Meet Jim, Webmaster and Technology Specialist for the Will Steger Foundation and 2007 Baffin Island Expedition. A jack of many trades, you might find Jim in a wide variety of environments on any given day at the Homestead. Visit the lodge and you’ll find Jim working dutifully on the Global Warming 101 website and trouble shooting computer glitches. Venture out to nearby Jackfish Lake and you’ll find Jim on the back of a dog sled, honing his mushing skills and training Elizabeth and Abby on trail technology. In his cabin you might find Jim hanging out with his family, who have come up from the Twin Cities several times to visit. Visit the sauna and you’ll find Jim jumping fearlessly into the ice hole with a triumphant yelp.

Before the arrival of the expedition team to the Homestead, Jim and support staff were hard at work establishing wireless internet access and enhanced cell phone reception in the lodge. With their help, powered by a generator and two solar panels, the rustic building has been transformed into a modern technology center.

With Jim’s expertise and dedication, the expedition team will send out daily emails, images, and audio dispatches via satellite connection from trail. Traveling village to village by plane and snow mobile, Jim will create a mobile base camp where he can receive data from the field and upload it to the GW101 website. He will work with Will Steger Foundation Media Specialist, Jerry Stenger, to process film footage from the expedition when the team arrives in each village. Footage will be promptly edited and posted to the website.

Technology will play a crucial role in the ability of the Will Steger Foundation and expedition team to reach its goals. Through the use of this technology the team will document the impact of global warming on traditional Inuit culture and help to broadcast the Inuit voice and experience to the world.