By 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 across Canada, or finding new ways to share our scientific passions and discoveries to the public, the CNSC Science department has had a busy winter … Read More
Sowing Seeds for Community Mental and Physical Nourishment; Growing Together
By 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 providing Launch Box leafy green subscriptions to around 50 households each week and have been stocking the grocery store shelves with lettuce, spinach, kale … Read More
Why Churchill MB? from our new Program Coordinator.
Hi!, 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 with it. While I can’t wait to welcome people to experience our amazing programs, unfortunately, to maintain everyone’s safety, CNSC summer programming … Read More
Winter Birds of Churchill
By 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 recorded in Churchill, which is officially recognized as an Important Bird Area. In the winter, the variety of birds … Read More
Top 10 Underrated Critters
By 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 travel from around the world to see these amazing animals. Or perhaps if you did not think of the polar bear you thought … Read More
A Race Against Winter: Fall Fieldwork at CNSC
Fall 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 bustling polar bear season. At the CNSC, the fall means that the window for completing many outdoor projects will shortly be … Read More
Educational Walks at CNSC
After 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. Although the doors to the big blue building aren’t open on a drop-in basis yet, we are offering outdoor educational walks. We … Read More
Rules for Fieldwork
Over 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 has a story behind it and offers a glimpse into our daily thoughts and lives. Please enjoy our “Rules … Read More
Lessons from an Amateur Birder
By 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, my first thought was “why are there so many darned geese around!?”. I had read about the large diversity … Read More
Signs of Spring
Spring 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 degrees Celsius, and freezing rain dominating the last couple weeks of May. Despite winter desperately trying to stick around, spring is … Read More