The Hudson Bay area of Northeastern Canada is rich with natural and cultural heritage, home to Indigenous people, polar bears, historical sites and grand geological events. In today’s episode, I bring you snapshots of experiences of learning from the land and the people in and around Churchill, Manitoba, also known as “The polar bear capital of the world”. Listen in on the fascinating journeys of discovery, awe, and mourning for a wild and beautiful but threatened landscape. I will bring you into the remote research station, Nester One in Canada’s Wapusk National Park, where we observe polar bears, foxes, caribou, and wolves, all in their natural habitat. Join me on a long hike where we encounter wild berries, great inland beach ridges, and polar bears too, remembering our own vulnerability in the process. Hear the tales of local Indigenous elders and the lessons they taught me and my students and how it connected us to the land and place. Partake in experiencing the awe and wonder of the wilderness that, if we let it, can become part of each one of us.
Key Points From This Episode:
• Churchill’s characteristics: no road access, polar bears, and a rich history.
• The history of Churchill, Indigenous people, European contact and the HBC settlement.
• Why the climate in Churchill is so extreme compared to other places of its latitude.
• Hear about the world-class northern research station, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
• Landscape characteristics and local wildlife in the Wapusk National Park district.
• The experiences of doing science out on the harsh tundra.
• Visit with me the rustic and remote research field station.
• Glimpse at camp life in the remote north.
• Different encounters with bears, wolves, and caribou punctuating daily life at the camp.
• A polar bear population threatened by climate change.
• The town of Churchill and their methods to reduce human-bear conflict.
• Inland beach ridges with shells and sand and rocks kilometers from the shore.
• Indications of past generations of people in the area.
• Remembering that humans are not the top of the food chain in this ecosystem.
• An elder’s perspective on repeated motions that help you know the land.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Churchill Northern Studies Centre
Churchill, Hudson Bay: A Guide to Natural and Cultural Heritage
