Sea Women Expeditions Arctic Norway 2022
I am over-the-moon to have been selected as a team member for the Sea Women Expeditions Arctic Norway expedition this November!
I need your support to make this happen!
The Team
I’ll be joining a volunteer-led and self-funded international team of 34 Indigenous and non-Indigenous women ocean explorers, scientists, artists, photographers, videographers, lawyers, historians, traditional knowledge holders, educators, and scuba diving professionals.
Together, we will participate in a women’s leadership program in Tromsø, Norway, followed by an ocean research program that includes an eDNA water sampling program, a passive acoustic recording program with multi-directional hydrophones, and a behavioral study to document interactions between snorkelers and orcas during the winter herring run.
My Role
I have been selected for my work in science, science communication, and women’s empowerment. I’ll be leading a workshop during the Women’s Leadership Program and lending my skills in science, science communication, and art to the overall effort.
Support
It takes a community of generous patrons, supporters, and donors to send a team of women to the High Arctic. I must raise a minimum of $10,000 by November 1, 2022, to support my role in the expedition. The cost of the expedition vessel alone is approximately $6,000. Additional expenses include flights, lodging, gear, travel and evacuation insurance, etc. Support over $10,000 will allow me to continue the important work of communicating our findings and learnings through my writing, teaching, and public speaking in service of inspiring women and girls in STEAM and advocating for indigenous communities, women, and the planet.
I have only a short time to raise the necessary funds for this expedition and no amount is too small.
Please consider donating today!
As a supporter, you'll have a front row seat, seeing the Arctic through my videos + images, writing, and artwork.
Other Ways You Can Help
Donations of air miles and hotel points to support travel to and from the Arctic would be greatly appreciated.
If you have people in your ecosystem who are interested in supporting women in science and exploration, and/or concerned about global climate change, indigenous communities, and the health of our polar regions, please share this campaign with them.
I am also seeking sponsoring partners and would appreciate any leads. Following our expedition, I will be available as a public speaker, workshop leader, and facilitator to educate and share my message and content with interested audiences. Please contact me directly at wendy@drwendypabich.com.
Sea Women Expeditions
Sea Women Expeditions is a volunteer-based, international team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women ocean explorers, scientists, filmmakers, photographers, scuba divers, artists, historians, lawyers, cultural advisors, and educators.
We explore the Arctic’s history, culture, geography, resources, life, climate, and challenges facing Indigenous and Northern peoples in a warming Arctic.
Ten years have passed since we started exploring the Arctic. And, we're still exploring.
During the past decade, we’ve run four ocean research and dive & snorkel expeditions to the Arctic—Canada (Nunavut and Nunatsiavut), Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. More than 80 women and girls, ages 16 to 78 years, have participated in these circumpolar ocean research and dive & snorkel expeditions.
In consultation with Indigenous team members and advisors, we've brought the ocean to eye level—via mobile touch aquariums that temporarily house sea critters, underwater robot-building workshops, snorkel safaris, and scuba diving certifications—for more than 1,000 Inuit youths, girls, and elders living in remote communities in Nunatsiavut, Nunavut, and Greenland.
Mission
Our mission is to scout, record, and document disappearing sea ice in the Arctic.
We provide opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous women to gain leadership skills and field experience in the Arts & Sciences, and Exploration. Together, these women are creating planet-wide ripple effects.
Vision
Our vision is to foster a circumpolar network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women leaders who will help shape the future of the Arctic and our planet.
We envision equity for women, and their inclusion in the development of circumpolar policies on economic prosperity, science and technology, human rights, gender, food security, and strategies to mitigate the impacts of societal change and climate change in a warming Arctic.
Sea Women Expeditions (formerly Sedna Epic Expeditions) was founded in 2014 by Susan R. Eaton.
November 2022 Expedition to Arctic Norway
Our 2022 Arctic Norway Team is comprised of 34 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Sea Women who will participate in ocean research & snorkel expedition during the winter herring run.
Our team of Sea Women and esteemed advisors originates from nine countries—Canada, the United States, Mexico, Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Australia, and France—and includes First Nations and Inuit women from Canada and Greenland, and Sami women from Norway and Sweden.
Before departing on the ocean research & winter snorkel expedition, the Sea Women and our advisors will participate in a women’s leadership program in Tromsø, Norway.
Expanding upon the ocean research program that we launched during our inaugural expedition to Norway in November-December 2019, our upcoming ocean research program will consist of sampling for eDNA (“e” stands for “environmental”) in the water column, and the acquisition of passive acoustic recordings of whales, including recording the echo locations of orcas.
In November 2022, we’ll introduce a new research project to investigate interspecific interactive behaviors from free-ranging killer whales (Orcinus orca) directed towards human snorkelers during open water encounters in Norway’s Arctic fjords.
The data we collect will contribute to baseline data that will better inform management activities, support responsible ecotourism, and mitigate any negative impacts on both people and whales. In turn, the data we collect and analyze may assist this ecotourism venture to remain sustainable, benefiting the local economy and allowing the opportunity for future generations to also experience the magnificence of these marine apex predators from beneath the surface.
Our expedition platform for Norway is the 47-meter MV Explorer, an oceanographic research vessel (with an ice-reinforced hull). Built in 1994, the MV Explorer was recently retrofitted as an expedition ship. Our Netherlands-based dive tour operator, Waterproof Cruises & Expeditions, is a woman-owned company famous for pioneering polar dive and snorkel operations in the Arctic and Antarctica.
I am over-the-moon about this opportunity for its deep alignment with my work as a Water Woman, adventurer, scientist, artist, writer, and educator and with my passion for empowering women and girls, exploring and protecting our beautiful natural world, and helping people cultivate a deeper connection to Water + Wilds, themselves, and each other.