Biologically stated lichens are two species living together as a single organism. This organism survives because of the symbiotic relationship between the alga and the fungus. These two species working together might just be the optimal combination of survival in the history of living organisms!
White crowned sparrow on Xanthoria elegans lichen encrusted rock. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Here’s how the two species work together. The usually larger species-the fungus-utilizes the alga for food produced through photosynthesis. Tall filaments around the perimeter of these lichens act as protection for alga from environmental strains as well as work to trap nutrients and moisture thus increasing life span for the alga. This symbiosis is so successful that this lifespan can reach thousands of years. There are not a lot of moving parts to wear out in this simple organism. Lichens are used to measure geological time of various events in Earth’s history such as glacial retreat.
The beauty of lichens is in the vibrant colors that breathe life into the Arctic and northern regions. These colors stand out especially in winter when they poke through snow covered areas ..usually on rocks sloping off to the water or valleys. Also, when you examine these amazing, diverse organisms up-close with a magnifying glass or a spool lens the true wonder of the structures appear. Alien-like colonies provide a bedazzling look into the lichen world appearing as their own microscopic worlds.
Lichens poking through the winter snow. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
Lichens have the unique ability to shut down their metabolisms for periods of time to survive extreme conditions like cold, heat and drought. This ability to regulate and utilize varying amounts of air, light and moisture, lichens can colonize just about anywhere on Earth. One of Churchill, Manitoba’s most prolific lichen species, Xanthoria elegans, survived for over a year and a half attached to the exterior of the International Space Station orbiting the planet in an extreme cold and oxygen deficient climate. These experiments and survivability of the lichen species in space have giving credence to the idea of ‘panspermia’ or the theory of life spreading from of life spreading between planets and even solar systems.
Trays filled with organisms were installed on the outside of the International Space Station to study the affects of space on their life cycle. European Space Agency photo.
Living organisms surviving in open space supports the idea of ‘panspermia’ — life spreading from one planet to another, or even between solar systems.
The viability of lichens surviving in such harsh conditions and particularly the strong power of the Sun for an extended time of 18 months has sparked major interest in cosmetic companies trying to develop sunscreen products.
Bill Ayotte (left) received the Star of Courage from Governor General David Johnston for his bravery in saving Erin Greene from a polar bear in Churchill in 2013. Mia Rabson /Winnipeg Free Press photo.
Bill Ayotte, the Churchill hero who saved the life of Erin Greene from a polar bear attack in 2013 received the Star of Courage last week.
Ayotte, 71, accepted the Star of Courage in a ceremony in recognition of acts of bravery and heroism from Canadians across the country. The Star of Courage, the country’s second-highest medal for bravery, recognizes people for “acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.”
36 other Canadians who were receiving the Medal of Bravery for heroismn on that day, including saving someone from drowning, rescuing a woman being stabbed or pulling people from burning buildings. Johnston spent a few extra moments speaking to Ayotte after awarding him the medal and shared some laughs. “This is quite an honor, that’s for sure,” said Ayotte.
Ayotte along with his wife, Kathleen Bouvier, have resided in Churchill, Man., all their lives never had a close encounter with a polar bear before November 1, 2013. That all changed early that morning at 5 a.m. When Ayotte went outside on his porch after hearing screams, he focused on a polar bear with Ms. Greene in her mouth being flung around violently.
“The bear had a woman in his mouth and was shaking her around,” Ayotte said.
Realizing it would be too late unless he acted quickly, Ayotte grabbed a shovel and slammed it into the bears eye area.
“I thought, ‘If I’m going to save her, I have to do it now,'” he said. “So I ran over towards her and the bear and I wound up as hard as I could.”
The bear dropped the 30 year – old Greene and she fled into Ayotte’s home. Ayotte tried to flee inside as well but the caught him within seconds.
“He grabbed my leg and hauled me back and started wailing on me,” said Ayotte.
Ayotte’s neighbor, Didier Foubert-Allen, fired a shotgun at the bear though the bear seemed not to notice. It wasn’t until Foubert-Allen jumped in his truck, drove right up to the bear and began honking and flashing his lights that the bear finally seemed spooked and released Ayotte and ran down the street. The bear was later killed by conservation officers.
Ayotte was seriously hurt with wounds to his head, stomach and legs and back. The bear had torn off most of his right ear.
“I remember being cold,” he said. “Really, really cold. I thought I was going to die. I said to the people, get me off the ground, get me on my feet so I can die like a man.” He was taken to the hospital and later medivacced to Winnipeg along with Greene.
Greene keeps in touch with the couple though she has left Churchill . She sent Ayotte a little angel figurine as a gift and joined the couple for a reunion dinner on a visit back to Churchill. She had dinner with them on a return visit.
RCMP officers in Resolute Bay, Nunavut report that two Dutch explorers; Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo are missing and presumed drowned. The experienced polar researchers and explorers were on a two-month study of the sea ice conditions in the Arctic for an organization called Cold Facts.
Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo went missing close to Bathurst Island the end of a two-month scientific study of sea ice conditions. Coldfacts.org image.
The pair were exploring and conducting sea ice research when a distress signal was set off near Bathurst Island and a chartered aircraft flew to the signal point. Equipment was spotted on the ice surface but no trace of the men who had been on skis. Subsequent searchers found a dog and sled next to a large hole in the ice and another sled in the water. Other personal expedition items were also in the water.
Throughout their trek, the scientists was regularly updating a website set up for the expedition. Tuesday’s post stated that due to extremely warm temperatures the ice was thin where they were heading.
A final voice recording posted online Tuesday by Cornelissen said: “Today was a good day.” describing the weather as surprisingly warm, “too warm actually,” saying that he ended up skiing in only his underwear and boots.
“We think we see thin ice in front of us, which is quite interesting,” Cornelissen said. “And we’re going to research some more of that if we can.”
The missing researchers disappeared near Bathurst Island, 200 kilometres north of Resolute, Nunavut, itself about 1,500 kilometres north of Iqaluit and nearly 2,000 kilometres north of Churchill, MB. CBC Image.
Due to the global warming, extensive research surrounding Arctic sea ice has been on the rise. The researchers may have fallen victim to the very phenomena and reason for which they had traveled to the Arctic. Global warming has affected reduced sea ice, weather patterns as well as concern for the iconic symbol of the north itself the polar bear!
If you have been one of the lucky ones to have tried curling in Churchill while on a wildlife adventure to see polar bears or perhaps the northern lights you have surely had some fun and laughs. The game is slowly spreading in popularity throughout the United States but still remains an enigma to most outside of Canada.
Churchill Curling club participants from Natural Habitat Adventures. Karen Walker photo.
Here are a few secret tips to Churchill curling at the rink inside the town complex. if you have not yet ventured to Churchill, try and include this activity in a future trip to the polar bear capitol of the world.
1. – Unless you know the caretaker of the curling rink personally it will first be a little tricky to even find the somewhat hidden location of the rink and confirm that the ice is in place. Yes, it’s in the town complex but the entrance is located in a less frequented hallway with no exterior windows to view in.
2. – The rules of the game are fairly complex and it will be impossible to pick them all up in one session. The main thrust of the game is to “throw”…rather glide on the ice, eight stones weighing 42 lbs. with handles and try to get closest to the middle “target” button or painted spot underneath the ice. There’s quite a bit of strategy to all the throws leading up to the final stone for each team of four.
3.– Understand that “sweeping” is not the kind you do in your home to clean up. Sweeping in curling involves two of the four teammates sliding ahead of the stone, with special shoe pads, and a special broom, that more accurately resembles a padded squeegee. The idea is to adjust the sweeping in front of the “stone” to manage the speed and for the really experienced sweepers even the direction to a slight degree. I was able to play this position in a local fun “bonspiel” in Churchill once and found it to be very fun and incredibly effective when you get the hang of it.
Churchill curling club conducting league games. Churchill Curling Club photo.
4. – When the skip, the person who throws the stones, yells “hurry”, it is quite entertaining and unique to this sport. What he/she is requesting is for the sweepers to sweep faster in front of the stone and therefore create a smoother and faster surface. The stone will increase in speed by a very slight amount though this may be the difference in a winning shot.
5. – Don’t touch the stones until the shot is over. This includes the sweepers and any teammates waiting at the end of the sheet for the stone to arrive near the target. If anyone on a team touches the stone, even with a broom, the shot is disqualified. Bad etiquette.
Natural Habitat travelers enjoy a curling experience in Churchill. Karen Walker photo.
6. – The curling lounge is almost as important as the curling rink itself. Churchill’s club lounge is a glass enclosed facility that is heated and overlooks the rink from above. A huge part of the curling experience is the camaraderie before, during and after the game or games are being played. Churchill, being such a tight knit town in a generally cold weather environment, especially tends to unite through this activity and gathering space.
Inside the Churchill Curling Club lounge. Churchill Curling Club photo.
7. – Plan on an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. This very well could be the only time in your life that you can experience the fun of playing this age – old sport. When I participated in the tournament in Churchill I was convinced I would return home to the US and find a curling club to join…that was 10 years ago and I still have not played the game again. I did return with a trophy since I was paired up with some of the town’s best curlers. Enjoy it while you have an opportunity!
You’ve heard the expression “Island time”. In fact you’ve probably uttered it once or twice yourself after experiencing the casual, slowed down lifestyle of people in places that seem to have figured out how to enjoy life…well at least vacation life…usually by the warm, blue water somewhere.
Sundogs in Churchill, Manitoba. Brad Josephs photo.
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Well “tundra time” is a similar lifestyle but perhaps comes from the opposite end of the weather comfort spectrum. Churchill and the rest of the northern Arctic region of Canada moves at a pace most southerners would call…um…slow. And that’ s being generous. Maybe because the north exists in a cryogenic state of frozen time for a good part of the year there’s really no energy to go fast at any point. Tundra time.
When visiting Churchill, everything moves slower. Restaurant service is slower..hence meals take longer. Vehicles move slower…especially Polar Rovers looking for slow, ambling polar bears. Maybe that’s the key…polar bears set the pace for everything around the area. They are in no hurry to go anywhere…except out on the ice. However, they can’t make the ice form so they instinctively know to take it easy….cause it’s “tundra time” mon!
Polar bear cooling off in Churchill, MB. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
The train….ha..well anyone that has traveled with Via rail along the Hudson Bay Railway knows the literal definition of “tundra time”. The train tracks often turn a 36 hour trip into a 42 hour trip or more. Why? Because the tracks wind across the tundra that contains permafrost….icy ground. When that icy permafrost heats up and melts a bit, especially in summer, the tracks move slightly and a speeding train has to slow down so to not exert too much force on the steel rails and then end up on ..er..the tundra…stopped in the middle of nowhere. Tundra time.
Most of all the people in Churchill move slower. Churchillian’s by and large are not going far. Well, they can’t drive far as there are no roads out of town unless you want to go to the Churchill Northern Studies Center or a bit further out to Twin Lakes. People in Churchill actually have time to talk with one another, not email or telephone. They actually meet at Gypsy’s or the Seaport Hotel and sit and talk for sometimes hours and enjoy multiple cups of coffee. There’s a “local table” at Gypsy’s up front that is just for that…talking….slowly … and in person. Tundra time.
Nearly everything in the north operates on tundra time. We should all experience it once in awhile.
The Inuit meaning of inukshuk is “in the likeness of a human”. Used as a communication beacon in traditional times, these unworked stones compiled in rough human form signaled to others that someone had been there or that followers were on the right path. These landmarks also were built to mark a place of respect or as memorials for loved ones. Churchill has some impressive inukshuks around the area that travelers gravitate to and often photograph in daytime or with dynamic northern lights in the sky over the Hudson Bay.
Northern lights over the Hudson Bay behind the Inukshuk in Churchill. Sean Beckett photo.
Hunters utilize them by marking migration paths or near water where fish are plentiful. Sometimes in these cases, inuksuit are arranged in sequences over short or long distances to better signify the trail. Spiritual meanings have also been associated with these stone sculptures by Inuit peoples. These rock forms are of the oldest and most iconic objects bonding the Arctic with the Inuit people and culture of the north. Inuit tradition does not allow the destruction of inuksuit as they are often thought of as symbolizing ancestors that learned the ways of surviving on the land.
In a land of vast emptiness and barren landscape, a familiar inukshuk is a welcome sight to a traveler on a featureless and forbidding landscape.
An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. Built from whatever stones are at hand, each one is unique. The arrangement of stones indicates the purpose of the marker. The directions of arms or legs could indicate the direction of an open channel for navigation, or a valley for passage through the mountains. An inukshuk without arms, or with antlers affixed to it, would act as a marker for a cache of food.
The Inukshuk was the basis of the 2010 Winter Olympics logo designed by Vancouver artist Elena Rivera MacGregor. The form also is featured as the centerpiece of the colorful flag of Nunuvut, the homeland of the Inuit.
