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Heartbeat of CNSC
Where The Polar Bears Are
Blogwhere the polar bears are Polar bears, the majestic lords of the Arctic, are one of the region’s most popular and charismatic species. These powerful predators, known for their thick fur and strong swimming abilities, primarily inhabi...
The World of Indigenous Tourism
BlogTHE WORLD OF INDIGENOUS TOURISM Indigenous tourism is an immersive experience that allows travelers to connect with the rich histories, traditions, and stories of Indigenous peoples. This form of tourism is not just about visiting a place; ...
All About Beluga Whales
BlogAll about beluga Whales Beluga whales, often referred to as the “canaries of the sea,” are remarkable creatures that have captured the hearts of many. These marine mammals, with their distinctive white color and playful nature, are a sig...
Research: A Day in the Life
Blog, Researcher FeatureAfter a stint as a Research Technician with the CNSC, Joni Reimer returned as the Research Coordinator in December of 2022...
Researcher Feature: C-Jae Breiter
Blog, Researcher FeatureResearch Conservation Specialist at Assiniboine Park Zoo with a focus on northern ecosystems...
Researcher Feature: Olivia Maillet
Blog, Researcher FeatureMSc candidate in Environmental and Life Sciences in Dr. Erica Nol’s lab at Trent University whose focus species are the Stilt Sandpiper and the Short-billed Dowitcher...
Giving Tuesday is here
BlogIt’s Giving Tuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages people to rally behind the organizations they believe in (for instance, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre). Today, we want to spotlight the importance of our fa...
Researcher Feature: Chloé Warret Rodrigues
Blog, Researcher FeaturePhD student at the University of Manitoba whose focus species is the fox...
Join the Great Canadian Giving Challenge
BlogJoin the Great Canadian Giving Challenge! It’s here — the Great Canadian Giving Challenge has begun! This month, we are asking you to join the challenge and help the CNSC continue to support subarctic science by making a donation of $3...
How CNSC is supporting beluga conservation efforts
BlogHow CNSC is supporting beluga conservation efforts A multi-year study of beluga whales in the Churchill River estuary led by Oceans North will continue this summer as part of an effort to establish a National Marine Conservation Area i...
#RocketGreensMoms deliver new van
Blog#RocketGreensMoms deliver new van February 24, 2022 Linda Basler and Jo-Anne Joyce met for the first time earlier this month. Less than a week later, they went on an epic road trip together: a 1,300-kilometre adventure from Winnipeg t...
Celebrating 4 Years of Rocket Greens Part 2!
BlogInterviewer: Fiona Rettie, Sustainability TechInterviewee: Carley Basler, Rocket Greens operator and Sustainability Coordinator Looking back – four years of growth The blizzard that hit Churchill on Dec 16, 2021 kept the CNSC staff ...
Celebrating 4 Years of Rocket Greens! Part 1
BlogInterviewer: Fiona Rettie, Sustainability Tech Interviewee: Carley Basler, Rocket Greens operator and Sustainability Coordinator Fostering community connections The blizzard that hit Churchill on Dec 16, 2021 kept the CNSC staff at h...
NEW DIRT FROM THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
BlogBY KATE MAZUR, Seasonal Research Technician. The newest addition in the Churchill Northern Studies Centre’s science department features three bioactive terrariums. These terrariums provide guests and staff with a refreshing glim...
Wolves and Caribou and Polar Bears, Oh My!
BlogBy: Fiona Rettie and Amanda Proulx For 25 years, the world-leading scientific authority on polar bear-human conflicts, Doug Clark, has been documenting polar bear behaviour in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic ecosystems. His research is prim...
Something Fishy is Going On
BlogBy Joni Reimer After over a year of being empty, the CNSC’s Hudson Bay Aquarium is back up and running after a little help from the science team. The 125 gallon tank offers a glimpse into what the Arctic Ocean looks like beneath the su...
No signs of slowing down
BlogBy Jordan Stewart Despite the many uncertainties and challenges of the past year, research as the Churchill Northern Studies Centre has not skipped a beat. Whether it be conducting in-house research, collaborating with researchers from a...
Sowing Seeds for Community Mental and Physical Nourishment; Growing Together
BlogBy Maddy Mitchell When the Rocket Greens Project launched, it took off with a blast. The community of Churchill was immensely receptive to the idea of having fresh, locally grown, affordable produce year-round. We have consistently provi...
Why Churchill MB? from our new Program Coordinator.
BlogHi!, I’m Alex Berg and I am the Program Coordinator at the Churchill Northern Study Centre (CNSC). Even more importantly, I’m a lifelong Churchillian. Like everyone else, CNSC has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and all that comes w...
Winter Birds of Churchill
BlogBy Jesse Shirton Spring is right around the corner in Churchill – well, it’s coming eventually at least. With spring comes a huge influx of wings, as Churchill is a major stopping ground for migratory birds. Almost 250 species have been ...
Top 10 Underrated Critters
BlogBy Jesse Shirton Chances are when you think of a Churchill animal, you probably think of a polar bear. Understandably so, considering Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world. Every year (global pandemic notwithstanding) people t...
A Race Against Winter: Fall Fieldwork at CNSC
BlogFall is often a time of change – and Churchill is no exception. The vegetation changes colour, migratory birds seek better weather, nights start getting colder, and the town transitions into what during a normal year would be a bustlin...
Educational Walks at CNSC
BlogAfter being closed for several months, things are starting to open up again at the Centre. We welcomed researchers from Western Canada at the beginning of August, and currently have three research groups from Manitoba staying with us. ...
Rules for Fieldwork
BlogOver our travels on tundra, water, ice, and through boreal forest, we have learned some simple rules to keep things running smoothly as a team of research technicians. While they are all guidelines, and a bit tongue in cheek, each one ha...
Lessons from an Amateur Birder
BlogBy Danielle Chiasson When I moved to Churchill last year I was excited to walk the subarctic landscape and see plants and animals I had only ever dreamed about. Polar bears, belugas, arctic foxes, caribou! But when I arrived in mid-May, ...
Signs of Spring
BlogSpring reflects signs of new beginnings. Flowers bloom and trees bud, but spring in Churchill looks a little different. Here we are at the beginning of June, still with snow on the ground, temperatures fluctuating between -5 and +5 degre...
Ice ice baby: First winter in the subarctic
BlogThis year brought many new staff to Churchill Northern Studies Centre. We asked each of them for their personal take on their first winter in Churchill. Please enjoy seeing a subarctic winter through the eyes of these subarctic rookies.�...
Winter Wrap Up 2020
BlogBy Danielle Chiasson Now that the snow is melting in Churchill, the temperatures are creeping up above freezing, and the first migratory birds are passing through, we thought it would be a good idea to reflect on Winter 2020 before embra...
A Semester in the Subarctic
BlogMy name is Jordan Amatuzio, I am currently an Environmental Studies student at the University of Manitoba. This winter I had the incredible opportunity to spend the final co-op work term of my undergraduate degree as the Programming Assi...
Four in the Far North
Blogby Eric DeChaine, Professor of Biology, Curator of the Pacific Northwest Herbarium Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A. I am a naturalist at heart, striving to better understand the natural world: the diversity o...
You Live Where?
Blogby Alex Windsor Whether I am up north, or visiting friends and family down south, people frequently ask me, “why did you move to Churchill”? For those who know me, I am interminably cold. Growing up in southern Ontario, the hot summe...
Reflections on Summer Research
BlogHello! My name is Emma Traynor. I’m currently finishing up my stay as one of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre Seasonal Research Technicians. In September, I’ll be heading back to Saint John, New Brunswick to finish up a degree at UN...
We’ve Got Worms (but not in a bad way)!!
Blogby Carley Basler, Sustainability Coordinator Some of you reading this might know (although most won’t) that I was the part-time Summer Research Technician in 2003 and 2004. I was an Environmental Science Major at the University of Ma...
Fostering the Next Generation of Scientists
BlogChurchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC) hosts several unique educational initiatives, from university field courses to learning vacations. In this blog post, I highlight one in particular: the Current Topics in Science high school cours...
Tree Island
Blogby Owen Fitzpatrick “You cannot interpret the shape of trees as anything other than a collective memory” (19-20) Jordan Mounteer, ‘Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)’ This could not be any clearer than at the northern limit of the ...
Kale and Conversation
Blogwritten by Carley Basler, Sustainability Coordinator We’ve been growing hydroponic leafy greens in the Sub-Arctic for over a year now. Whether its 50 below or 38 above, we’ve kept our roughly 3000 plants alive and are proving that ...
Celebrating the Kitchen!
BlogHi, my name is Sarah and I first came to work at the CNSC in 2001. At that time, I worked in the old building. It was quite an adventure. I have met people from all over the world and the staff have always been amazing. I came back in ...
The Zen of Fuel Hauling
Blogwritten by Tomas Taylor, photos by Tomas Taylor “How was the trip?” “Good. The fuel got to the cache.” This is pretty much what we found ourselves replying upon returning home from our epic fuel haul trips, at a somewhat loss of ...
Lords of the Arctic: Fun for All Ages
BlogBlog post written by: Kelli Kandra, a volunteer during the 2018 fall season This past October and November, people from all over the world came to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre for their Lords of the Arctic learning vacation. One...
From Lab to Field: Invaluable North Experiences
BlogMy name is Morgan Dobroski and I am currently working at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre as a Seasonal Research Technician Intern. I grew up in southern Manitoba but permanently reside in Edmonton, AB now. I just recently graduated...
Passionate Research
BlogMy name is Jamie D’Souza and I’m from Montreal, QC. I am currently in my second year of master’s degree in Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, ON. I decided to fulfill a master’s degree bec...
Connections and Friendships for a Lifetime
BlogHave you ever experienced what it’s like to arrive in a new place and instantly start planning your next visit there? I had this feeling when I arrived in Churchill. My name is Beth Hampson, and I’m from Winnipeg, MB. I’ve completed my f...
The Inspiration of Science
BlogMy name is Dani Nowosad and I’m wrapping up my second summer season at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre as a Seasonal Research Technician. I was born and raised in Winnipeg and am taking an honours degree in Physical Geography at ...
Learning Vacation Reflection: From NYC to the Tundra
BlogI hear her before I see her: the sound of a little, gurgling splash in the water just off the left hand side of our kayak. My husband and I are at about the one-hour mark on our Sea North beluga kayaking adventure. So far we’ve seen wh...
Science on the Sea Ice
BlogJoin us Sat. May 19 at 1pm behind the complex for our local community event as part of the Science Odyssey celebrations across Canada! Everyone is welcome to this family friendly activity where we will venture out onto the sea ice to lea...
2018 NRF Call for Proposals
BlogRegular Call for Proposals Northern Research Fund (NRF) 2018 The Northern Research Fund (NRF)Northern Research Fund (NRF) provides opportunities for research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities with emphasis on northern iss...
Belugas in the Bay: Through the Camera Lens
BlogNot Throwing Away My Shot: Wildlife Photography and the Opportune Moment By Karin Murray-Bergquist The click of cameras, and the splash of waves, sound through the air as the current Learning Vacation gets under way. Belugas in the Bay: ...