Polar bear season 2014 is almost underway and polar bears and other Arctic animals are awaiting the throngs of travelers heading to the Hudson Bay coast. Churchill is awaiting once again. Stay close to the action with detailed reports from the Churchill region and the Churchill wildlife Management Area via information from Natural Habitat guides in Churchill for the season. We will keep you informed of all the latest wildlife and people stories from Churchill this season highlighted with photo’s and video from the tundra and surrounding area. Like our Face Book page so you can easily link to churchill.fru.qa. It’s going to be a wild season.
Omintrax Canada’s plan to move a test shipment of Alberta crude oil through northern Manitoba to the Port of Churchill next month has been put on hold by Manitoba Transportation Minister Steve Ashton. It’s a harsh blow to the company’s hopes to move nearly 3.3 million barrels of crude through the port as early as next year.
Shipping oil over the Hudson Bay is a new avenue for growth harboring hopes to expand Churchill’s role as an Arctic gateway.
However, apparently Mr. Ashton is seeing beyond the potential economic benefits to the area and port itself and erring quite wisely on the side of caution on this issue. The Hudson Bay is an extremely sensitive ecosystem that also has current economic and life sustaining benefits to all the communities that reside on its’ fragile coastline. One tragic accident could destroy the Hudson Bay and all the creatures that rely on the body of water for life itself for decades to come. A comprehensive study and subsequent operating plan must be in place before one drop of oil is shipped via this new proposal. Currently some oil is shipped north on barges to sustain Nunuvut communities but in no comparison to the amounts being projected in this international endeavor.
Proponents of the plan stress that oil is already shipped all over the continent by rail, truck and pipeline, and far more dangerous goods have moved regularly on the line for decades. However, shipping over land is far less dangerous and risky than transporting over water…especially so for water that is regularly in the 42 degree F temperature range. Couple that with weather that is unpredictable and harsh much of the year and a clean-up mission in these conditions would be nearly impossible.
Mr. Ashton advised Omnitrax to “go back to the drawing board on this,” holding some hope for the company to be able to explore options in the future. In this case the risk of any oil being transported over the bay seems insurmountable.
The Wilderness Committee interpreted Mr. Ashton’s comments as a rejection of Omnitrax’s plans and issued a statement Friday congratulating the Selinger government for offering “exactly the response we were hoping for.” As far as they are concerned, the plan is dead.
Lac-Megantic burning on the first day after the rail car derailment sent fireballs and streams of burning oil coursing through the Quebec village. (Photo: Surete du Quebec)
Omnitrax is convinced its’ northern rail lines don’t need upgrades to carry oil and the idea of shipping the liquid across the tundra is safe. This opinion flies directly in the face of the numerous grain car derailments that have occurred over the past two decades on those exact lines…at least the birds and some other animals can eat grain when it spills. Although federal approval for the rail shipping plan is required since railways are federally regulated, provincial opposition could be a barrier for such approval.
Churchill’s prime polar bear season is “barely” a month away and polar bears are already congregating in the region around this hearty frontier town on the rocky shores of the Hudson Bay. Here are some recent photo’s from Churchillian Jodi Grosbrink…soon the landscape will take on a quite different look. Winter is lurking to the north. Keep up with all the action in and around Churchill this October/November with our daily postings from the area. Natural Habitat Adventures guides will be supplying fresh video of amazing polar bear behavior as well as other incredible scenes from the north. Should be another exciting season!
Famed wildlife photographer and artist Robert Taylor passed on at age 73 at Winnipeg’s St Boniface Hospital following a bout with cancer.
Taylor was best known for his images of Manitoba polar bears, great gray owls and prairie bison. Churchill’s polar bear shots built a foundation for early polar bear awareness and ecotourism encounters in the region. The amazing unique photographs of polar bears and other Arctic animals captured the imagination of people in the South and soon the annual “polar bear season” in October and November was born. Since those early days, Churchill now draws thousands of people in search of the serenity of spending precious moments with one of the world’s most alluring animals…the polar bear.
Taylor was well know for his frequent donations of his time and images throughout his life and photographs he took were published in books such as The Manitoba Landscape-A Visual Symphony, The Edge of the Arctic: Churchill and the Hudson Bay Lowlands, The Great Gray Owl: On Silent Wings, and Manitoba: Seasons of Beauty. Taylor received the Order of the Buffalo Hunt from Premier Greg Selinger nine days before he died. The award is bestowed on individuals who demonstrate outstanding skills in leadership, service and community commitment. A fine achievement for a dedicated man.
Taylor had previously been honoured with a fellowship in the Professional Photographers Association of Manitoba, a Master of Photographic Arts from the Professional Photographers of Canada and was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
The Edge of the Arctic by Taylor was a invaluable teaching staple for any guide cutting his or her teeth in the profession of bringing the feel and secrets of the Arctic to travelers. An accomplished carver, Taylor also was instrumental in establishing the Prairie Canada Carvers Association nearly 27 years ago.
This coming polar bear season we will be featuring fresh footage from the Churchill Wildlife management Area through Natural Habitat Adventures. Come to Churchill and see some of these same bears in the Mangelson video now two years old. Watch for video from the tundra lodge and other places out on the land rimming the Hudson Bay coastline….should be an amazing season with healthy polar bears already showing up in the region!
