The NorthSTAR program promotes cross-cultural scientific exploration to understand the impact of climate change on wildlife. Youth from around Manitoba join the Churchill Junior Canadian rangers to conduct field research on polar bears in the Churchill area. The students work to learn how to non-invasively identify polar bears using their whisker print images and other morphological characteristics. They also learn to calculate and compare the body condition and body size of the bears from the photos by using a camera calibration.
The program begins with the Science Literacy workshops in September at the Assiniboine Park Zoo where the student-leaders teach other high school students the Whiskerprinting techniques. Here is an article to learn more about these workshops:
Winnipeg students learn polar bear research techniques at zoo school,
by Brett Purdy, CBC News. May 12, 2016
The field trip takes place in late October/ early november when we travel to Churchill to study the polar bears. It is a fantastic time of focused research and fun activities. We stay at the Churchill Northern Study Center (CNSC) and spend two days on the tundra buggy to study the bears. The days are packed full with local activities such as dog sledding, tours of the rocket range near the CNSC, walking around Cape Merry, driving around to see all the murals in the SeaWalls Churchill project, listening to talks from the Junior Rangers about their activities, learning about the history of the Sayisi Dene, and sewing moccasins and mitts. We have also spent time in Churchill enjoying bowling, skating, and setting up tents in the Town Center.
Then we spend time analyzing the results and present them at a scientific conference ArcticNet in December. The most recent presentation was in Halifax where the students presented: Biometrics of polar bears in a changing world: assessing body condition non-invasively near Churchill.
In May the NorthSTAR team participates in Science Rendezvous, an outreach experience for children hosted by the University of Manitoba. Hundreds of kids came by to learn about the polar bear research from our NorthSTAR students.