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POLAR BEARS CALENDARS!
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We're excited! Our 2013 calendars have arrived in the PBI gift shop, featuring stunning photographs by Norbert Rosing. And while you're there, check out our new PBI toques, perfect for winter sports. Each purchase helps support our efforts.
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A PERFECT HALLOWEEN TREAT
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 Halloween and symbolic polar bear adoptions go together like chocolate and peanut butter!
Okay, not quite, but we hope you won't forget that adopting is a thoughtful way to help wild polar bears . . .
trick, treat, or none of the above!
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VOTE FOR THE PLANET!
Keep global warming in mind
when casting your ballot--
and let your representatives know
you mean action.
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FEATURED SPONSOR
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Year after year, the Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg, gateway to Churchill and the polar bear migration, donates accommodations in support of fall programs like our Leadership Camp and Tundra Connections broadcasts.
We're deeply grateful for their help in making these programs possible--and for their efforts to be truly green, with menus that feature food from within 100 miles, strong recycling programs, and signage that encourages guests to use the same sheets and towels, all good practices to follow at home and require of the businesses we support.
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EXPERT SPOTLIGHT
HEATHER MACLEOD
Active Interpretive Coordinator
Wapusk National Park
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A warm thanks this month to the indefatigable Heather MacLeod, who joined our Leadership Camp students in Churchill and on the tundra.
Heather picked crowberries, brought us jam, and made us bannock for appetizers. She also spotted wildlife, shared insights on the natural history and cultural and historical connections of the area, taught us about Parks Canada, and coordinated our visits to Cape Merry (serving as bear monitor) and the Visitor Center.
And a big paws up to Parks Canada for lending us Heather for a full week!
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VIDEO OF THE MONTH
Here's a video you'll want to watch again and again--and widely share--an inspiring look at polar bears that encourages viewers to reduce their carbon footprint and do their part to help polar bears and their sea ice home.
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PINTEREST PHOTO
OF THE MONTH!
This school activity on how animals use blubber is just one of the ideas you'll find on our Pinterest page, along with a visual feast on all things Arctic.
Polar bears don't have blubber,
they only have fat. But ringed seals,
their main prey, sure do!
A good way to remember this: Polar bears get fat eating seal blubber!
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Polar Bear Season
Polar bears are on the move in Churchill, and we have lots of news to share! First up is our Polar Bear Cam with partners explore.org and Frontiers North, once again giving you a window onto the fall polar bear migration on  the shores of Hudson Bay. From the comfort of your home or office, you can watch the bears as they wait for the sea ice to form.
In conjunction with the cam, we've also launched a new community gathering place on our website called My Planet, My Part, where you can share ideas, become inspired, commit to reducing your carbon footprint, and engage with like-minded people and groups from around the world. And if you've always wanted to see the polar bear migration in person, the launch includes a contest where you can win a trip for two to Churchill in 2013!
You can see the details on our new website--a redesigned space with inviting graphics and content that's easy to find. Stop by for a visit, join our community, discover our blogs, and become part of the momentum for change.
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Hold onto your toque! You won't want to miss the exciting line-up for our Tundra Connections®
broadcasts, coming to you live from Churchill during this year's polar bear migration. The schedule includes world-renowned polar bear and climate scientists, arctic specialists, filmmakers, and photographers--broadcast live from the shores of Hudson Bay as polar bears prowl outside the Tundra Buggy®.
Now is the time to review the schedule, mark your calendar, and jot down all those questions about polar bears and the Arctic you've always wanted to ask.
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Guest Post: Studying Southern Polar Bears
By Dr. Greg Thiemann 
The polar bears of James Bay live farther south than any other bears in the world-at the southern end of Hudson Bay. How are they faring in a warming Arctic? A new study will provide baseline data and help answer the question.
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Arctic Species of the Month:
Ice Algae
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This month we hail the tiny organisms at the bottom of the arctic food chain: The algae that form on the bottom of
 the sea ice and within hollow pockets inside the ice. Composed of various microscopic species, the organisms are collectively known as ice algae.
Fish feed on this algae by scraping it off the ice. These fish, in turn, become prey to seabirds, whales, and seals. And seals, of course, are the main prey of polar bears, which live at the top of the sea ice food chain.
Fast fact: While something as tiny as ice algae may seem unimportant, these organisms are an essential part of the food chain and play a critical role in the arctic ecosystem.
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Animal Power at the Denver Zoo
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Let's go to the zoo!
Not only is Denver Zoo home to two beautiful bears, but they're well on their way to their goal of becoming a zero-waste facility by 2025.
The Denver Zoo sustains ongoing composting and recycling programs, water reduction strategies, alternative transportation initiatives, green purchasing policies, and reductions in energy consumption.
And that's not all. To fully attain their zero-waste goal, the Zoo is implementing a system that will chemically convert zoo waste in a high temperature, low oxygen process into a usable combustible gas. The gas will be used both to heat and to power motors and pumps in the Zoo's new Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit, and will fulfill additional Zoo energy needs.
The sole byproduct? Ash, which can be used as a soil amendment.
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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 action
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PHOTO CREDITS
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Churchill Bear and Polar Bear Closeup, Robert Buchanan;
Sparring Bears, BJ Kirschhoffer;
Heather MacLeod, Kaitlin Kunkler
Sea Ice, Kt Miller;
Greg Thiemann, courtesy of Greg Thiemann
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© 2012 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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