One last thought of Churchill…

Every night at 10:00, the town siren wails a warning. Move inside children, adults too. It’s best to heed the warning as the denizens of the ice have moved ashore and they are the world’s largest land carnivore.

Car horns formed a cacophony of noise that sounded like a wedding or celebration; but not at 11:00 at night. Following the horns were gunshots and small explosions. The conservation folks were chasing the bear, hazing it so it would leave town. Later there was another, and early in the morning another yet.

The town – Churchill – rests on the western shores of Hudson Bay, just north of the 58th parallel. While sub-arctic, its environment is very arctic in nature. It happens to sit in the area where one of the world’s largest concentrations of polar bears comes ashore each spring to await the autumn freeze.

Polar bears usually eat ring seals and don’t typically hunt humans. But there are delinquent, old, sick, and hungry bears that will attack, as well as females with cubs that feel threatened.

So the siren sounds a warning and the town’s people heed it - there can be bears roaming the town on any night.

People create a sense of place...

The Churchill Northern Studies Centre is located in a building on a old rocketry and aurora borealis research center. The building is austere, run down, and way out of date - a lifeless relic of the cold war.

But, where ever we go and whatever we see, it's the people that create a sense of place. Audrey, Rosalind, Robert, Emma, Aisling, Gerry, Cliff, Kat, Carley, LeeAnne, Avril, Mike, Kim, Christina, Devon, and Marie create that sense of place at CNSC. They are the staff and volunteers that we worked with at the Centre. Cooks, housekeepers, maintenance people, program coordinators, and administrators all make CNSC a place where people can feel at home while important work is done.

We tried to lend a hand in some way to all of the CNSC staff. In return, we were rewarded by each person in small and large ways. Sometimes it was just having someone new to talk to and to share our experiences with. Or, it was the camaraderie of working as a team to put out a meal and clean up after 80 people. Other times, it was the opportunity to lend our unique expertise to the operation.

To all of you, our new friends, we send our sincerest thanks and our best wishes.

Nine months to get there, two days to go home...

It took nine months to get to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in northern Manitoba. Our application had to be vetted, interviews completed, references checked, and schedules arranged. It's not a simple process, but a necessary one. Churchill is way beyond the end of the road. You don't go there lightly and weather can make access difficult.

“You are going WHERE? To do WHAT?” Yes, those are the questions we received when we told family and friends we were going to volunteer at CNSC.

The answer was always, “we’ll wash dishes all day for the chance to see a polar bear in the wild!” For five weeks, we washed dishes, cleaned rooms, made beds, mopped floors, washed more dishes, and assisted with many other tasks. And though summer came late to Churchill this year, the tundra bloomed, the red fox kits appeared, the bears came in off the ice, and the belugas filled the river. We witnessed it all; with awe, inspiration, and respect for the researchers who spend months following their goals and dreams.

We met interesting people from all over Canada, the U.K., and the U.S. We hiked with researchers and helped on their projects. We held baby plover chicks as they were being banded with Rita and Simone, and gosling chicks with Tom, Shawn, Jess, and Jay. We watched in awe as Carla and Vanya fed baby yellow warblers with an eye dropper. And, yes, we slipped into tidal pools following the lead of Amanda, Erinn, and Ingrid, our favorite planktoneers!

Volunteering at CNSC may not be for everyone. The work can be tiring and long and sometimes you feel like you haven’t been outside for days. But, knowing you are helping in your own small way to support the science that is making a difference in our world makes it all worthwhile.

Our thanks to Volunteer Coordinator Heather MacLeod, and the entire CNSC staff for making our volunteer experience such a wonderful adventure. We wish everyone the best of luck during construction of the new building and renovation of the current one. Life will certainly be easier with more space, more bathrooms, and a larger kitchen. Remember, though, there will always be another dish that needs to be washed!

Now, we are looking forward to a little rest before starting the next adventure. What's next? First, a fall color cruise from Boston to Montreal for a little pampering and relaxation. Then it's back to the SW to volunteer for the U.S. Park Service at Canyon de Chelly, Grand Canyon, Glenn Canyon, and Zion.

The wild ride continues. Maybe we'll go even farther south -> Antarctica may be on the horizon...

It's a good day at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre when...

1. There are not too many dishes to be washed.
2. You can understand the Canadian, Newfoundland, Scottish, Irish, British, and French accents.
3. You are no longer considered a "nut-job" for being a volunteer dishwasher.
4. CNSC staff share their Tuck Tape for repairing your clothing.
5. There are chocolate chip cookies or brownies for dessert.
6. You don't fall in a pond and get a "booter" or your jeans wet to way past your waist!
7. You can get a ride to town on your day off instead of being stalked by bears while walking.
8. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and the storms have all passed.
9. The wind is blowing and there are no mosquitoes.
10. You have more freckles on your arms than mosquito bites.
11. It's calm and the mosquito swarm can't carry you away.
12. You can kill two mosquitoes on every swat.
13. You have a bug hat and 100% DEET when there are mosquitoes.
14. There are fewer mosquitoes inside than outside.
15. It's cold and the mosquitoes are DEAD.
16. A researcher asks you to join them in the field.
17. A polar bear is sighted.
18. The researcher is afraid of bears and lets you run ahead of them (you don't want to be last).
19. The polar bear doesn't eat you because you are too slow.
20. You have a day off and the bears want to pose for photos.
21. You don't have to room with a snorer.
22. Researchers take showers! (Though not showering is built in mosquito repellant!)
23. The Aurora Borealis is out - and you are up at 1am to see it.
24. You can find a place to plug in your laptop.
25. Your flight to Winnipeg is confirmed...