By Kelsey Braverman, WWF’s Manager, Development Research
Imagine traveling to a small town on the Hudson Bay, in the far north of Manitoba, Canada for the first time, only to find that the main boulevard is very familiar. That was my experience making the beautiful journey to Churchill as we entered town on Kelsey Boulevard. From the start, I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
After departing from Winnipeg and arriving in Churchill, my group started off the trip with good karma as our first wildlife sighting happened within a few minutes of deplaning. A red fox of the cross variety was guiding us into town, running alongside the road. Our Expedition Leader Marlo Shaw, and driver Nastashia, carefully and safely pulled over so the group could quietly experience what it is like to see wildlife in their natural habitat. A fitting name, that our group was led by a company called Natural Habitat Adventures. While observing the fox, a gyr falcon made a brief appearance, we were told one of the first sightings of the season.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
After arriving at the Seaport Hotel, a local establishment, we hit the ground running to learn more about Churchill and its history by visiting the Itsanitaq Museum, a one-room museum showcasing a collection of Inuit carvings made of whalebone, soapstone, and caribou antler among many other Indigenous artifacts.
On day two, it was time to head out for the main attraction on the Polar Rovers. These vehicles are designed to safely access the Churchill Wildlife Management Area where the polar bears congregate as they wait for the sea ice to freeze. On our first expedition, we came across ptarmigan (a bird in the grouse family), gulls, snow buntings, snow geese, and of course, polar bears. On this initial day, we saw the rare sighting of a mom and a yearling, far off in the distance. Throughout the day we saw five other solitary bears making their way across the tundra.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
We closed out the evening by visiting another local landmark, the Anglican church, where we learned a bit about the history of the building, how it was deconstructed once from England and moved to Canada, and then originally built on the other side of the river. The town eventually moved its center, so they once again deconstructed and rebuilt the church. Marlo, an avid and impressive joke teller, but also a poet and fan of poetry, read us one of her favorite poems as we sat in the church pews, “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service.
On day three, we again ventured out on the Polar Rover. With the help of our guide Marlo and driver Corey, that day we saw another red fox (cross), a flock of ptarmigans, and five bears. One was on the recently formed ice, one took a nap when it was low tide, and we watched as the tide came in and she found a less wet place to rest.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
The highlight of the trip happened when we got front-row seats to the rare occurrence of two male bears having a wrestling match. For several hours, we were able to witness this friendly competition, and we were so grateful to the bears and the tundra for providing us with this experience in a truly wild place. It was rare, I was there, and it will be a core memory I share with my group, and that is a beautiful thing. In the evening, we met with local artist, Sandra Cook, where we discussed her talent, her work, and her family history all while her golden retriever, Stella, walked amongst us demanding her payment through pets.
On our last day in Churchill, we saw a red fox running down the street. While there were no bears this day, we were told that a curious bear was in town overnight and must have been interested in the new folks in town as it circled the Seaport Hotel. A local task force was called to help entice the bear away from town, using non-lethal and safe methods. As a WWF staff member, it was a good reminder as to why the human-wildlife conflict work we study and support is so important, and the critical role we all play in creating a space for people and nature.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
We spent the rest of the day visiting the large community center which serves as a focal point of town. It houses the school, the hospital, the library, a hockey rink, a pool, an indoor playground, and city offices. We learned more about the history of the town and its people from a local presenter, Rhonda. Our next stop was dog sledding, with Wapusk Adventures, owned by Dave Daily and Wyatt Daily. On our drive, I very proudly spotted the trip’s first arctic hare, who was doing an excellent job of blending into a boulder. Each member of the trip was able to take a short dog sledding ride. Special thanks to Blue, Luna, Romeo and Comet who were an excellent team and made me miss my dogs at home.
We ended our time in Churchill with a night tundra drive, dinner on the rover and a sunset for the ages. Marlo, served as DJ for the evening, and the group, having bonded over mutual love of bears, ptarmigan, foxes, and all things Churchill had several hours of good food, company and a sing-along. We jumped from belting “Free Falling”, to “Someone to Lean On”, to “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. And maybe, if you ever get the chance to travel to Churchill, you are lucky like I was, and have a group of people from Louisville, Kentucky on board, who will pull into launch with the appropriate “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, giving you that feeling of fulfillment and homecoming that comes after a successful adventure.
© Kelsey Braverman / WWF-US
About the Author
Kelsey Braverman joined WWF in 2019 providing research for the philanthropy team and supporting fundraising efforts for programs across the organization. She has worked in the nonprofit space since 2012, and in conservation since 2014, where she found her true passion of working every day to conserve a world in which people and nature thrive. When not traveling to the Canadian tundra, she spends her time in the Midwest Wisconsin tundra with her two cattle dogs.
