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ADOPT-A-BEAR
What better way to honor someone you love than with a symbolic polar bear adoption? By adopting a polar bear, you help underwrite our efforts on behalf of real polar bears worldwide.
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| HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS |
Trim this year's tree with artwork that
bears a conservation message: polar bear and paw ornaments made by a Vancouver artist from recycled aluminum.
Find them in our gift shop along with autographed books, calendars, and
eco-friendly products.
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FEATURED SPONSOR
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Canada Goose makes the warmest parkas on the planet. Every year, the company donates special PBI Expedition Parkas and Chilliwack Bombers to scientists, staff, and other team members, keeping us warm even in frigid arctic weather. In addition, each purchase of a PBI parka or bomber includes a donation to PBI and a PBI membership.
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| VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
JULENE REED Apple Distinguished Educator | |
When tech-savvy educator
providing students in remote classrooms the opportunity to get answers to their questions from scientists in the field in real time!
A tireless volunteer for PBI, Julene
not only created the program, she also developed the lesson plans to go with it and takes part as a panelist every year.
We're so lucky to have her on board--
as an educator on the Tundra Buggy®
and also on our team.
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SCIENTIST PROFILE
DR. CECILIA BITZ
University of Washington
Sea ice, climate change, and polar bears: The three are so closely connected that we're honored to include sea ice and climate change expert Cecilia Bitz in this year's Tundra Connections broadcasts.
Dr. Bitz wear several hats at the University of Washington: she's an associate professor in the Atmospheric Sciences Department,
an affiliate physicist for the Polar
Science Center, and part of the
Program on Climate Change.
"I'm excited to have the chance to connect with the public and to add my perspective to those of polar bear scientists," says Bitz. "Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time."
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FLICKR PHOTO
OF THE MONTH
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This wistful-looking bear seems to be saying, Where's the snow?
He was photographed in late October in Churchill by Cheryl Kreis.
If you're visiting Churchill this year
and have photos to share, we invite you
to add them to our Flickr page.
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VIDEO OF THE MONTH
Sight, smell, and touch:
Polar bears have especially acute
senses that help them with their hunting. Learn more from University of Alberta graduate student Alysa McCall in our
Claw, Fur, and Senses video.
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Waiting, Waiting . . .
Snow is finally blanketing the tundra near the town of Churchill, and fragile sea ice is beginning to form along the coast of Hudson Bay. But the ice hasn't started to consolidate yet and is still too thin to support a polar bear's weight.
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Testing out the strength of the ice before carrying onward.
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And so they wait.
Most polar bears are conserving energy by napping in snowy day beds or hunkering down in the willows. Some venture out to shore to test the ice; others engage in sparring sessions.
"The long range-forecast suggests that freeze-up won't take place for at least two weeks," says our senior scientist, Steve Amstrup. "So far, it looks like it will be another delayed freeze-up, like last year." More . . .
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Polar Bear Central
How are the polar bears faring in Churchill? Has the sea ice started to form?
Keep up with the latest on this year's migration by visiting our Churchill webpage. You'll find sea ice and weather reports, blog posts, news updates, and helpful links, all in one place. And you can click on the Photo of the Day for a slide show that recaps the season to date.
The page also has a link to our Polar Bear Cam, which has helped bring the realities of polar bears in a warming Arctic to a worldwide audience. Many thanks to our partners--explore.org and Frontiers North Adventures--for making this possible.
Inspired by seeing wild polar bears on the cam? Discover how you can play a role in preserving this iconic species.
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Polar bears. Scientists. A warming Arctic. It's been another busy season on the tundra with live webcasts and videoconferences during the polar bear migration on the shores of Hudson Bay. This year's schedule runs through November 23rd and wraps up with two presentations by world-renowned polar bear scientist and author, Dr. Ian Stirling, who will also speak at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto December 14th.
Miss a webcast or want to watch one again? They're archived here.
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Speaking up for Polar Bears
PBI chief scientist Dr. Steven C. Amstrup delivered this powerful message at the recent Polar Bear Range States Meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada:
"If we don't take action soon on climate change, we risk becoming nothing more than polar bear historians."
Amstrup was asked to address the delegates as a representative of the ICUN Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG), the scientific body that advises the nations where polar bears roam (Canada, Norway, Greenland/Denmark, Russia, and the United States). A fellow PBSG representative, Dr. Ian Stirling, was also invited to speak. More . . .
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Arctic Species of the Month:
The Arctic Fox
Beautifully adapted to life in the Far North, the arctic fox sports a thick white coat in winter that both provides camouflage and shields it from the cold.
Throughout the harsh winter months, these small foxes survive by tagging behind polar bears on the sea ice, feeding on scraps from seal kills.
When the sea ice melts in summer, they return to shore, changing their coats to brown to blend in with the tundra and shifting their diet to small rodents and birds.
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The Ripple Effect
Now here's a model for change: A growing number of residents and businesses in Louisville, Kentucky, are lowering their carbon footprints thanks to the efforts of
Emily Goldstein, a graduate of our 2007
Teen Leadership Camp and a two-time Grand Prize Winner of our Project Polar Bear Contest (shown here with team member Sam Leist).
We checked in with Emily for a snapshot of her efforts to inspire CO2 reductions in her community. Among her many accomplishments:
- A Carbon Pledge website that inspires Louisville residents to reduce their carbon footprints
- A Green Healthcare Conference that featured Jeff Corwin of the Animal Planet as speaker; it focused on ways hospitals and clinics can reduce their environmental impact
- Outreach to local businesses that educates them on how to reduce CO2 and save money at the same time
Sam has an impressive track record of his own, as you'll see in the short video he created about Project Polar Bear. Way to go, Emily and Sam! People like you give us hope--for polar bears and the planet.
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Turn Down the Heat
Here's an easy way to lower your carbon footprint and save money at the same time: turn down your thermostat by two degrees.
You can take this a step further by suggesting the same action at your workplace or school. Each step like this you take--and inspire others to follow--moves us closer to a sustainable Earth.
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Warm up your year-end giving
as Mother Nature freezes up the 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, education, and stewardship
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PHOTO CREDITS
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Waiting Around, Valerie Abbott;
Polar Bear Footprints, Richard P. Beck;
Emily Goldstein and Sam Leist, Standing Bear, Testing the Ice,
Daniel J. Cox NaturalExposures.com;
Flickr Photo of the Month, Cheryl Kreis;
Arctic Fox, Mike Lockhart
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© 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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