Sept 29, 2006

I don’t really know if Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada is halfway between San Diego and the Hudson Bay of Canada, but I am going to say that we have arrived at our halfway point anyway. At any rate, it is the gathering place and the launching pad for the 2006 Polar Bear Science Leadership Camp. Shelby S. was chosen from the multiples of applicants to represent the San Diego Zoo. (Read Shelby’s blog, Arctic Ambassador Prepares for Adventure.) Shelby and I will be blogging as often as possible to report in on this trip to somewhere very far from home. I am coming along with her as a chaperone but also as a teacher for the camp.

It’s been fun for both of us so far, despite having to be at LAX at 4:30 this morning to begin our two-flight journey. Shelby has a brand-new passport with no stamps, so it is fun to be with her on her first international trip.

I certainly do not claim to be an expert on polar bears or the impact of climate change on the Arctic, but I don’t need to be. In the upcoming days, we will encounter native leaders, Parks Canada and Conservation Manitoba staff, internationally recognized polar bear researchers, possibly a fur trapper, the owners and operators of Tundra Buggy lodge, and lots of other people who live and work in polar bear country. The polar bears are the hook that brings the kids to this camp and thousands of tourists to the tundra at the Hudson Bay. After all, not too many people say, ” Let’s vacation near the Arctic Circle this year, so we can see the changes in the ice flow!” As part of Polar Bear Science Leadership Camp, however, we are on an adventure to see the ice flow and find out about the changes that are impacting the polar bears and other sub-arctic species.

This first afternoon in Winnipeg however, was dedicated to activities that would help the kids warm up to each other and start getting into the right mindset for this excursion. So we had a snowball fight!

Not actually snowballs, though. It is only autumn here in beautiful Winnipeg, not snowing yet. So we improvised and used wads of paper that contained amusing bits of information about each person. When the snowball fight was over, you had to pick up a ball of paper near you and then ask around to find the person who completed the form. Shelby managed to end up meeting and introducing the director of Polar Bears International, Robert Buchanan.

The fourteen young people gathered here are a delightful mixed bag of nationalities and personalities. There is a girl from a tiny town in Washington state, a boy from Brooklyn, NY, two girls from the Gold Coast of Australia (who have bonded immediately, of course, with our San Diego ambassador, Shelby), a girl from Alaska, and an energetic kid whose hometown is Churchill, the focal point of this whole journey. Although she seems perfectly lovely, we haven’t had much of a chance to get to know the girl from Denmark as her flight was delayed and the airline lost some luggage ““ not sure if it is hers or that of her chaperone.

For a long time, you have heard about how young people can make a difference and how lots of little things can add up to a change. It’s hard to believe sometimes that these things are true. But remember: everyone was a young person some time. Those people grow up and become community members like you, and people like you who make small changes in their lifestyles that are good for the environment. And those people convince their friends to do the same, and each one of those people, in small ways, make a huge difference. The epidemic of something good is what we are hoping to spark here. We hope you catch it!

Kathy Myers is an education specialist at the San Diego Zoo.

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