A Subarctic Summer in Churchill, Manitoba

The Canadian subarctic comes alive when temperatures warm, bringing migratory animals—including hundreds of bird species, polar bears and beluga whales—back to the Hudson Bay coastline near Churchill, Manitoba. Plants rush through an abbreviated growing season, transforming from leaves to flower to fruit in rapid succession. Resident animals including seals, Arctic fox, red fox and other small mammals give birth and rapidly raise their young to maturity. Join Expedition Leader Eleanor Edye, interim research manager at the Churchill Northern Studies Center, to learn about how subarctic life thrives in a land that is frozen for more than half the year. Eleanor introduces us to subarctic ecology, with a focus on the harsh environment of the North and the unique adaptations that help organisms survive the cold when the fleeting summer is long gone. You’ll gain a greater understanding of the precariousness of ecosystems that require low temperatures to function, along with knowledge of how to help protect the wild habitats and animals of the subarctic.


Originally presented June 28, 2021

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