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‘Avoid changes that are unmanageable, and manage changes that are unavoidable’

General, Polar bears, ,

The WWF Arctic Global Polar Bear specialist, Geoff York, is on a field trip in Churchill on the Hudson Bay, observing and blogging about polar bears. Here is the first blog from our ‘eyes and ears on the tundra’.

A virtually ice-free Hudson Bay. (c) WWF / Geoff York

A virtually ice-free Hudson Bay. (c) WWF / Geoff York


By Geoff York
It’s November 10th in Churchill, Manitoba, and something is not quite right. The air temperature is well above freezing on our arrival and there are only small remnants of a past snow across the mostly bare and brown tundra. There is no ice on Hudson Bay and little sign of any forming far to the north in Foxe Basin. This is disturbing to us, and even more disturbing to the local polar bears. Continue reading →

Why biodiversity matters more in the Arctic

General, Polar bears

By Clive Tesar, Head of Communications, WWF Global Arctic Programme
In the Arctic, simple can be deadly – that is, when you’re talking about ecosystems. This was one of the messages brought to a symposium in Ottawa by respected McGill University biologist Graham Bell.
He was explaining the role of biodiversity to an audience of politicians and policy people. As Bell put it, “Greater diversity spreads the risk and provides insurance against disaster.” If there are more species in a system (say the Arctic ocean) it is more likely if you take away one of those species (due to over-exploitation, or environmental change) that other species can and will fill the gap in that system. Arctic systems are simpler, with fewer species, therefore if you take away a particular species (or more than one) the risk of total system collapse is greater.
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Tundra tune – ‘You who are on the globe must have a code’

General, Polar bears, ,

By Paulette Roberge
We were going to be different, jazz things up. Our group of five communicators who met two days prior was tasked with leading a discussion on climate change impacts at this month’s inaugural communicators’ camp, hosted by Polar Bears International in Churchill, Manitoba.
Our performance could have benefited from props, musical accompaniment and more rehearsal time but, here, I present you the Climate Change Impacts song, a hasty, back-of-the-envelope adaptation of Crosby Stills Nash & Young’s “Teach Your Children.”
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Communicator leadership camp in the North: Day Two

General, Polar bears, ,

By Paulette Roberge
Read more blog posts from Paulette’s trip with Polar Bears International (PBI).
A large adult polar bear casually circles the Tundra Buggy Lodge, evidently drawn by the scent of human dinner being prepared. The lodge is being buffeted by 60-km winds whipping off Hudson Bay. Nearby an Arctic fox is scavenging on the tundra, opportunistically monitoring the humans in the box on wheels, while keeping a respectful distance from the bear.

Tundra buggy. (c) Paulette Roberge/WWF-Canada

Tundra buggy. (c) Paulette Roberge/WWF-Canada


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Meghann’s memories: Tribal Journey to Makah 2010

General

The Journeys to Makah 2010 was an event designed to promote Indigenous cultural knowledge: acknowledging inter-tribal connections, honouring elders, and the combination of physical, spiritual, and mental well-being in all participants. The Makah Tribal Council, along with the Makah Canoe Society, hosted the 2010 Tribal Journeys and invited all participants to Makah Territory in Neah Bay, WA – the furthest northwest tip on the lower 48 United States.
Every tribe and canoe attending the 2010 Tribal Journey presented their own songs and dances, along with their own tribal words of wisdom and stories, including stories about how climate change is affecting them in their everyday lives. Here, Alaskan student Meghann Piscoya describes the reason she participated in the Tribal Journey to Makah.
By Meghann Piscoya
Today I flew all the way over here to Vancouver, Canada from Shishmaref, Alaska. One of the reasons I came on this trip was to get our voices out there about Shishmaref and climate change. How Shishmaref is eroding, has no running water,  our dump is too small, and that it is a little island.
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Janelle’s journal: Tribal Journey to Makah 2010

General

The Journeys to Makah 2010 was an event designed to promote Indigenous cultural knowledge: acknowledging inter-tribal connections, honouring elders, and the combination of physical, spiritual, and mental well-being in all participants. The Makah Tribal Council, along with the Makah Canoe Society, hosted the 2010 Tribal Journeys and invited all participants to Makah Territory in Neah Bay, WA – the furthest northwest tip on the lower 48 United States.
Every tribe and canoe attending the 2010 Tribal Journey presented their own songs and dances, along with their own tribal words of wisdom and stories, including stories about how climate change is affecting them in their everyday lives. Here, Alaskan student Janelle Pootoogooluk shares her experience of Tribal Journeys to Makah.
By Janelle Pootoogooluk
Tribal Journeys 2010 was so much fun. It was a great experience. I met a whole lot of people I will always remember. I made a lot of good memories, had some good laughs, and faced some fears.
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Students on Ice arctic youth expedition diary: Final day

General, Polar bears,

By Zoë Caron
We are nearing the expedition’s end. Our onboard team – or rather, family – begins to collect the pieces and connect the dots between the words and the direct effects of climate change.
Read earlier Students on Ice blog posts.
Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld of CBC Ottawa hosted a five-person “At Issues” panel this evening. I sat alongside, sharing the seats with Canadian Wildlife Service’s Garry Donaldson, arctic biologist Dr. David Gray, geographer Dr. Peter Harrison and Inuit elder David Serkoak. The issue at hand: Polar bear conservation. The audience: 80 inquisitive high school students.
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