ly
Please keep Kotzebue in your thoughts. Hoping the coastal flooding isn't as bad as forecasted, and better than last year's flooding event.
Rick Thoman@alaskawx.bsky.social · 12mo agoWednesday early afternoon: mandatory evacuation for the entire city of Kotzebue (posted on the city FB page) for expected coastal flooding later today. No roads in or out of Kotz, so in this case, evacuation means go to the High School. #akwx #weatther #Alaska
End of an era and a sad day for those that care about Arctic work done in the best ways possible. 😢 Nonetheless "… the goal of broadening participation in Arctic-focused research, education, and policy is still an important mission to achieve." #Arctic
I'm excited to announce another publication from our lab group, with yours truly as a co-author! Tom Glass led a great study summarizing the ecophysical dynamics of beaver ponds we've been studying over the last few years. Big takeaway: beavers thaw permafrost! Take a peak: bit.ly/3VJwQHN
Found a gorgeous spot in the Alaska Range for beavers to hang out in. This is a pretty impressive complex, and one is precariously close to what I'm guessing is a rock glacier, potentially collapsing.
Devastating news. We rely on PGC for our work identifying beaver ponds across the Arctic, and this will significantly affect our workflow. They have been great through and through to work with, thanks for all the hard work. I sincerely hope this is a quick blip of a lack of service #weneedthegovt
Polar Geospatial Center@polargeospatial.bsky.social · last yr.Effective immediately, the PGC is no longer accepting new NSF-supported requests due to a lack of renewal funding. Current work is wrapping up. Please contact your NSF program officer if impacted. We’re grateful to have supported your polar research. Read our full statement at www.pgc.umn.edu
When you try to use facial recognition to open your phone but the face in questions looks like that... But seriously it felt so good to be immersed in cold temperatures on the North Slope after such a mild winter in Fairbanks. Hallelujah!
Taking a break from fighting science to actually doing science! Just came back from an incredible week at #Toolik investigating talik ecosystems - areas without permafrost that includes poplar stands, perennial springs, and pingos. We even found an adult stonefly deep beneath the snow and ice!
When the world feels like it's descending into fascism and it encroaches on your community, it feels good to see the community you love fight back. And fight back with joy!
Carrie Nash@carrieinfbx.bsky.social · 2y agoFairbanks!
Incredibly disappointing response from the University of Alaska. No university support for diversity, for equity, for inclusion is allowed. Just disgraceful for the board of regents of an institution of higher education to make this choice. (posted twice for complete alt text) #alaskasky
![[alt text continued]
a. That the Universities’ websites and other electronic or print material representing each
university, no longer refer to “affirmative action,
” “DEI” nor utilize the words “diversity,
” “equity,
”
“inclusion,
” or other associated terms,
b. That the System and Universities’ position titles and office titles no longer refer to “affirmative
action,
” “DEI” nor utilize the words “diversity,
” “equity,
” “inclusion,
” or other associated terms,
and
c. That in place of the cited words, the University System and each university communicates
consistent with the values of equal access and equal opportunity for all.
3. That the assessments and modifications undertaken are intended to create and promote equal
opportunity and equal access for everyone.
4. That all actions taken should be viewed through the lens and be respectful of our long-standing values
supporting freedom of expression and academic freedom, as currently outlined in Board of Regents
Policies and University Regulations
This motion is effective February 21, 2025.
"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ecdzkxerbfijtywsj3r7iepp/bafkreiefz44bcgf3tca35ir6pvloaucsvryqsjjr6xyovx6o4qpslnkoce)
These firings were blamed on "poor performance," but I'm hearing that many of the people fired today have exemplary records, won director's awards, etc. I have to imagine they'll be challenged in court.
Jonathan Lambert@jonlambert.bsky.social · 2y agoNEW: NSF confirmed that they fired 168 employees today, out of their staff of ~1,500 feds. This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come.
Wonderful turnout at Fairbanks Alaska 50501 protest rally, in front of City Hall.
It's annoying how clearly this is going to play out. They gut the FAA. Therefore, the FAA can't do its job well because it was gutted. Therefore, they say "The FAA sucks, we have to privatize it." which is what Project 2025 wants to do. They're manufacturing the crises for their end goal.
It felt good to protest with a group in #Fairbanks in front of city hall today against everything that Trump and Musk stand for. But there wasn't one single group that organized this...it wasn't even organized as far as I could tell. Where is the Democratic Party?
Want to watch something fun over lunch, and learn something about beavers in the Arctic? My advisor and mine's #BeaverCon talk from October just got uploaded, check it out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZcd...
Beaver Colonization of the Arctic
YouTube video by Beaver Institute
youtube.com
While we have finally dipped below freezing, the horrors of the ice and a rotten snowpack will continue for months. Unlike ice events in the L48, we will have ice on our roads until April or May. Thinking of all the subnivean creatures whose tunnel systems hopefully stayed intact!
Rick Thoman@alaskawx.bsky.social · 2y agoFairbanks Airport as of 7pm AKST Sunday has been continuously above freezing since 7am Friday. This 60-hour streak far exceeds the previous longest streak of 33 hours hours with the temperature above freezing in January set January 14-16, 1981. #akwx #ExtremeWeather #Climate @leahwrenn.bsky.social
What does the warmest December day on record look like in Nome, AK? Ice-pocalypse. Photo credit: C. Sopow. @alaskawx.bsky.social
A beautiful crisp morning walk this morning, in which I heard a parent and a juvenile Great Horned Owl hooting and screeching, and a handful of pine grosbeaks and boreal chickadees calling under the last stars. None seem too fazed by -36°C. Happy Thanksgiving from Lower Tanana Dene lands!
Coldest morning of the season so far, -25°F/-32°C at my cabin in Fairbanks. Feeling like winter with these temps and very long sunrises.
Hello BlueSky! I had a Twitter account but I don't find it relevant anymore. I'm joining to see if fellow ecologists and wildlife biologists are here! My name is Sebastian Zavoico and I am enamored by the Arctic. Through my MS and current PhD, both at UA Fairbanks, I have focused on how Arctic...🧵
