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• Welcome back to Toolik. 
• Please check your personal profile to ensure that your profile is up-to-date with your email, food and housing preferences and medevac coverage
• If you are a member of an approved project that is up-to-date in myToolik, your PI or Project Manager will make you reservations. 
  • Please read any updates for 2025
  • Before you are able to go to Toolik Field Station you will need to complete your annual Code of Conduct and Title XI training within the myToolik portal. 
    • This will be found in the bottom of the main page in myToolik.
    • Please review the Toolik Code of Conduct ahead of time. 
  • Think of fun activities for the Toolik Community and practice your trivia.
• If you are a project PI or Project Manager on an up-to-date project in myToolik, you can go into the system and make reservations for your team. 
  • Please note that our arrival days to Toolik are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. If you and your team are hoping to arrive on an alternate date please talk to the Station Supervisor - Mike Reynolds (mjreynolds4@alaska.edu).
  • If you are not able to find your project in the myToolik system, that probably means it has expired. Please reach out to the management team (uaf-iab-toolik@alaska.edu) about how to re-activate your project.
  • To make reservations for a large group of people who do not yet have myToolik profiles please follow these instructions listed under New to Toolik - Making Group Reservations.
    • If your group is larger than 10 people and you will all be at the station for the same days, please contact the Toolik Management team (uaf-iab-toolik@alaska.edu) ahead of time so that we can ensure that we can accommodate your group.
    • If you are submitting a field course to the myToolik system, please ensure that you have talked with TFS management first so that we can ensure that courses are not overlapping at the field station. 
  • Please submit a lab space request form in the Support Request System in myToolik.

• Have you reached out to Toolik about your upcoming work at the Field Station?
  • If not please, contact us and take a read through the Toolik Field Station website.
  • If you have please set up a project, see below.
• Please submit projects no later than 6 months prior to the projects expected start date. 
  • Staffing
  • Permitting
• We are not determining the merit of your project, but how we can support your project when reviewing it. 

How to set up a new project in myToolik

• Log into myToolik, if you do not have a myToolik profile please create one through the steps listed in the "New to Toolik" tab.
• On myToolik under the drop down ‘myToolik’ select ‘myProjects’, and then click the red plus sign.
  • A pop-up window will appear to set up the very basics of your project
  • Type of project: Research Project, Outreach/ Media Project, Field Trip/ Class, Admin/ Construction/ Agency
  • Your name and contact information
• Your project will now be listed under projects in 'draft' status
  • You will now need to fill out all the fields in order to submit your project. 
  • Project descriptions and the filled out support fields will be used to help Toolik Management assess how well we can accommodate your project needs and follow up with questions. 
  • Frequent follow up questions relate to permits, drones, trucks, and lab space requirements. 
  • Once you have completed all the required fields, you will see in the bottom right hand corner of the pop up window a submit button. If the button does not turn black and become clickable something still needs to be filled out. Once your project has been submitted you will not be able to edit it. If you need your project returned to draft status please email (uaf-iab-toolik@alaska.edu).

     

    Details

    Title of the project (full and short - at the station we will use the short title for ease)

    Dates of the project: It is recommended that these dates correspond to at least a month before and after your trip so that all of the functions in myToolik work for your project.  

    • If you are a research grant we recommend you use the dates in which your project has been funded.
    • If you are a field trip or media/outreach project the actual dates you will be at the station will also be requested.  
      • A rough daily itinerary is also requested.

     

    Project descriptions in myToolik may be shared on the Toolik website.

    • Typically we will start working with you and the landholders on permitting prior to your project being submitted to myToolik. If you have not started this process please reach out to Amanda Young. 

    Funding

    • List your funding agency, university, or other as best as you are able.

    Primary Contact

    • If an outreach/media project a TFS contact will also be requested for who you will be working with at the station (this can be staff).

    How will you pay your userdays?

    • Common options are listed or you can write in an alternative

    Have you begun the permitting process?

     

    People

    People are listed as two categories Project Leads and Project Managers.

    

    Project leads are the PI's on the project who are responsible for it and are the ones to whom the grants are awarded. Project leads can make reservations for their staff and be listed as the PI when making support requests. 

    • If your project is a research project please use the award number field and fill it out to the best of your ability. If you don’t fill it out we have to take time searching the internet for it at a later date with only partial information. Please do us a favor and do it for us.
      • NSF - OPP - ####
      • NASA #####
      • Or however makes sense from your funding organization. 
    • Please list if you will be present at the Field Station at some point during your project and if you would like to receive email correspondence for any changes in reservations, support requests, or about your project. 

    Project Managers are responsible staff who have had the responsibility of making reservations for the team delegated to them. Project managers can see all of the reservations for a specific project. Project managers are not listed as PI's in the support request system. 

    Project Members without responsibilities for others are not listed here, such as seasonal technicians, undergraduates, high schoolers, volunteers, and depending on their role graduate students. The discretion is up to you the Project lead.

    Minors

    Lastly, if you plan on bringing any persons under the age of 18 to the station please let us know so that we can ensure a protection of minors plan is in place before your visit and proper transportation has been organized.

    • When minors are filling out their myToolik profile they must indicate that they are a minor so we know how many and when they will be at the station. 

    Support

    On the support page please include as much information as you can for each of the fields.  Again, all this information is so that we can learn how best to support your project while at the field station. 

    • Support Request Updates
      • Update this annually with any lab space or station support needs
    • General support ***All general support need questions are mandatory***
      • Lab space requirements for the length of the project
      • Will your project be physically present at Toolik Field Station?
      • Will you be using UAV/UAS/drones?
      • Will you be using hazardous materials/chemicals?
      • Other major support needs?
      • What structures or equipment will you deploy?
      • What autonomous equipment will be deployed?
      • What line power/ communication support will you need?
    • Plot Selection requirements
      • Will you be establishing new plots?
      • How frequent will you visit your plots?
      • Type of equipment?
      • Experiment type
    • ToolikGIS support
      • Describe your GIS and RS equipment needs
      • Describe your field support needs
    • Environmental Data Center support
      • Describe your EDC equipment needs
      • Describe your field support needs
    • Science Support services
      • Describe your SSS equipment needs
      • describe your SSS field support needs.

    Media

    Inquiry about if a project will have a media component and if they are willing to be contacted by the media about their project. 

    Are you planning and/or do you anticipate having an outreach or media component associated with your project?

    • Toolik Field Station considers outreach and/or media activities as projects requiring approval separate and distinct from research project approval. If your project has an outreach or media component an additional field will appear for you to add documents. This field sometimes acts up if so please reach out to Amanda Young (ayoung55@alaska.edu).

     

    Are you willing to be contacted by outreach and/or media about this project?

    • If yes, TFS Communication manager Haley Dunleavy (hdunleavy@alaska.edu) will provide coordination with you and your project team prior to contact with outreach/media entities interested in your project.

    Mailbox

    Posts here will trigger an email to the Toolik Managment team (uaf-iab-toolik@alaska.edu). They will either respond within the mailbox or through normal email communications. 

    Once a project is build that needs a fair bit of support a slack channel will be created for the project as well. 

We love new projects at Toolik. Looking forward to seeing what you have come up with.

• When Toolik is reviewing projects for acceptance at the field station we are not reviewing them for Scientific Merit, but to ensure that we can fully support the project. 
  • Energy, people time, physical resources, lab spaces

Depending on the type of project you are proposing there may be a number of restrictions to the timing of your project. 

• • Field courses
    • No courses between June 15-August 15. 
    • This period of time we prioritize research at the station
    • Field Courses and large meetings for K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and adults
  • Permits
    • One year wait on permitting for snowmachines
    • Some permitting may take longer than expected and depending on the work a fee to the land holders maybe required.
  • International researchers
    • VISA requirements, vary between countries so best to start your work on coming to the station early.
    • Insurance for driving and riding in vehicles
    • Permits - may need either a business license to work in the USA or have a colleague whom is a citizen or permanent resident.
  • Winter Research
    • Aforementioned snowmachine permits
    • Snow conditions for winter work
    • Extreme conditions limiting winter work

• Do you need a letter of support for your grant proposal? Reach out to the Toolik Management team (uaf-iab-toolik@alaska.edu) with a description of your research so that we can give a general thumbs up to the work and support your project.

Toolik Field Station (TFS) welcomes researchers from around the world to study at our leading Arctic research site. Similar to all other projects going to TFS, each ��򽴫ý researcher will need to set up a profile in myToolik and the PI or project lead will need to create a project in myToolik. Below are some details that you should be aware of prior to departure. This is a working document, updated with insights from ��򽴫ý groups who have worked at TFS. If you have knowledge from past experiences that you would like to share with other research groups, we welcome your input. Please email UAF-iab-toolik@alaska.edu with any insight.

 Permitting

Permitting is a critical first step in planning fieldwork at TFS. Please review our general information first, located on our website. For foreign nationals, if your work is more complicated and requires Bureau of Land Management (BLM) authorization, you will need to obtain a State of ��򽴫ý business license. Most research projects can apply as individuals, but you may need to register as an entity. To obtain a business license, prior to applying for your BLM permit:

• For additional information on licenses and entities, please visit the
• Once your entity is in “good standing” or if you are applying as an individual, then you can obtain the business license by visitingthe . 

Traveling to the USA

A VISA of some type will likely be required for your visit. For assistance with VISAs, please refer to the . TFS does not sponsor researchers coming to the field station, though we can provide you with our address and telephone number for your documents. 

Medical evacuation insurance

All research groups who are planning fieldwork at Toolik Field Station are encouraged to acquire medical evacuation insurance though this has proved challenging for ��򽴫ý groups. This landscape is constantly changing so consult with your home institution on what they will cover. General travel insurance may cover a range of occurrences from auto accidents to medical evacuation to advanced care. Be advised that you and/or your institution will be responsible if you experience a serious medical incident and require immediate evacuation to a hospital or clinic.

Use of Toolik-based trucks for access field sites

Toolik Field Station and the U.S. National Science Foundation require that drivers for our shared-use vehicles at the station have a valid driver's license from their home country and a clean driving record. We will request a photocopy of your license, upon arrival, and you will need to complete a TFS driver form. 

All individuals who plan to drive TFS trucks should be aware that TFS does not cover insurance for your use of the vehicle. In the U.S., workers’ compensation usually covers costs for personnel who are injured during fieldwork. It is possible that you or your institution could be responsible for covering the cost of a vehicle incident or for medical costs for project members or others related to an accident. Foreign colleagues who have previously worked at Toolik have had to work with their institutions in advance to ensure that their institution is aware of their fieldwork and will cover unanticipated expenses so that the individual is not personally responsible.

These shared-use vehicles are available for use at the station on a daily first come first serve basis. If you will need a truck reliably for numerous days in a row we recommend renting a vehicle. 

Truck rental for the Dalton Highway

If your group needs an independent vehicle for more extensive travel, there are rental agencies in Fairbanks that will rent trucks suitable for the drive to TFS. The following vendors may be options:

• Lease All - call for rates (907) 347-7998

Vehicle insurance 

Insurance coverage is required to rent vehicles. Recent travelers have had some success with , though rental contracts cannot exceed 30 days. is available to U.K. citizens.

Use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS)

If you plan to use a drone for your fieldwork or recreationally while at TFS, you will need a Foreign Aircraft Permit if the UAS is registered in a foreign country or owned, controlled, or operated by someone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Information can be found in the . Application instructions can be .