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FATHER'S DAY ADOPTION
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Forget about ties and wallets--
break into the wild this year by honoring Dad with a meaningful gift that celebrates his love of the planet: a Polar Bear Adoption from PBI.
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TREES FOR YOU & ME WINNERS
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Join us in a big tip of the shovel to the AAZK chapters of the
Brookfield and Columbus zoos.
As winners in the annual
Trees for You & Me fundraising competition, they've each won
a tree to plant at their zoo. The money raised helps fund
PBI Polar Bear Forest projects.
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| NUMB HANDS PAID OFF! | |
We're thankful for the talents
of two young filmmakers,
Henry Harrison and John Shier, who helped PBI win TWO awards
at the prestigious International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana: one for best web-based video program, and the other a
finalist prize for the individual
film, Polar Nirvana.
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Flickr Photo of the Month
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David Schultz of Westlight Images captured this gorgeous image
of two male polar bears
play-fighting on the tundra near Churchill. Such battles help
prepare them for matches over females in the spring.
Visit our Flickr page for more
great polar bear images--
and share your own.
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| The Bear Whisperers | |
Planning a trip to Churchill? Longtime PBI Platinum Sponsor Frontiers North is an ecologically responsible company known for its Tundra Buggy® Adventures.
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GIFT SHOP IDEAS
 | | Cold, by Bill Streever |
Yes, an entire, fascinating book
that plunges into the temperatures polar bears love best. And now signed copies are available
in our gift shop!
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PHOTO CREDITS
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Sparta Tree Planting, Autumn Grooms
Henry Harrison, courtesy of Henry Harrison
Bears A-Courting and Energy Angels, BJ Kirschhoffer
Fighting Bears, David Schultz
Brookfield Trees, Jim Schulz
Ian Stirling, courtesy of Ian Stirling
Olander Park System, Toledo Zoo
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Spring Fever: Mating Season
Spring on the sea ice is a season of plenty, with plump seal pups in snow dens providing polar bears with easy prey--a great advantage for females preparing themselves for pregnancy.
Mating typically takes place from March to June, when a single female may attract more than a half-dozen males, whose fierce jousts leave some of them scarred or with broken teeth.
Once a victor has emerged, the pair remains together for about a week, mating repeatedly, with breaks in between to hunt seals or to sleep near each other.
But how do male polar bears locate females in the vastness of the Arctic? |more
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Trees of Hope
This spring, the PBI Polar Bear Forest ® project grew by 33 acres and more than 30,000 pine seedlings with a planting in Juneau County, Wisconsin--part of a reforestation effort that removes CO2 from the atmosphere.
More than 200 volunteers turned out with shovels and gloves to help plant a second Polar Bear Forest in Sparta, Wisconsin, this one urban-style, showing that one tree at a time can have an impact, too.
Urban trees yield multiple benefits: they reduce storm-water run-off and soil erosion, increase energy efficiency in homes and offices--and, yes, reduce CO2.
The Polar Bear Forest plantings--which have now topped 100,000 trees--are part of a larger campaign to instill a stewardship ethic that includes carbon reductions. |more
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Better than Charlie's Angels
Smart, savvy, and problem-solving, a trio of 14-year-old Energy Angels from Pennysylvania broke into smiles--and fought off tears--when they learned they'd won the Grand Prize in our 2011 Project Polar Bear contest for their CO2 reduction efforts.
During the three-month-long contest, the Energy Angels
educated their community about the benefits of switching to CFL bulbs, partnering with local companies to buy bulbs to give away at community events. In addition, they held fundraisers and challenged teachers and parents in their school district to a Power Down challenge to reduce their electricity bills.
The competition, which challenges teens to create and carry out projects designed to reduce carbon emissions in their communities, is sponsored by Lowepro. Grand Prize is a trip to Churchill to see polar bears in the wild--but with a total CO2 savings of more than 30 million pounds, all participating teams are winners for the bears. |more
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The Godfather of Polar Bears
Dr. Ian Stirling has spent days crouched in snow blinds to observe the behavior of polar bears at seal holes in the ice. He's worked in sub-zero temperatures to check the health and condition of female polar bears and their cubs. And he's witnessed dramatic changes in the Arctic over the course of his 37-year career, changes that threaten the survival of the Western Hudson Bay population he knows so well.
The eminent scientist shared his thoughts and insights in a recent presentation, The Quest to Save Polar Bears, at the Brookfield Zoo, part of the PBI Be Cool for Polar Bears tour. PBI Chief Scientist Dr. Steven C. Amstrup spoke as well, joining Stirling in motivating the audience to become involved in efforts to save the bears.
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Paw of Approval, Part II
Zoos in the PBI Arctic Ambassador network continue to applaud local businesses, clubs, and schools with PBI Paw of Approval Awards in recognition of their carbon-reduction efforts and green leadership. Recent awards, presented during Be Cool for Polar Bears awareness events, include:
- Brookfield Zoo--Youth Volunteer Corps,
Docents CIG, and American Airlines - Buffalo Zoo--Nichols School
- Detroit Zoo--Service System Associates
- Milwaukee Zoo--WE Energies
- Toledo Zoo--Olander Park System
Join us on Facebook to give encouragement and a paws-up to these inspiring community leaders--and to view additional photos and coverage of the Be Cool tour.
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Do Your Part to Help Polar Bears Swim
into Summer--and Back to the Arctic Ice
 Your tax-deductible DONATION helps
us do our work. Give as a GIFT or in
HONOR or MEMORY of someone special. Or, add us to your monthly budget with an ENDURING PLEDGE.
You can also join us on your favorite
community sites and share PBI with
your friends and family.
   
We thank you for your continued support.
Conservation through research, stewardship, and education
© 2011 Polar Bears International. All Rights Reserved.
Marks and text appearing in this newsletter including, but not limited to,
Polar Bears International name, logo, and programs are trademarks,
registered trademarks, or service marks of Polar Bears International.
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