The 2026 LEAP annual Northern Field School was held in Yukon from June 14-25, 2026. The field school, which was conducted in two locations; Dawson city area and Kluane Lake area, brought together LEAP trainees, supervisors, and Northern partners for 10 days of field-based lectures, observational learning, and excursions. The learning activities included a diverse selection of themes related to Permafrost thaw and its consequences, offering CREATE LEAP trainees an opportunity to learn about Permafrost thaw challenges from a multidisciplinary perspective and develop hands-on practical skills specific to working in Northern Canada.
The LEAP Northern Field School is an innovative annual event designed to complement the LEAP Online Training by bringing trainees and supervisors together to study the impacts of Permafrost thaw on Northern communities and infrastructure as well as freshwater, underground water and other related topics. Additionally, it creates an opportunity for the LEAP cohorts to meet in person and collaborate on student field projects focusing on field-informed proposals to address Permafrost thaw challenges.
Here is what our participants had to say about their experience attending this year’s LEAP Field School in the Yukon:
“The LEAP field school was a fantastic opportunity to come together to share life stories, academic experiences, and discipline expertise with a great group of peers, contributing to a sense of kinship in the Canadian permafrost community. For many of us, this was our first experience seeing several permafrost landscapes and features, and our different backgrounds enabled us to share unique insights and offer novel questions about these environments. Stephan, Jeff, Oliver, Haley, and the members of YGS were valuable and inspiring guides to our adventure and strong representatives of the permafrost research community. Discussions with locals including miners, public officials, and First Nations community members provided powerful grounded context to the more academic regular activities. This time full of laughter and learning makes me hopeful and excited that our lives will continue to intertwine as we pursue our careers in Canadian permafrost research.”
Evan Francis, University of Alberta
“Participating in the LEAP field school was an incredible opportunity to build skills and meet other early-career researchers. Spending time on the land with experts, learning about issues directly related to my areas of research – acidic drainage causing rusting rivers – and subjects more broadly related to the region I work in – active layer detachments – helped create a more comprehensive picture of complex northern environments. There is no substitute for this kind of experience!”
Shelby Robertson, University of Alberta
“I greatly enjoyed the chance to see different permafrost hazards in person (e.g., failing embankments, active layer detachments, land/rockslides, etc.) and learn on the spot about permafrost while it was right in front of us. It was really useful to hear so many perspectives on the same hazard or concept related to permafrost by having a wide range of disciplines within the field school group; something which I know many of us benefitted from since we are usually restricted to the perspectives of our own research focus. I also really enjoyed being able to visit so many different towns and communities across the Yukon, where we got to see how warming permafrost affects each area differently yet all so significantly. From a more personal perspective, it was extremely enjoyable to go through the field school with an amazing group of students, northern participants, and educators. Past all of the educational experiences, we have all created such a bond that will extend past the duration of our academic studies and into our careers. It was truly an amazing experience to have learned about permafrost from different research disciplines and how we are all intertwined.”
Kia Cachero, University of Calgary