Helicopter Ride

We visited an abandoned den site and got to take a quick peek inside – which was SO amazingly cool! In this part of polar bear range, females in the western Hudson Bay population make dens in the peat deposits into the permafrost. The den then gets covered over by snow, an excellent insulator, keeping mom and cubs warm until coming out in the spring (usually late February, early March). So Wapusk National Park and the adjacent Churchill Wildlife Management Area (that we are in) are extremely important habitats for these bears. But as permafrost continues to thaw, it can lead to collapses of dens. There is also an increase of forest fires in this area, which after killing the surface vegetation, weakens the root structure – and this can also cause a den to collapse. Researchers are only just beginning to understand these negative climate impacts and what the future of the Arctic will look like if we don’t act fast to combat dangerous climate change.

BUT – there have been many powerful eye-opening experiences here this week and the students are more determined to go back to their communities and engage as many people as they can to help create a better future for polar bears, for us, and the for planet as a whole.

(check out some pictures from today)

Lenore Nadeau