Churchill has seen a little warming trend with temperatures just above the freezing mark. Melting snow and fear of an early break-up have fueled the global -warming theories. Fortunately the current temperature is -9C with light snow and the extended forecast for the week is colder temperatures in the -20s C …back to seasonally cold weather. The longer the ice lasts into Spring the better…especially with the l;ate freeze last Fall. Numerous sows and cubs as well as their tracks have been seen crossing the land between Wapusk National Park and the Hudson Bay as the family units make their way onto the ice to hunt seals. We will be watching the weather intently over the next two months…stay posted!
Meanwhile up North…while the bears are doing their thing on the ice encrusted Hudson Bay, another marine mammal literally lies in wait for the break-up.. allowing them to migrate South for the Summer. I know it seems a little backward in the migration process.
Photo: Steve Selden
At the outset of my Arctic Summer guiding career about 14 years ago, I could not grasp why beluga whales migrated North at the end of the late Summer. Believing that as you traveled further North you would encounter colder temperatures and more ice -pack in any body of water, I was constantly questioning the beluga’s decision making. Should they not be searching out a ” Southwest passage” of sorts…a hidden estuary or river system that would land them in the Caribbean for the Winter? And how, at any rate, could they survive the Winter up North when everything is frozen and they need to have access to open water to breathe every 10-12 minutes at the very least.
Well, we all know about open “leads” in the pack ice…the water lines that appear when ice pans or floes break apart due to currents and winds. Most of these leads are unpredictable and close up almost as fast as they appear. For beluga whales to Winter over in a certain area they need that predictable open water. Enter the Hudson Straits. As you can see on the map, the straits are pretty far northeast of the Hudson Bay. When one sees how the lower Hudson Bay as well as the Churchill River freezes up solid, it’s natural to assume anywhere North of 58.44 degrees latitude would as well. Well most of the open water does but there’s a current system in the Hudson Straits that allows for a wide expanse of continually open -water. This area is known as a “polyna”, a Russian word describing an enclosed area of open water surrounded by ice.
Researchers have found polynas in the Hudson Straits and have tracked large pods of Hudson Bay beluga whales to these sights. They still have not discovered exact evidence as to why the whales migrate to this location. One theory is for the whales to escape predation by killer whales though their isolation in the ice surrounded polynas increases their chances of polar bear predation. Another thought is rich Arctic cod and char fishing grounds. However, many theories still point to the fact that this current influenced, open water is a predictable Winter respite where the whales use their fine tuned echolocation capabilities to dive below ice and return to the open expanse of water. Continuing research should provide more answers.
When you arrive on the Environment Canada page, scroll down to Hudson Straits and click. You will see the open polyna in the straits. Browse through the other areas that are current and you can see ice depths and coverage.
As “Spring” approaches in the North, most, if not all polar bears are enjoying a fine seal-hunting season on the frozen Hudson Bay. As we know, the vast majority of bears left for the ice around the end of November when the Hudson Bay froze sufficiently to allow the massive bruins to begin their annual quest for seal meals.
Charlie Lundie from Churchill has won the 2011 Hudson Bay Quest…the first time a musher from this town has done so. Lundie crossed the finish line in Churchill at 6:06 pm, March 19th with a time of 30 hours and six minutes..just two minutes ahead of second place finisher Peter McClelland of Ely, Minnesota. This year’s race originated in Gillam, Manitoba for the first time in the race’s history.
When one familiar with the world of sled-dog racing hears or sees the word “quest”, one instantly thinks “Yukon Quest”..one of the most challenging, well-known races in the world. However there is another “quest”,… a bit smaller, but never-the-less quite formidable that takes place every March placing the small coastal village of Churchill, Manitoba in the spotlight around mushing circles.
The Hudson Bay Quest began in 2004 and continued until this year with an alternating route between Churchill and Arviat, Nunavut along the coastal barren lands connecting the two. Wildly unpredictable weather made this 200 mile journey comparable to even greater challenges such as stretches of the Iditarod and aforementioned Yukon Quest…the perennial harbingers of sled-dog races. In fact the Hudson Bay Quest has now been recognized as a qualifier for both races.
The race committee decided to reroute the race this year due to safety and logistical obstacles caused by the arctic weather hazards encountered out along the sea ice of Hudson Bay. Instead of alternating years between Churchill and Arviat in Nunavut territory to the North, the race will now run from Gillam ,in the south,to Churchill each year. The route intersects with the Hudson Bay rail -line at the midway point making provision drops and race logistics less strenuous. In recent races on the old route, mushers have been lead off-trail in blinding whiteouts and snowstorms by their dog teams to the point where their lives as well as the dogs lives have been in grave danger…is there any other kind? Canadian Rangers have been on hand each year in force to help facilitate the mushers safety on and off the trail though some conditions have also placed their safety at risk. The new route will allow the emphasis to be placed back on “mushing” for mushing sake and not on the diabolical weather patterns.
For more detailed information on the Hudson Bay Quest click here.
The Winnipeg Jets were a professional hockey team in the NHL from 1972 – 1996. The team was forced to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona that year due to the economic downturn though hockey in the great white North still thrives. While talk of a franchise returning to Winnipeg, possibly from Phoenix itself escalates, other forms of Canada’s national pastime are observed in the interim. One such display was caught on film by Natural Habitat guide Brad Josephs this past polar bear season out in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area with an excited group of travelers. “>
A new plan for a polar bear exhibit at Assiniboine Park Zoo was unveiled this month with plans for a 10 acre park housing up yo six polar bears. A research center, interpretive center and orphaned cub rescue center will complete the exhibit complex. This should be quite the undertaking and as zoos go, Winnipeg weather won’t have a hard time matching Churchill’s chilly Winter temps. Here is a link to get a more in depth look at what’s to come. journeytochurchill.com
While all of the male, juvenile and non-denning female polar bears have long been hunting seals on the frozen Hudson bay, there are still polar bears around the Churchill area. Wapusk National Park is the primary polar bear denning area in North America. This expansive region adjacent to the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) and land to the South of Churchill, has abundant dens both active and non-active.
The largest natural Habitat group of the Winter season journeyed from Winnipeg to Churchill via VIA Rail, Canada’s Amtrak, with hopes of gazing skyward to view the Aurora Borealis. Guide Karen and her 15 hearty travelers from Texas, Florida, Maine, New York, Idaho, Mexico and even France found the gold they had hoped for at the end of the train line. This gold was in the form of green arcing bands.
