Thursday, October 16, 2008

10:39 PM

Before this trip, I could have never fully understood how life changing the Polar Bears International experience would be. But now, as I sit on a plane that takes me from my tundra Eden and PBI family, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without this opportunity. I have been fortunate to gain lifelong friendships with people who have a mutual dedication to a cause. I can say now, without a doubt, that through the last week I have grown as a person.

Our last full day on the Tundra was filled with mixed emotions and discoveries. We traveled by helicopter to visit a maternal den site. What an adventure! We soared through the sky, viewing the beautiful ponds, speckled lichen ground, and coastline from above. Upon arrival at the maternal den site, I was very interested in how spongy and soft the lichen ground was. Later we went into the den. The den was partially collapsed, but everyone was able to take a picture inside surrounded by bright green moss and red berries. Flying a helicopter and visiting a maternal den was such a thrill! In the evening at dinner, everyone shared memories, poems, and songs about our exhilarating journey. I talked about how inspired I am by the harmonious colors of the tundra landscape, the feel of being on the edge of the world when the clouds roll over the bay. These things inspire me to act in my community and share my experiences with all.

I feel motivated from this trip to make changes in my own life and help others do the same and be more environmentally friendly. I will try to ride my bike as many times as I can throughout the week. I will start composting in my backyard and present my knowledge and experience to my community. As for everyone who reads this, I invite you to do the same. Join my fellow PBI ambassadors and me in our quest to reduce climate change and save the Arctic ecosystem. Join us in lowering our thermostats and riding our bikes. Plant trees with us. Whenever possible, buy recycled products. Share the message of changing our habits to family and friends. Robert Buchanan said that when we left Winnipeg and headed to Churchill, we would be saying goodbye to ourselves. We would be saying goodbye to our doubt, our confusion, and come back empowered and passionate. He was right.

Monday, October 13, 2008

10:12 PM

Last night we finally got to experience the beauty of the Northern Lights! at around 10:00 p.m, a shimmering ribbon of green and red light danced across the sky. the colors changed from red to green in seconds, curling its way over our heads towards the moon. I cannot believe I was able to experience such a magical phenomenon in the sky. maybe we will get lucky and see them again. Tonight, the male bear decided to venture over to the lodge because of the enticing hamburger smell coming from the kitchen. He came so close the lodge that we were able to look face to face with the polar bear. We were so enthralled with the polar bear by the kitchen that we didn't recognize another polar bear coming over on the other side! The second polar bear was also interested in the smell, but the other bear became threatened by the others presence, and decided to push the new polar bear out with his face. They pushed each other out far enough into the distance that we
could no longer see in the dark. It was interesting to see how different polar bears interact with each other when feeling defensive.

During the day, we listened to a powerful presentation from local trappers. Before listening to the presentation, my perception of trapping was a negative view. I thought that trapping was just killing animals to kill, and I did not understand how dedicated trappers were to nature. I was quickly proven wrong. The people who spoke to us have a long heritage of trapping, and whole heartedly believe in living in balance with nature. Trapping in this environment helps keep a balance in the animal population and keep the animal population healthy. When the population is allowed to skyrocket, diseases like mange break out, hurting the well being of the species. The trapper's words were so poetic about their relationship, that it motivated me to see nature in a different manner. To view nature as a precious giver, providing us with valuable resources that we must nurture for our future.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

10:06 PM

While writing this blog, the feeling in my hands slowly returns. About five minutes before writing, I was outside in the cold snapping photos of a magnificent sunset overlooking the tundra landscape. I can see the horizon steadily turning from red to midnight blue through the reflection of the water as I continue watching the landscape from the inside of the lounge car. Over my shoulder the moon shines high in the sky above the bay. I am very excited for tonight because the sky is so clear that we may see the Northern Lights!

I will never forget the way I woke up this morning. As I began to climb out of my bunk, I was jolted awake to the screech of 'POLAR BEAR!' I looked out from my small bunk window, and there, only a couple yards away, was a gigantic male polar bear tramping towards the Tundra Buggy Lodge. The bear lugged its way over to the lodge to investigate the breakfast smell coming from the dining car. Throughout the day the bear continued to stay near the lodge, providing us with many photo opportunities and behavioral observations.

During the afternoon, we heard and interesting presentation about polar bear care and behavioral enrichment in zoos. This presentation included information about "artificially induced natural behavior". We learned about different objects like street sweeper brushes, balls, and plastic child play structures can trigger behaviors bears exhibit in the wild like back scratching on bushes, and play-fighting. This description lead to a dynamic discussion about natural enrichment and unatural enrichment like manufactured play toys. Does manufactured enrichment induce positive behaviors if it isnt from a natural source?

I cant wait to see the Northern Lights tonight!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

9:13 PM

Today was our first full day on a Tundra Buggy! After lunch, we loaded the mobile Tundra Buggy and set out to look for polar bears! We didn't find any bears for a while, so I was able to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the tundra. The ground of the tundra seems bleak and sparse at first glance, but looking more closely, I noticed how many colors are incorporated into the grasses. The ground is splotched with patches of crimson and royal purple. There are thousands of ponds sprinkled across the land like puddles on a bumpy road. At every opportunity, we tried to identify ducks and birds located around the ponds. At one point, we located ptarmigans, commonly known as the 'arctic chicken'. These unusual birds have feathers around their legs that look like bell-bottom pants. Along with ptarmigans, we saw snow buntings (large sparrow like birds), common goldeneye ducks, and lesser scaupe ducks. At one point we even saw a bald eagle swooping across the sky.

After an hour and a half of admiring the scenery, we finally found polar bears. It was the same mother and two cubs from yesterday's Tundra Buggy journey. The three were very calm, huddled together and sleeping when we arrived. This provided a great opportunity to take pictures! After I took over 100 pictures, the bears decided to leave the spot and meander down the trail to a pond. I was intrigued by the curiosity of one of the cubs that constantly lagged behind the mother and sibling to play with roots and examine the Tundra Buggy more closely. How exciting it was to see the playful aspect of polar bear behavior! The sight was so special to me, up until the group noticed one item the cub was playing with. A piece of blue trash. It was very disturbing to see that even in the beautiful and secluded environment of the tundra, polar bears still must deal with litter and human pollution. During my time here, I hope to become more aware of specific issues affecting the polar bears, and help create possible solutions to improve the future of these precious animals and their environment. Im looking forward for more excitement tomorrow!

Friday, October 10, 2008

10:21 PM

The past two days have been an incredible journey of new experiences, great opposites, and fun explorations. Before I arrived, I couldn't imagine how different life on the tundra for five days would be in comparison to San Diego life. But now, after feeling the striking temperature drop from San Diego's comfortable 98 degrees on Wednesday, I feel I've been able to notice the unique beauty of my surroundings. Throughout the day I have learned to love the way the wind makes the grasses ripple like the moving water. I have come to appreciate the violent waves of the Hudson Bay, crashing on the jagged coastal rocks. But of all my newfound treasures, I am in awe of a polar bear's behavior in the wild.

We saw polar bears in the wild for the first time today! The thing most remarkable to me about the bears' behavior was its inquisitive nature. Three polar bears, a mother and two cub bears, passed by our Tundra Buggy as we headed to the Tundra Buggy Lodge. As we frantically snapped photos of the fuzzy family, the cub bears headed to explore our buggy. They seemed unalarmed by our presence and interested in our actions. Later we were able to view same mother polar bear's maternal instincts when we passed the cubs nuzzled against their mother in the brush. This bear family was the second group of polar bears we saw today.

Viewing our first polar bears led the group to an interesting discussion. The first two we saw had been on a private property where multiple Canadian huskies are held for dog sledding. The bears are attracted to this location because the owner feeds the dogs outside, often leaving food the polar bears devour. But when the polar bears come to eat the food, it causes the bears to associate the dogs with food. Soon the bears become dangerous to dogs and people (as dogs are usually found where people are). The bears being to hang around populated areas. Also, the bears could severely harm the dogs when the food is not as abundant. Is it wrong for the owner to allow bears to eat the food? Can the dog owner do anything to stop the bears? If the area becomes an attraction for bear watchers, is it right for the owner to use the area for profit?

Yet with all the excitement of the day, the most memorable experience must have been watching the sunrise from our snug airplane this morning at 6:30 a.m. The night sky was still with us as we loaded the plane to Churchill. The clouds looked like shadowed people racing against the darkness. Before I notice, a thin streak of red and magenta slowly crept across the line of clouds, inching its way into vibrant oranges and yellows after time passed. I enjoyed taking in all the colors this morning and now I can only look forward to more sunrises and sunsets on the tundra. I can't wait for tomorrow's experiences!