While in Churchill last week, I met an amazing sculptor from the UK, Mark Coreth, and his fabulous videographer, Ollie (Oliver) Parker. The passion of the work Mark is doing related to his Ice Bear Project was truly inspiring. Below is Mark’s response to my request for a message for this blog. I encourage you to view Mark’s website and follow the story of this amazing piece of art that he is creating to tell a very, very important story. The ice bear will be placed in Copenhagen in December during the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Mark’s ice bear holds within it a bronze polar bear skeleton, and as the ice begins to melt, the skeleton of the polar bear will “appear.” The metaphors are many (especially when people increase the speed of the ice melting by touching the ice-carved polar bear), and the message of the effects of global warming and climate change on polar bears and their habitat are visually evident in Mark’s work.

Thank you, Mark, from everyone with Polar Bears International, from me, and from the multitudes of us working to make a difference. Below is Mark’s reflection after his visit to Churchill last week. Enjoy.

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“As the sculptor behind the Ice Bear, I have returned from Churchill delighted by the support and approval that I received from all of the PBI family…and highlight that from the scientific world. When as a new boy to the Arctic environment, as an artist with eyes wide open and a desire to make art count, a blessing from those so much more experienced is gratifying. Ice Bear is a philanthropic work; it is meant to be a vehicle to bring the problems in the Arctic to the wider world. I am determined that its message travels far and educates people from all walks of life and nations. I want people to touch the ice and so touch the Arctic, to become aware and a part of the project and so, hopefully, the solution. I carve the first bear on Nytorv Square in Copenhagen on 5th December and the second on Trafalgar Square in London on 11th December…there after with the help of like–minded people, we will let it travel!”

“An idea of this sort is born by experiencing the environment and learning from others. The week in Churchill was a huge part of my education, and for that I thank PBI collectively–especially all those who gave Ollie and me time with interviews. Studying bears at such close proximity is wonderful and a shed load easier than I found in both of my trips through the North! If I am to pick one concern and one concern only, it would be the basking warmth of Churchill…where was the cold and, looking at the weather through this week, I have to ask where IS it now? This seems to me to be horribly like a crystal ball to the future…that makes me ever more determined to travel my bear. Let us see what comes out of Copenhagen, but let’s not hold our breath. I see a long mission ahead.”

Thank you ALL…

With all the VERY best

Mark Coreth

In May 2009, to prepare for his exhibition on the Arctic, renowned animal sculptor Mark Coreth set off across the Baffin Island sea-ice in search of polar bears. This is a video from that journey.

Last year when I was here, it was cloudy most of the time that I was on the tundra. This year has been very different. It has been gorgeous and clear and sunny. Last year, I didn’t see the spectacular sunrises and sunsets by the Hudson Bay. Those are magic times of gorgeous blue and green water, bouncing colors of light hitting the snow, and reflections of the sun on the bears themselves. I had to just stop at different times and simply take in the beauty and wonder of this frozen land and the animals that inhabit it. It truly is spectacular. While we could see white ice far off in the distance on the horizon of the Hudson Bay, there is actually less ice forming near the shore than there was last week because of the sunshine and warmer, southern winds. The residents of this area are concerned at how late it is in the year, yet the Hudson Bay has not frozen more than it has. There have been a large number of bears wandering into town, and this is partially attributed to the fact that the Hudson Bay is not frozen. We are all hoping for colder weather very soon so the bears can move out to the ice and once again begin feeding on seals.

During my days on the tundra, the bears were very active. They were sparring (play fighting), ice punching, testing the ice floes by walking on them and jumping from one to another, rolling around, wrestling with each other, and being ever-curious about the humans who were observing them. We also saw a caribou, which is very unusual for this time of year.

The tourists who were guests staying on the Tundra Buggy Lodge were from all over the world. They started the trip not knowing each other, yet ended the trip as good friends because of their common experience and common passion for the bears. The panelists with whom I worked on the Tundra Connections education videoconferences and webcasts were amazing. We all were very diverse in our occupations, yet united by our common passion. We learned with and from each other all week. And, thanks to B. J. Kirschoffer’s technical expertise, the programs were all a great success! But, although this series of Tundra Connections events has ended, we’ve already had a debriefing, and we’ve scheduled a planning meeting for January. Already we are planning how to improve our outreach and make it even more engaging and impactful.

So, after days of watching the amazing bears on the tundra, meeting lots of new friends, being with lots of old friends (the PBI family), and working with iMax and NBC film crews, it is time to wind up my trip to Churchill for this season and focus on packing up and preparing to return back to Memphis. It is a time of celebrations for a season of work “well done,” a time of excitement about what we have accomplished, and a time of sadness as we all go our separate ways and return to our lives around the world. But, wherever we go, whatever we do, we will take the polar bears and the Arctic with us in our minds and in our hearts. We all will do our parts both individually and collectively to take action to stop the changing climate, protect polar bear habitat, and advocate for others to do the same.

So, as I leave Churchill tomorrow, I am re-energized to meet these challenges, knowing that others will be doing the same. And, the visual images of the eyes of the polar bears into which I looked so deeply this week will stay with me. And, the beauty of the Northern Lights on a starry, starry night in the Hudson Bay area of the Arctic in Canada will forever remind me of the beauty of this planet we are all inhabiting…and how important it is for each of us to be good stewards of this pale, blue dot (Earth) that we call home.

I missed yesterday and so I am including two days together here. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about everything else. The weather has really changed since I got here. Yesterday and today feel much colder than the days preceding. It snowed most of the day yesterday and then some ice blew in last night. When this happens the bears tend to hunker down and wait it out. To the right is a picture of a bear resting near the willows. Later in the day, the bears began to get more active. Below is the big yawn this bear gave before it came over to check us out.

This bear that has been very interested in the buggies the past few days. She sleeps right near them and occasionally gets up to explore. Yesterday she came up to our research buggy and seemed intent on trying to find a way in.

Life on the tundra seems to revolve around these bears. It is the main industry for Churchill. The town is dedicated to providing tourists with opportunities to see the bears.

The videos below show life behind the scenes on Tundra Buggy One.

Word on the tundra is that the bears are looking really good this year. Due to a mild spring the ice broke up around the time is was breaking up 30 years ago. This is about 3 weeks later than they have seen in recent years. This allowed the bears to stay out a little longer and catch just a few more seals. That extra fat storage last spring is showing up this fall as healthier bears wait for the ice to freeze so they can go back out. Unfortunately, the ice is not freezing at the time it was 30 years ago so the bears are still here waiting. As soon as that ice freezes, however, the bears hightail it out of here.

On a scale of one to five, with one being skinny and 5 being obese, most bears we are seeing are classified with a three. This is an improvement over years past. This doesn’t mean that polar bears are out of trouble, because the time of ice melt each year depends on weather and not climate. Weather is the day to day changes we see in temperature and precipitation, while climate deals with averages and extremes. If we average the temperatures across the globe, temperatures are still on the rise, but fortunately, the bears in this area are doing well this year.

The bear on the left showed up shortly after all the tourists left the lodge this morning. The scientists on the buggy were excited about her condition. I like this picture because it shows the beautiful colors of the tundra. We got a fair amount of snow this afternoon so the terrain looks a little different now, but it is neat to see the area with the brilliant colors of the different types of lichen that grow out here. The bear walked up very close to the buggy and as I took the picture below, I was reminded that these animals are wild and curious. The bears I have seen in the past pay no attention to humans because they are acclimated to our presence, but this girl looked right into my eyes. WOW!

Other than the bears, the highlight of my day was the way my St. George’s kids represented our school during our videoconference this morning. The panelist were particularly impressed with the kids’ interest in what is happening to our planet and their desire to make a difference. Their attention to global citizenship was evident as they asked intriguing questions! I am very proud of these juniors and seniors and know that they will make a difference.

Spending time in wild places has always been rejuvenating for me. I find peace and see God in these wild places. I am lucky to have the opportunity to visit this cold corner of our planet, and hope that one day my children and my grandchildren can do the same. It is worth making some small changes around my house and in my community to ensure that this ecosystem is around for them.

The great thing about this adventure is that I am traveling to another country to help kids see that they don’t have to travel to another country to make a difference. The Arctic tundra is such a foreign place to most of us and I am glad for the opportunity to visit. It is a biome that is changing fast; too fast. It is a biome that is being impacted by the choices of people thousands of miles away, and it is a biome that brings our globe together. For many, it may seem like a desolate wasteland, and while it is a harsh climate with gnarly terrain, it is filled with life that can be found nowhere else. There are arctic fox, arctic hare, snow bunting, and polar bears that live here year round. There are countless species of birds that pass through here during long migrations.

The polar bear receives the most attention of all these animals, and it is easy to see why. While seeing polar bears at Memphis zoo is always fun, it can’t compare to seeing a bear on the banks of Hudson Bay waiting for his time to venture out and eat for the first time in months. The bear I saw this morning sat around lazily all day conserving his energy for the long journey out onto the ice where his limited diet can be found. He must eat seals because nothing else has a fat content high enough to sustain him. Often, he will only eat the seal blubber because it is a waste of time to finish off the rest. The fat has the most energy per gram and he will need all the energy reserves he can store. This is great for the little furry white fox that follows along behind him. Without the polar to bring this seal up from its den in the ice, the fox would surely starve. An ecosystem with such a fragile food web is dramatically affected by small changes in abundance of animals, and scientists are beginning to detect these small changes already.

I never really considered myself an activist, but I think I may have acquired that title during my time at St. George’s. I don’t really know how it happened, but maybe I am starting to live up to my reputation. After all, I am at the polar bear capital of the world discussing how climate change is affecting these animals. As an environmental science teacher and someone who truly believes the way to make a difference in this world is to impact the lives of young people, I hope my time here can do just that.

A polar bear slept near our buggy last night and had a pretty lazy morning. As we finished up breakfast he decided to come check things out. The videos below show him wandering around the buggy this morning. I will post more thoughts this evening, but wanted to get these videos on here.

This week, Bill McClain, upper school environmental science teacher at St. George’s Independent School’s Collierville campus, is traveling to Churchill, Manitoba in Canada to work withPolar Bears International where he will be observing polar bears in the wild on the shores of the Hudson Bay. While Bill is there, he will be joining other scientists and zoologists to conduct webcasts and videoconferences as they “teach from the tundra.” They will be sharing information about polar bears, the Arctic, climate change and its effect on polar bear habitat, and ways to take action and make a difference.

Today, Bill flew to Winnipeg, Canada where he will spend the night at the Four Points Sheraton on the airport property. Then, tomorrow morning (Sunday), Bill will begin the real adventure of flying to Churchill.

Taylor, a St. George’s junior class member, attended the PBI Leadership Camp on the tundra about three weeks ago. It was an amazing and life-changing experience for her to join youth from all over the world, observe polar bears in the wild, discuss the impact that climate change is having on their habitat, and make plans to take action to make a difference.

I had the opportunity to be on the tundra for the first time last year, and I will be returning in about three weeks. It is truly an incredible experience, and I feel very lucky to be a part of Polar Bears International. I am so very excited that I have been able to share this adventure with other members of the St. George’s community.

So, be watching this blog this week as Bill starts journaling his experiences on the tundra and sharing his thoughts and experiences. And, join the webcasts to observe the bears on the tundra and share the adventure! For more information on the webcasts, visit the onine curriculum “Polar Bears in a Changing Climate” and also “Rolling on the Tundra.”

Julene Reed, Director of Academic Technology
St. George’s, Collierville

Today is “Blog Action Day.”  It is an annual event on October 15th every year when bloggers around the world spark discussions on an issue of global importance. This year’s topic or issue is climate change. Millions of blog readers today will be reading blog entries about this topic…a topic that is of great importance to polar bears, their habitat, and other animals around the world, including humans!

Polar Bears International has a mission for the next five years to reduce carbon emissions and stop/reverse the climate change that is contributing to habitat loss for these great bears. Scientific experts who study the effects of climate change on polar bears predict that we only have five years to make the changes necessary to preserve the bears’ habitat long-term.

How can one person help stop climate change from wherever it is that they live? One may think: “I am but one person, and whatever I do won’t really help. And, I live hundred or even thousands of miles away from the polar bears in the Arctic!”

There are many ways that each of us can take action to make a difference for our environment. And, if EACH of us does what we can to stop climate change, then collectively we definitely can make a difference!

So, below are a few thoughts of how we can make a difference to reduce carbon emissions and help stop climate change. Please add your own ideas by commenting on this post! Let’s all work together to stop climate change, save polar bears and their habitat, and protect our environment!

• Start small, start locally
• Connect globally to collaborate on greater initiatives
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Power down, reduce energy consumption
• Buy recycled
• Increase the green – plant trees, gardens, etc.
• Make it better or do it better
• Leverage technology to spread the message (video “psa’s,” podcasts, publications, blogs, etc.)
• Educate others to do the same!

Resources on climate change can be found on “Polar Bears in a Changing Climate,” an online exhibit for educators and students related to the topic of climate change. Join the upcoming webcasts to learn more about how the polar bears and the Arctic are being affected by global warming. Details are on the exhibit!

Learn more about climate change by watching the Frontline special, “HEATº.”

Watch the video below to learn more about polar bears and climate change!

As some of you may recall, “Rolling on the Tundra,” an interdisciplinary study of polar bears and climate change, was published last year on the Apple Learning Interchange in conjunction with live webcasts conducted from the shores of the Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba. This year, there will be two different weeks of webcasts conducted from the tundra. These both are part of a new ALI exhibit, “Polar Bears in a Changing Climate.”

The webcasts this year are very engaging with live cameras on the bears on the tundra as well as video clips from bears recently encountered. The curriculum in the new exhibit is based on Challenge Based Learning, and the main focus is climate change.

The first series of webcasts includes an environmental science teacher from St. George’s as well as scientists and zoologists on the panel (Oct. 19-21). The second set of webcasts (Nov. 9-11) will include a great panel of experts as well, and I will facilitate that discussion. There is a sheet of FAQ’s for educators to use prior to the webcasts as well as lots of CBL resources that provide framework for educators new to this instructional strategy. And, there are some great resources to go with the lessons and webcasts. To participate in the webcasts, go to the “Polar Bears in a Changing Climate” exhibit for details.

Please share this information with others you know who may be interested. This should be a great series of informative session, and I hope that the resources will be beneficial.

You will currently find some great resources available on the site. More examples of technology-specific products being used to support the lessons and the solutions (psa’s created with iMovie, Pages documents, etc.), additional videos, etc. are being added, so be looking for those.

Below is the link for the new exhibit as well as the link for the one from last year. I hope that you will consider joining the webcasts, and that this information will be of benefit to you, your teachers, and/or your students.

“Polar Bears in a Changing Climate”

“Rolling on the Tundra”