This Used to be My Playground...

Today was the last day of our work in the field, and we leave for the United States tomorrow! We surveyed a fen and a palsa for seedings and saplings. My partner and I found our biggest tree yet, our very own Moby Dick. Once again, our tiny group of two fell behind the other more productive groups of three, and we were left to fend for ourselves as we trudged through the water and muck of the fen.
For the first time since surveying in precarious sites, I fell through the earth and was really stuck in the muck! My leg disappeared past my knee and I began to panic. I had heard stories of an Earthwatch volunteer falling into the fen and losing her boot. When she was pulled from the fen, a teammate reached in to recover the boot and it had been swallowed into the earth. My fears were legitimate, but I survived!
Our afternoon was spent cleaning the research van and getting last minute travel instructions. Tonight we are celebrating the end of our journey with a char tasting event complete with bannock and locally made jams and jellies.
During the evening meeting, Dr. Kershaw explained how our seedling data fits into his research on climate change and some trends that became apparent in the data we collected. He has really made us feel as if we are an important part of his research and has valued our efforts. I feel like I am part of something bigger, something more important. I have achieved some insights into the tedious side of research and the exciting side, not to mention the downright fun side. I have a fuller picture of being a scientist. And this is only part of what I will bring back with me. Even more importantly, I got to work with a team of amazing, like-minded teachers from across the country. The ten days were spent sharing ideas, brainstorming lessons, and creating ways to stay in touch and maintain this environment of sharing our best practices. I have so many new curriculum and lab ideas. I am excited to get home so I can “re tool” my program for next year! I have developed some wonderful friendships with all my “Earthwatch Team One” members!
This will be my last blog entry from the arctic as my flight leaves in the morning.
This was truly an amazing opportunity, and I am honored that I was selected to be here. I am extremely grateful to the Earthwatch Institute, Northrop Grumman, Dr. Peter Kershaw, and the staff at the Churchill Northern Studies Center for this “once in a lifetime” opportunity. I would also like to thank all of my blog followers for supporting me electronically as I tried to share my experiences through this blog.

Here is the "California Dude"

Justyne, see my comment below... here is a video of James, the California Dude.

Polar Bears and Sea Ice... A Delicate Relationship

      We spent a very buggy day surveying plots in various locations for tree seedlings.  The land here is so different from home.  The ground is spongy and wet with a layer of thick peat, and beautiful tundra plant life.  All of this is underscored with a layer of permafrost.  In the mosquito infested forests and forest ecotones, the evergreen trees are relatively short, and wind mangled.  It takes a tree several decades to become the size of the seven year old Christmas Trees that my family sells on our tree farm.    

     The weather can turn on a dime which makes dressing for field work  tricky.  We started our morning meeting believing the temperature would be 1°C (about 32°F)  only to discover that it was much warmer.  I stripped layers during a lakeside lunch complete with hungry mosquitoes.

     Today we did not return to the study center mid day, so we pulled a double shift in the field with only a short break for food.  I was so tired when we finally go back to the center only to discover that someone arrange a Hudson Bay “dip” after the evening lecture.  Will I swim in the freezing ice ridden bay?  The peer pressure is immense!  At this point I am skeptical. 

     The evening lecture was about polar bear biology and climate change.  I learned that the bears are being forced off the ice and on to shore too early and too thin.  The ice is melting too early in the season  and populations are in decline.  Cub survival rate is dropping.  Birthrates are dropping.  Bears need to be on the ice as long as possible to hunt the ring seal. 

     More northern populations of polar bears are doing better than the Churchill subpopulations.  This explains why the US Endangered Species Act lists polar bears as a threatened population.  This listing is related to climate change and disappearing sea ice.  If the ice disappears, so will the polar bears.  Declining sea ice is DIRECTLY linked to declining polar bear populations.  The Western Hudson Bay subpopulations could be facing extirpation.  The more northern sub populations may remain stable. 

     We are off to the Hudson Bay for a “dip”.  Here is a photo of me giving "puppy love" to a Canadian Eskimo pup.  These dogs are raised as working dogs and cannot be used as pets.  I have also included an adult Canadian Eskimo dog.  Thanks for following me!  

Sea Ice For My Neighbor, Pat!

     After one glorious day off, it was back to work in the field surveying the arctic landscape.  James and I surveyed the tundra and the forest ecotone.  All the team members seemed a little lethargic from the amazing events from yesterday, that there wasn’t much laughter today.  We were given an early day off and headed back to the research center.  We were able to work on our Northrup Grumman lesson plans and community action plans.  More field work tomorrow!

     To answer Pat’s question… the difference between an ice floe and glacier… A glacier are considered land ice because they form on land.    An ice floe is sea ice that forms in the water.  Here at the Hudson Bay, we can see the sea ice travel in and out of the bay daily.  The sea ice “grows” in the winter in the northern part of the bay, and breaks up and melts in the summer.  This is the ice that the polar bears “ride on” to get  the Churchill, Manitoba.

     Currents bring the sea ice to the shores of Churchill carrying the bears.  As the ice travels south down Hudson Bay, it breaks up and melts.  However, according to the scientists at this study center, the sea ice is melting earlier than it normally does, and this gives the bears less time to hunt seals. (They hunt for seals out on the ice then come to shore.) The bears are coming into Churchill thinner and less able to survive the summer… (and more likely to harass locals by getting in garbage and breaking into homes…)  Hopefully this makes sense… this is being typed by your “tundra tired” neighbor!  Here is a picture of me and some fellow Earthwatchers standing on a chunk of sea ice (a sea floe) that has "beached".  Thanks for following me!

Tears For Belugas!

     Today was our “day off” from work in the field.  It started with a hiking tour with our bear monitor, Sheldon.  We rode on a school bus with a shot gun mounted in the front.  Wouldn’t that be something if the buses back home came equipped with a weapon?  Our tour started with a bouldering hike in search of the elusive polar bear.  Although we did see many beautiful bird species and ring neck seals, we have yet to find our bear.

     We have learned that some of the polar bears in Churchill become nuisance bears to the residence.  The stories told are terrifying!  As a result of the bear troubles, the residence have created a bear jail.  For example, if a bear is around a residence and cannot be deterred with a weapon, or continues to come around humans, it is tranquillized and sent to bear jail for the summer.  At first I thought this was cruel because there is no food provided in jail, but polar bears that come in off the ice for the summer, normally do not hunt for food.  They have reserved enough fat from the winter of hunting seals.  They are released from jail at the end of summer and can return to the ice.  Time in jail teaches the bears not to go to certain places and to stay away from people. 

     After an amazing morning of hiking, bird and seal watching, and bear hunting, we headed for a Zodiac raft to find beluga whales in the Hudson Bay and the Churchill River.  A Zodiac is a terrifying fast moving raft used by navy seals to complete maneuvers.  Our boat had been damaged by a polar bear and had a leak in one of the baffles.  While sitting on the back of the raft bouncing up and down wildly, I held a death grip on the passenger rope.  The boat continually filled with water… I was in a horrified state of shock. 

     We circled a few ice floes and studied their anatomy.  To my surprise and complete horror, the captain of the zodiac drove up onto a huge ice flow, and let us leave the boat and walk on the ice!  This is truly polar bear winter territory!  A curious ring seal kept his eye on us the entire time.  

       We shoved off from the large ice floe and headed for beluga whale territory.  I got tears in my eyes as the first beluga whale crested the surface of the water!  They are beautiful!  It didn’t take long for several curious belugas to start following our Zodiac.  The captain actually had to rev the motor a little to push the belugas away from the propeller. 

     Even though the polar bears have managed to elude us, I have fallen in love with the arctic and its beautifully varied ecosystems.  Thanks for following me!  Here are some belugas for you!

Desperately Seeking Seedlings!

I feel as if I haven't done the blog justice, as I am so tired by the end of each day. I should be writing about everything I am learning, but there would just be too much to include. I am really starting to take pride in what I am doing here as it is a small piece to a larger puzzle. The data my group is collecting is added to a much larger set that will be analyzed. Hopefully, important conclusions about the tree line will be made.
I have been surveying several ecosystems for tree seedlings. Today I was chewed alive by mosquitos in a boreal forest, a tundra forest and a tundra. In total, we surveyed six sites!
My teammate James and I found several "ramets" which are asexually reproduced trees. Basically a ramet is a branch from one tree that roots itself, but is still connected to the original tree. This is an indication that the forest is replenishing itself. We had so many ramets that we fell behind and were a little isolated in the forest from the rest of the group. We swore we heard something "snort" in the distance. When we are collecting data in the field, we are always in the company of Carley, our armed bear guard. She carries a riffle and is constantly on the lookout for polar, grizzly and black bear.
We listened to a lecture from Dr. Kershaw (permafrost Pete) on Polygonal Peat Plateaus, Palsas, Pingos, and Permafrost! Afterwards we visited Carley's cabin, watched the sunset at 11:00, and went searching for polar bears (with no luck).
The Results are In!!!
Thank you to everyone that submitted answers to my post card contest!  Let's analyze the results!!!  I will start with Hillary:  To answer your question, I went to Carley (our armed guard).  You didn't know the answer to my question, but asked your own.  You wanted to know if there was an overpopulation of a species that was a problem up here.  Carley said not really, but herring gulls predate the nests of other birds, rip open the garbage of the local people, and are a real pain in the neck.  She also said there are no official studies going on in Churchill of the herring gull.
     Scotty: your answers were excellent!  You were one of my best students and I am hoping you become a scientist!  However, someone beat you to it!
     Pat, my favorite neighbor, also submitted great answers, but was not the first post.
     Natalie, my lovely daughter posted some beautifully written prose, but I could never allow a literary person to win a science contest!  Love you Nat!!!
     Leann... all I can say is Cedar Bog rocks!!!! (and happy belated birthday!)
     The winner is..... Victoria!!!!  Very nice answers and you were the first to post!  I will put a post card in the mail for you tomorrow!
     Well, I am exhausted, so I will update tomorrow!  I am going on a boat tomorrow to find Beluga Whales!!!!   Here is a picture of Carley, our bear patrol.

Correction to Drew's Video

Polar bears are actually listed as a "vulnerable" species. In the video, we erroneously said they were endangered because we were only considering the sub arctic populations. In the Churchill population there is a decline in polar bear numbers probably due to melting sea ice in the Hudson Bay, but in the northernmost part of the arctic the polar bear populations are actually doing quite well. Thanks for the questions Drew!