by Steve Selden | Dec 18, 2017 | Churchill News
The ice road to Churchill via Gillam is finished and ready for business. Polar Industries Ltd. photo.
Christmas is coming a little early to Churchill this year!
The winter “ice” road project initiated by Polar Industries, Fox Lake Cree Nation and Churchill’s Remote Area Services between Churchill and Gillam has been completed and supplies are scheduled to arrive in town by Wednesday.
“The guys finished up late [Thursday] night and they’re on their way back out to Gillam so we can start our actual journey with freight on Sunday,” explained Polar Industries president Mark Kohaykewych.
“We’re doing a spiritual, traditional ceremony since we are crossing Fox Lake traditional land. We’ve been accepting a lot of freight the last week and the trucks are leaving to head up to Gillam for Sunday afternoon.”
Kohaykewych set a tentative completion date of Christmas and thanks to weather conditions consisting of cold conditions and relatively little snowfall the artery is ready for shipping albeit not overly large loads.
“We’re just starting off with two, we don’t want to go too heavy on this first journey. We definitely want the ground to harden up and we don’t want to be busting through any rivers or damaging any ice bridges that we’ve created,” Kohaykewych said. “We’re splitting the load between three cat trains, 20,000 pounds apiece.”
Last May the tracks between Churchill and the south suffered extensive damage from melting snow and ice that had accumulated after major blizzards blanketed the region. The ice road became a reality after the realization the Hudson Bay Rail Line between Gillam and Churchill would not be repaired before Spring. With no projected repair timeline in sight, the winter road will help ease the financial hardship incurred by residents and businesses having to pay for air shipping costs nearly quadruple that of ground shipping.
“We’re cross-docking off of the transport trucks onto sleighs that we’ve manufactured and then pulling them with what the general public would know as dozers or cat trains,” Kohaykewych said. “I’m figuring we should be on the road between 30-36 hours.”
The road will allow Santa to drive his sleigh safely across the tundra and arrive in Churchill by Christmas Day!
by Steve Selden | Dec 14, 2017 | Videos
With Churchill’s northern light season just about a month away, here’s a video clip from Natural Habitat Adventures guide Drew Hamilton in the great white north….soon to be the great “green” north! Of course, aurora borealis occurs throughout the year in the Arctic and sub – Arctic, however, January through March is the prime window for viewing, when skies are the clearest. The Hudson Bay on the Churchill shores freezes over and no moisture rises to form cloud cover or fog. This season is promising to be one of high-intensity auroral action as we are still in a cycle of heavy solar flare activity. We will be posting regularly with all the news and views from the heart of the northern lights action in Churchill!
by Steve Selden | Dec 11, 2017 | Churchill Photography
A polar bear on the rocks warming in the sun. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
A sleepy polar bear waking up from an afternoon nap Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
Arctic Hare scavenging for a morsel of food on the Churchill tundra. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
A polar bear lounging in the refreshing Churchill snow. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
Two polar bears venturing out on the Hudson Bay ice. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
A big male polar bear looking for some fun or a meal. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
Wow..what fantastic shots from Churchill photographer Alex De Vries – Magnifico from the tundra. These polar bears and Arctic hare appear healthy and happy as they meander the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Another polar bear season in Churchill has come and gone with the Hudson Bay ice forming just as the season finished up. The infusion of travelers to Churchill this past October and November hopefully provided some relief from the saga of the train not running. Wishing all Churchillians an uplifting holiday season and new year ahead!
by Steve Selden | Dec 6, 2017 | Conservation
Churchill is famous for its polar bears and has been dubbed the Polar Bear Capital of the World for a destination to see numerous polar bears in and around the town.
Now Churchill Mayor Mike Spence wants to have serious conversations with the provincial government about finding alternatives to shipping the animals to Winnipeg and other destinations where they ultimately end up spending the rest of their lives in zoos.
Churchill Mayor Mike Spence wants polar bears to have alternatives other than being sent south to Winnipeg.CBC photo.
Churchill Mayor Mike Spence and other Churchillians are concerned the old habit of just relocating orphaned cubs is outdated and archaic. The most recent capture of a pair of orphaned polar bear cubs from different mothers by provincial conservation officers has them talking and advocating for a different fate for the animals.
“It has always been an issue here,” says Spence.
“Polar bears are a critical part of the community. But once you have taken them out of the population, that’s it. They’re gone. I’ve told the minister we want to sit down and talk.
Polar bear cubs approach the polar rover within a few feet. Jeff Klofft photo.
“We want to get more research on polar bears. We need to do things differently. We can’t just continue to do nothing other than shipping them off to zoos.”
According to Spence, ideas for changing the current protocol include tracking devices to monitor the bears’ travel and a facility designed to allow the bears to be reintroduced into the harsh northern environment.
“We need to do something more than just saying, ‘Another bear gone to the zoo,’” he said. “We don’t accept sending cubs to captivity is the answer.”
The latest capture, like nearly all the polar bears relocated in recent years, will end up at Assiniboine Park Zoo’s Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre.
Statistics, as vague as they might be, tend to point to unfavorable survival rates when young abandoned cubs are left in the wild. Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires states that scientists know there is little hope for those animals.
Polar bears living out their lifespan in the Netherlands Wildlands Zoo. Sheng – Wen Lo photo.
“The unfortunate reality is that young cubs have very little chance of survival without their mother,” Squires said.
“Without a female to protect them, cubs are highly vulnerable to natural predators and also to the significant risk of starvation. Polar bear cubs depend on their mothers until they are about 2 1/2 years of age, by which time they’ve grown and learned to hunt for their own food.”
“Polar bears truly are irreplaceable and we consider them a jewel for the community of Churchill. For that reason, we will continue to devote resources to managing polar bears in the area and producing new research that supports their sustainability. While the Department of Sustainable Development is keenly focused on ensuring their survival, our government is committed to working collaboratively with the community to determine the future of these orphaned polar bears cubs.”
Let’s hope these new ideas come to fruition in the near future. Polar bears should be in the wild not automatically sent to zoos without exploring other options.
by Steve Selden | Dec 3, 2017 | Churchill News
Churchill has been suffering from the isolation caused by the Hudson Bay Line washout and subsequent train service suspension. See what you can do to assist this frontier town in this time of need!
