Electro-Voice® Microphones and Telex® Wireless Accompany Arctic Transect Expedition

Nunavut Territory, Canada (March 12, 2004): World-renowned polar explorer and environmental campaigner Will Steger (standing, second from left) is currently leading the six-person Arctic Transect 2004 team across the Nunavut Territory in Northern Canada. The expedition seeks to investigate the cultural and environmental effects of global warming upon the Inuit communities of this remote arctic region. Fifty-nine-year-old Minnesota native Steger has an impressive record of achievements, breaking distance records with his dog teams over both poles. Will was the first person to lead a dogsled team unsupported to the North Pole (1986), across Antarctica (1989-90), and across Greenland (1988). Remarkable achievements aside however, Will Steger’s core mission is to educate people with regard to the ecological and cultural changes the modern world has imposed upon the remote environments and indigenous peoples he encounters. Electro-Voice microphones and Telex wireless will play an essential role in Will’s 2004 expedition.

For fifteen years it has been Jerry Stenger’s job to record Will’s experiences on these expeditions. Vital elements of Jerry’s Arctic A/V inventory are his EV mics and Telex wireless systems. Jerry explained: “This, like all Will’s expeditions, is an educational project. As time has progressed and technology improved, this educational aspect has become more interactive. For example, school children track the progress via the Internet, and hear a daily expedition update that Will relays to the website via satellite phone. Similarly, the Telex/EV gear accompanying us to the Nunavut territory represents how the learning experience can be enriched by technological innovations: these are lightweight, durable systems that are specifically designed for applications in extreme environments, ideal for documenting the oral tradition of a people that the Western world rarely encounters face to face, yet has deeply affected from an ecological perspective.”

Jerry Stenger will be using the following EV mics and Telex wireless: (1) EV® ENG-618 lightweight telescoping shotgun mic with built-in powered headphone preamp—a self-contained unit ideal for remote applications where size and weight are issues; (2) Telex® ENG-100L 100-channel UHF wireless systems with ELM-22 omni lapel mics; (1) EV® RE92TX uni lapel mic; and (1) EV® RE50 interview mic with XLR cord for ENG bodypacks.

Stenger continued: “Will wants to document the effects of global warming on Inuit culture in this region. There are only approximately 25,000 people in this 75,000 square-mile territory. I’m flying in to the various villages to interview the Inuit elders. Will, in leading a dog team, gains entry into the Inuit communities—this traditional method of traveling earns their respect, which makes my job easier. Their culture is much like Native American culture in the sense that history is passed down through generations in an oral tradition of storytelling. The elders are very respected in their communities, and it’s a real privilege for outsiders to be given an audience with them. We’re hoping to be able to sit down with these elders and speak with them to record their thoughts on the effects of climate change on their culture and environment over the last fifty or sixty years. In most cases we need a translator present. We’re not only recording their historical perspective, but also the native tongue of perhaps the last generation of Inuit who do not speak at least some English.”

Visit www.willsteger.com for more details.