Two applications for green funding rejected by University of Stavanger

Recently I sent two applications to the University of Stavanger concerning green funding/green transition funds, with one of them involving a public lecture on the future of environmentalism, and the other a field trip in relation to my study of socialized wolves. None of the applications were funded.

Field work summary on wolves soon online

Today I have entered University of Stavanger´s web publishing tool, CorePublish, for the first time for a couple of years or so, and uploaded a popular science summary of field work (in Norwegian) carried out as part of the research project "Animals in changing environments" (to Norwegian-version website only), specifically as part of the subproject "Representations (both Problematic and Romanticizing) of Large Mammals, especially Wolves".

See also:

EMP151 field work summary composed and distributed (June 2017)

Back from Amazonas; minor surgery

Yesterday I got back home from my field trip to the Amazonas. Today I underwent minor surgery in relation to a fistula I have amassed (I have Crohns), with insertion of a seton stitch. I am intending to do without any sick leave, except rest today and this weekend.

Day off at MAC4 - trip to Teotihuacán

Yesterday I went with a bunch of fellow MAC4 conference participants to Teotihuacán about an hour´s drive from Mexico City, to see the remnants of this ancient city.

Moss field trip cancelled

Our field trip to Moss has been cancelled due to illness.

See also:

Three field trips arranged

Moss interviews to be conducted at Moss library

Three field trips arranged

The last few days I have arranged field trips (travel, accommodation) to Koppang/Rendalen (May 13-16), Moss (May 27-30) and Stavanger (June 2-5) in relation to the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis", more specifically the subproject "Representations (both Problematic and Romanticizing) of Large Mammals, especially Wolves". Paul Thibault and I will conduct video-recorded interviews (which are consequently to be catalogued by Laura Kiiroja).

So far we have conducted a pilot study and a field trip to Kautokeino.

Interview on Guovdageainnu Lagasradio

Today I appeared on Guovdageainnu Lagasradio [Kautokeino radio, a Sami and Norwegian language local radio] to tell about our ongoing research interviews in Kautokeino, and our search for informants.

Field trip dates rescheduled

Today I met with my colleague Paul Thibault to reschedule field trip dates for our work related to human perception of wolves and related animals, in the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" (EMP151), specifically the case study "Representations (both Problematic and Romanticizing) of Large Mammals, especially Wolves". The field trips will take place in April, May and June.

Research visit to Tangen zoo scheduled

I have agreed with Runar Næss, director of Tangen zoo (formerly Amadeus zoo), and fellow researcher/biosemiotician Laura Kiiroja, that I will be visiting Tangen zoo March 9-11. The zoo holds socialized foxes, among other animals. The research visit will be conducted within the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis", more specifically within the case study "Agencies and Conflicts of Interest in Zoological Gardens as an Environment for Mediated Communication".

Video clip 'Wolf play' to be featured in Discovery documentary

Today I was contacted by October Films (London, UK) concerning a TV series they are producing for Discovery International. They have requested to make use of my video clip "Wolf play" (recorded in Polar Zoo March 2010 and currently shown some 55.000 times on YouTube), and I have granted them license to do so. I have requested the end credit (to be shown in the final credit sequence) "Morten Tønnessen (http://UtopianRealism.blogspot.no/)".

The documentary series is called "Deadly dilemmas" and is expected to air in Europe on Discovery Channel in early 2014.

Rendalen report

I have not yet reported from my field trip to Rendalen municipality in the Norwegian region of Hedmark, cf. post on plans (but the visit has already triggered both reflection and academic production, cf. my article 'Visjon 2040' and my research seminar presentation on the nature view and worldview of people in Rendalen).

The trip took place October 28 - November 2nd. The most important work carried out consisted in conducting 8 interviews, with:

• RENDALEN municipality

• Major

• Head of section for planning and business

• Consultant, agrigulture

• STOR-ELVDAL municipality

• Head of section for planning and business

• Head of RENDALEN REN (reindeer)

• Sheep farmer (and NGO representative), Rendalen

• Former sheep farmer couple, Rendalen

• State licenced wolf hunter, Stor-Elvdal

In Rendalen, I was particularly pleased to hear about ROSAREN, a project designed to look into the potential for local business dependent on, or not in conflict with, the presence of big carnivores including wolves.

Field trip to Hedmark in preparation

My field trip to Rendalen, the one municipality in Norway where the wolf/sheep conflict has been the fiercest in political terms, is in preparation. Being the largest municipality in Southern Norway ("only" 600 km away) - more than 3.000 square kilometres, and populated by only 2.000 or so (people, that is) - planning how to get around from place to place has been a challenge. I've ended up arranging accommodation at three locations (including one in neighbouring Stor-Elvdal municipality):
* Rendalen Øiseth Hotell (Åkrestrømmen, Rendalen)
* Romenstad hytte- og gardsferie (Unset, Rendalen)
* Koppangtunet hotell (Koppang, Stor-Elvdal)

In addition to these three locations, I'll also be visiting Øvre Rendal/Bergset (Rendalen) and Evenstad (Stor-Elvdal). In other words I'll be visiting one region (Hedmark) - two municipalities - five villages.

Field trips and research stays scheduled

This week I have arranged tickets for all remaining field trips and research visits that I have been planning. These are:

FIELD TRIP: Hedmark (Rendalen + Stor-Elvdal municipalities), October 29th - November 2nd
RESEARCH VISIT: Oslo II, November 10th-12th
RESEARCH VISIT: Trondheim, November 15th-17th

I was hoping to visit Namsskogan Familiepark (the fourth place in Norway that houses captive wolves) as well, but unfortunately there is no time for it, - since it was not included in my original plans, it cannot be made a priority right now.

Even with "only" these three remaining trips (on top of my 7-day visit to Tartu late November), I will spend approximately 60 hours on trains and train stations the next 5-6 weeks, and travel approximately 1200 + 700 + 1600 = 3500 km (plus 2800 km Kristiansand-Oslo-Tallinn-Tartu and back, a total of 6300 km, which pretty exactly corresponds to the distance from here on Earth's surface to its center).

Summary report from Polar Zoo available online

Last week I finished my summary report after my field trip (in March) to Polar Zoo in Bardufoss, Northern Norway (cf. previous posts, including pictures and links to videos). The 23pp work paper has now been uploaded to Scribd.

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Contents:

1. Factual questions (and questions to the human caretakers)

2. The wolves' interaction among themselves

3. The confinement

4. The wolves and other animals

5. Wolf senses

6. The wolves and their caretakers

7. The wolves and the visitors to the zoo

8. The wolves and me

Langedrag next

New field trip, September 22-25: To Langedrag mountain farm and wildlifepark - 500 km by train + 30 km by car, on the way back 30 km by bike + 500 km by train.

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Langedrag has two enclosures with captive wolves - one socialized and another 'wild'. Unlike with Polar Zoo, where I visited in March, at Langedrag visitors are taken into the confinement of the shyest gang, not the most socialized one. The terms, however, appear to have another meaning than in Polar Zoo, where the shy couple did not receive visits and would not have approached people like they appear to do at Langedrag.