Day 6 – Sunday, October 11, 2009

We were greeted to a brisk morning as we boarded the bus for our tour around the area. Snowing and blowing the weather reminded one group member of living in Michigan. The scene looked very artic indeed! After a brief stop at the welcome to Churchill sign for a group picture, we ventured further out of town.

We came to the polar bear jail. This is a building where they house bears who venture into the city of Churchill. They are kept in a concrete cell, and only given water for 3 months. Especially important is to have no human contact. They want the bears to remember having an unpleasant experience so that they will not return to town. Nearby the jail was the airport, where we will be going to directly from returning on the tundra buggy. The idea is that we have as much time out there as possible.

The bus meandered down the snowy gravel road to our next stop. We came upon an area called the dog pond. This is where they have groups of dogs chained up around water holes. These are dogs that are meant to carry on the breeding stock of the Canadian sled dogs. They are bred with wolves and are kept isolated out there to maintain their natural instincts. Some dogs are left off leash to protect their pack from predation. Which by the way they needed today because low and behold a POLAR BEAR WAS SIGHTED! Now hardly any of us could contain our excitement, after all this is what we came a very long way to see. Cameras clicking away and video frames going by the second, it was a thrilling moment for us all. It became clear that the bear was not even interested in the dogs. He was just sniffing around, nibbling on any left over scraps. Bill, our guide, told us that this particular bear had grow accustom to the dogs and realized quickly that their leftovers meant an easy free meal. One of the dogs you could tell was experienced in trying to get the bear to leave (the immediate area) because he knew exactly how much space was necessary to get the bear to move. Too close, your toast! He succeeded in moving the bear around, and the bear went into this clump of shrubs. Keep in mind, this is exactly why you shouldn’t go wandering off out here. The bear went in, and you couldn’t even tell he was there! You could walk right past these shrubs and not even know he is there until it’s too late. We stayed and observed our furry friend for about 30 minutes before moving on.

We came back into town for lunch before going back out again. Next stop we passed by the dog sled tours on our way out the Weir Project. The project was a collaborative effort between Manitoba Hydro and the town of Churchill designed to increase water levels in a reach of the lower Churchill River to improve recreational boating and fishing. Up next was Bill’s house (which by the way in a fantastic bed and breakfast), and if you haven’t already surmised that our friend Bill is much more than a guide. He is a man who is living a very colorful life doing what he loves best.

After dinner, we again boarded the bus to St. Paul’s Anglican Church. This is where we treated to a lecture on the history of Churchill. Our setting was very après pos as Bill talked about the religious influences shaping the town. The town of Churchill began in 1698. It’s main founder Joseph Lofthouse was vital in the creation of the town. Due to the lack of a proper sanctuary, he traveled back to England where he was donated 100 pounds. He build the entire structure in England, dismantled it, brought it back with him on the ship, and rebuilt it here.

Bill went on to say the main economy is based upon tourism. Though Churchill is known as the “polar bear capital of the world”, there are others reasons to visit. Bird migration is also widely popular, as well as watching the flowers bloom all over the tundra. Around late June early July is when the Beluga whales come in to Hudson Bay to feed. Finally, the Northern Lights are most prevalent during February, March, and April.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our days here with Bill. We all feel that by being with him, we learned so much more than we could from anyone else. In fact, the knowledge we gained over the past few days is more valuable than any tangible object purchased at a gift shop, it’s PRICELESS.

See all photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/mimpolarbears/PolarBearCaravan