26 June 2019 Hanging out with Team Vole

I had the opportunity to go out into the field with the vole researchers at Toolik Field Station. They go out three times a day to check the status of the traps they have laid out over a grid. One by one, they check to see if the metal traps have been tripped by a vole seeking to feast the peanut butter carefully placed on the inside of the trap. Once caught, the vole is tagged, weighed, a hair and tissue sample is taken, and it is sexed.

The researchers are hoping to learn more about the voles' diet, range, response to stress due to population density, and what their genetic make up is. Watch the video below to see Team Vole at work.

Fly Your Flag in the Arctic

Today's flags are from Memorial Junior High