I got called into my boss’s office and was told they were sending me to Churchill… what?? I had to go look it up on a map. We trekked farther and farther north until we ended up in this small little town with a one-room airport and ‘Caution BEARS’ signs everywhere. The folks in Churchill take bears quite seriously -our group did not go anywhere without an armed guard.

 

During our visit, our team learned about climate, saw some amazing Northern Lights, heard from locals on how they trap and relocate bears, to minimize conflict. I kept thinking a bear would appear around every corner. We cruised the tundra everyday looking for signs, any sign, of a bear. Can you believe we went to the polar bear capitol of the world and did not see ONE polar bear? Many in our group were dismayed - we wondered about climate change and how that might be impacting the bear migration. But we all agreed that the tundra – and Churchill – just doesn’t seem right without polar bears!