This photograph from a helicopter over Wapusk National Park is a tremendous look at a polar bear den. Sheltered in a stand of spruce trees to break the wind, this is the ideal spot for a sow polar bear to have cubs. This den will be used every year for an extended period. Wapusk is the prime destination for polar bears to actively den and have cubs.
Polar bear den in a stand of spruce trees. Courtesy Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
Dene Village in Churchill is a forlorn place for the most part. There is a stone monument just off Goose Creek Road as you pull off into the vacant, silent,raised subdivision commemorating the 150 Dene people that died following their forced relocation by the government from the north country.
Back then was the beginning of the end for the Dene. They were living off the land as native people did when the Canadian government decided they were in need of “civilization”. Unfortunately “civilization” was not what the Dene needed nor wanted at the time and their endless shuffling from place to place around Churchill began.
Northern Lady’s – Slipper. Courtesy goexploreit.com.
The Dene relocation story will be explored in subsequent posts as this post is about what we discovered in the patch of forest adjacent to the village back in the days of guiding Churchill Arctic summer trips.
Round leaved orchid. Courtesy wikidmedia.org.
I don’t know how we came upon the majestic trove of incredible orchids hidden in the boreal forest just behind some of the burned or raised cottage foundations in the village but we did. With all the buildings gone as you meander through the sub-division, one goes from an erie feeling of trespassing on sacred ground to an amazing short walk through the forest with about five or six different stops to examine and photograph various orchids found in Churchill.
Hodded Lady’s – Tresses. Shelly Weedmark photo.
The orchids we found and returned time after time with groups to see in this sacred place were Hooded Lady’s – Tresses, Small Northern Bog Orchid, Round – leaved Orchid, Northern Lady’s – Slipper, Green Flowered Bog Orchid and Early Coralroot. When we would walk quietly through the soft grounded undercover of this particular spot I remember telling the people I felt like these beautiful orchids were the souls of the Dene people that had suffered and died in Churchill. That they were back in another form and that new reincarnated form was brought forth in these incredible flowers. That the pain the people had gone through was now somehow released and become beauty in the world.
I still think of these walks we took and I feel lucky to have had these experiences. The feelings from the powerful orchids….souls of the world are still with me today.
The Churchill Rocket Range at Fort Churchill has been an integral part of Canadian rocket research within the sub – orbital atmosphere. Located just east of Churchill, the site has been used since the 1950’s for multiple launches of various rockets such as the Nike-Orion and Black Brant. Closed today, the range has gone through many transitions over the years.
Black Brant rocket at the Churchill rocket Range. Courtesy Natural Habitat
Churchill’s unique proximity in the “western hemisphere” coupled with its wide open range firing northwards made it optimal not only for incredible polar bear viewing but for rocket launching as well. Test rockets are still being discovered today in the vast, wide open tundra.
1. – The rocket range was built in 1954 by the Canadian Army to study long distance communication capabilities and the affects the aurora borealis has on them.
2. – The site was closed in 1955 then reopened and refurbished and expanded in 1956 for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957. The site was then closed again in December 1958 when the IGY ended.
3. – In 1959 the U. S. Army reopened the rocket range as a sounding rocket test station. It was used to test rockets which evolved into the Black Brant utilizing new solid fuel propellant. Fire destroyed much of the facility in 1960 and 12 additional test launches of the black Brant were scheduled at NASA’s Wallops Island in 1961-62 while the Churchill site was rebuilt. In 1970 the U. S. Army ended operations at the site.
Churchill rocket range from the air. Steve Selden photo.
4. – In 1970 the Churchill site was acquired by the Canadian Research Council to contribute to the Canadian Upper Atmosphere Research Program. The range was used intermittently during the 70’s and 80’s and shut down by 1990.
5. – Rumors surfaced in the mid 1990’s when Akjuit Aerospace announced development of the site aat a $300 million price tag was imminent. A Russian company named STC Complex signed a deal with Akjuit to launch polar – orbiting rockets carrying loads on surplus, re-purposed ICBM’s as part of the START treaty negotiations. In May 1998 Akjuit Aerospace closed down operations from financing problems as well as the collapse of the space exploration market in 2000.
A closer look at the Churchill Rocket Range today. Steve Selden photo.
Today the Churchill Rocket Range stands as a reminder of the frenetic past in Churchill as well as what might have been had Akjuit launched the ambitious new venture at the site. The buildings near the Churchill Northern Studies Center seem frozen in time, suspended in anticipation of what the future could have been.
This is a video I’ve posted before but I thought with Churchill’s Arctic summer on the horizon I’d send it your way again. This should get everyone traveling to Churchill this summer excited for the amazing and curious belugas!
Lets not forget all the other natural wonders the summer season has to offer. Birds, bears, tundra wildflowers and the phenomenal geology of the region. Summer in Churchill truly is the most diverse season for taking in a comprehensive feel for the sub-Arctic region.
Enjoy this underwater look at snorkeling with thousands of beluga whales!
Diving on the site of the HMS Erebus shipwreck will resume this month in the high Arctic. Sir John Franklin’s ill fated voyage to find the northwest passage came to an end nearly 170 years ago as the Erebus was trapped in ice for two years off Prince William Island in Queen Maude Gulf near Nunavut.
A Parks Canada diver measures part of the Franklin expedition’s Erebus on Sept 18, 2014. Thierry Boyer/Parks Canada photo.
Franklin’s 1846 expedition had two ships; the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. No sign of either has been evident for nearly a century and a half. Seven months ago the Erebus was discovered by a group of private-public searchers lead by Parc’s Canada. Now the next chapter is unfolding.
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, shown in the Illustrated London News published on May 24, 1845, left England that year under the command of Sir John Franklin and in the search of the Northwest Passage. Courtesy London News/Getty Images.
The irony of this continued expedition and salvage project is that the divers will be descending through two meters of ice to reach the bottom of the gulf. The same ice was responsible for crushing the wooden ship and sending it to the ocean floor a century and a half ago. The benefit here will be that the thick six foot layer of ice will eliminate surface waves and almost all water movement around the wreck therefore keeping any sediment and particulate from clouding the water. Clear visibility will enhance the efficiency of the divers time in the -2 C icy water.
These clear conditions will be most beneficial for the operation of the new 3D laser scanning apparatus archeologists will utilize to produce incredibly detailed images of the Erebus lying 11 meters below the surface. The main goal for this expedition is to create a comprehensive baseline recording or map of the wreck site before continuing on with possible salvage work.
Current dive site plans call for 14-hour dive days from 8 AM- 10 PM over a 10 day period. Divers outfitted with specialized dry suits will be able to dive for over an hour at a time. Two-person dive teams comprised of one Parcs Canada member and one navy member will be deployed in steady succession.
Aside from mapping the site, crews will also try to gain valuable insight by probing an extension camera into nooks and holes in the Erebus to get an inside look into the past.
Churchill has been the focus of countless exploratory expeditions from Europe over the centuries and now a discovery that has captivated the world has also touched this remote outpost on the Hudson Bay. The Anglican church in Churchill is home to a gift from Sir John Franklin’s widow in appreciation of all the efforts from countless men in searching for her husbands lost expedition throughout the north. It appears now that this ancient mystery has been solved.
Lady Franklin stained glass window. Karen Walker photo.
Come to Churchill and see the Franklin stained glass window and the the mighty polar bear!
