by Steve Selden | May 31, 2017 | Churchill News
Flooding at Churchill’s Goose Creek subdivision. Riccki O’Connor photo.
Nobody really thought ahead when the massive blizzards were pounding Churchill this past March. When the spring thaw came, permafrost has prevented meltwater from permeating the soil and has lead to major flooding in parts of the tundra from Thompson to Churchill along the Hudson Bay rail line.
Once again, as was during the time of the blizzards, supplies and groceries have been delayed due to lack of train service to the northern community. During the March storms groceries were stranded in the south for three weeks leading to a state of emergency.
“With the spring melt underway, water is everywhere”, said Mayor Mike Spence. “We’ve got historic record water flows coming into our community here. It’s a lot of water coming down,”.
Not expected to peak until early June, the Churchill River, as of last weekend, was flowing at about 160,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). With ice still on the Churchill River the flow of overrun onto land can be unpredictable due to tidal flow and ice jamming along shore.
The Goose Creek subdivision has been flooded up river and volunteers have been furiously filling and placing sandbags to try to contain the water. The tracks over parts of the 100 mile stretch of the Hudson Bay rail line have been completely flooded over and no trains have been through since May 23rd.
“We have a rail problem here where we are not able to use the train system because of damage to the rail line, so that needs to be attended to, and that actually can’t be attended to until the water conditions are dealt with.” stated Spence.
Churchill is working with Thompson’s Calm Air, to work out plans to fly groceries into town as soon as possible!
by Steve Selden | May 30, 2017 | Churchill Photography
Northern Lights above the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. Paul Zizka photo.
“Eruption” of aurora borealis in Banff National Park, Alberta. Paul Zizka photo.
These two images highlight the creativity and photography talent of Paul Zizka. His northern lights photos, especially, evoke a solitude and ethereal feeling unlike any other photographer’s work we have seen recently. His usage of foreground features accentuate the tantalizing glow of aurora borealis. These western Canada northern lights shots capture the allure of the wild and untamed Canadian Rockies! Enjoy!
by Steve Selden | May 29, 2017 | Churchill Photography
Calling all shutterbugs! Time to round up your best wildlife shots and enter the 2017 Wildlife Photo Contest! Enter by May 31 for the chance to win a trip to photograph polar bears in Canada or grizzlies in Alaska! Enter here:https://dailywildlifephoto.nathab.com/contests/2-2017-wildlife-photo-contest/?src=fb
by Steve Selden | May 26, 2017 | Churchill Photography
Dorota Walkoski of Great White Bear Tours captured this harbinger of spring image in Churchill. Caribou, snow geese and Canada geese fill the landscape and feed on the bounty which the north provides this time of year! Bountiful Churchill summer will be upon us soon and avid explorers will flock to town for birding excursions, beluga whale charters and tundra exploring in search of fox, polar bears, Arctic hare and even wolves. This summer on the Hudson Bay is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent years. Stay posted for all the news and photos from the north!
by Steve Selden | May 25, 2017 | Churchill News
Want to win an epic photography safari with Natural Habitat Adventures? Enter our 2017 Wildlife Photo Contest by submitting up to three of your best wildlife shots by May 31! Enter here:https://dailywildlifephoto.nathab.com/contests/2-2017-wildlife-photo-contest/?src=fb