[Paddlewise] NYT articles: Ice conditions on Hudsons Bay and Polar Bears

This Sundays New York Times carried two separate stories on issues involving
the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic. One story involved the perennial issue of
oil extraction in Alaskan game reserves. The more interesting story involved
the impact on  polar bear habitat on  Hudson's Bay, due to the 30 year trend
of earlier ice-out and later freeze up, on the Bay.  The photo of a polar
bear sitting upright adjacent to the Churchill MB "Tundra Buggy" bus filled
with tourists is  very jarring.  My caption would have been "Waiting for the
Bus/Waiting for the Ice".

Relevance to Paddlewise?   Conservation of a very big "marine mammal" not
suitable for "petting".  The dim  prospect (and depressing idea) that the
fabled Northwest Passage  , may eventually become a feasible  summer
"open-water route" for tankers.

Hey. I'm a sucker for any article that mentions Arviat, Nunavut, which is
the end point of our planned Thlewiaza River trip next summer. My body and
mind seems to have already forgotten the physical abuse of last summer's
Hiukitak trip! What is it about the start of winter that softens the memory
of  grueling summer expeditions?

Rich Dempsey

Polar Bears and Climate Change on Hudsons Bay:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/12/business/12OILL.html

Alaskan Arctic Coast story:

 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/12/business/12OILL.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See our canoe tripping website
http://communities.msn.com/RichWendysAwayFromHomePage


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