Circumpolar Newsings
Search finds no sign of Arctic shipwrecks 
(Randy Boswell/Postmedia News via Nunatsiaq News, 30 August 2010) -- The Canadian government scientists hoping for a second major Arctic shipwreck discovery this summer came up empty after a six-day search for the Terror and Erebus, the lost vessels of the 19th-century Franklin expedition. Parks Canada archeologist Ryan Harris, who earlier this year led the discovery off Northwest Territories’ Banks Island of the HMS Investigator — one of many British ships sent to look for the Terror and Erebus in the 1850s — said Monday a 150-square-kilometre sweep of waters near Nunavut’s O’Reilly Island in the Queen Maud Gulf yielded no sign of the lost Franklin vessels. But Harris and Marc-Andre Bernier, Parks Canada’s director of underwater archeology, said this summer’s search — along with a previous probe in 2008 — has narrowed the hunt for the Franklin ships to an area on the northeast side of O’Reilly Island, located between mainland Nunavut and King William Island. A third season of searching is expected to take place in 2011. “I’m always disappointed if we don’t find something,” Harris said during a conference call with reporters. But asked if he believes the Franklin ships will eventually be found he said: “I’m fairly confident they will be.”
Posted 30 August 2010; 3:54:46 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Canada, Circumpolar News, Expeditions, field trips, tours, Research
Manitoba polar bear wanders 400 km south
(CBC News, 30 August 2010) -- A polar bear has created a buzz of excitement in the northern Manitoba community of Shamattawa. The bear was spotted Sunday swimming in the river, about 400 kilometres south of the Churchill tundra where the big white bears are typically found. Residents spotted the bear at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to RCMP. Officers launched the police boat and made a patrol, locating the lone bear swimming in the river and drinking at the shore. "The bear appeared to be young, but was quite a good size … [and] the people in the community were very excited to see it," RCMP Sgt. Noel Allard said. "This is the first time anyone in the area remembers seeing a polar bear," Allard said after speaking to several elders in the community. Manitoba Conservation wildlife manager Daryll Hedman called the sighting rare but not an unheard-of occurrence. He believes the last time they were called about a polar bear in that community was in the mid-1990s, although some polar bears have actually been seen even further south. It is probably a teenaged bear, Hedman said, noting those are the ones that tend to explore. "They wander. They are built for travel," he said. RCMP members monitored the bear's movements until darkness fell and it left the area.
Posted 30 August 2010; 3:14:20 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Canada, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Provinces
2 officers killed in Alaska village
(AP via New York Times, 29 August 2010) -- ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Two police officers were fatally shot in a tiny Native village in southeast Alaska and authorities were in a standoff Sunday with the suspect, local officials said. Bob Prunella, acting Hoonah city administrator, said officers Tony Wallace and Matt Tokuoka died after the shooting late Saturday. He didn't know what led to the shooting. The suspect, 45-year-old John Marvin Jr., has barricaded himself in his home, and Alaska State Troopers and other law enforcement agencies are at the scene, authorities said. Tokuoka's father-in-law, George Martin, said Tokuoka, 39, was off-duty and had left Martin's home with his wife and two children moments before the shooting. Martin said he heard two shots, which were directed at Wallace, who was on-duty. The shots hit Wallace, Martin said. Tokuoka told his wife and children to get away from the site, and then he was shot as well, Martin said. "I imagine he was trying to administer help to this other officer when he got hit," he said. Wallace, 32, died during surgery in Juneau, 40 miles to the east, and Tokuoka died early Sunday at a village clinic, according to Martin. "The whole town's in shock," he said. "I've been getting calls all day. It's a bad situation." ... Prunella said the deaths leave the Tlingit village with just one officer. He said the southeast Alaska town of Wrangell is sending some officers to help. According to the law enforcement networking website www.usacops.com, Wallace had been with the Hoonah Police Department since 2008. He is from upstate New York and was a college wrestler. Wallace served as the small department's evidence officer, and was recently designated as a breath-test maintenance technician. The site says Tokuoka was a former Marine Corps staff sergeant who served in special operations. The Hawaii native has been with the department since spring 2009.
Posted 29 August 2010; 11:37:31 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, August 2010, Circumpolar News, Communities, Crime
Stranded Nunavut cruise ship passengers rescued
(Globe and Mail, 30 August 2010) -- The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen have rescued the passengers of a cruise ship that ran aground on an uncharted rock in Nunavut's Coronation Gulf. The MV Clipper Adventurer became stranded around 7 p.m. MT Friday while making its way from Port Epworth to Kugluktuk. Efforts by the crew to dislodge the vessel during high tide on Saturday were unsuccessful. All 118 passengers, as well as the crew, are safe and unharmed, cruise operator Adventure Canada said. Company CEO Matthew Swan described the ship as "completely stable." "There is a list of about 4.5 degrees to the port side, but there doesn't seem to be any damage that we can detect." He said skies were sunny and waters calm for the last two days, so a lot of people just relaxed on deck. The Amundsen was dispatched to the scene from the Beaufort Sea. Coast Guard spokeswoman Theresa Nichols said the passengers were transferred to the icebreaker beginning Sunday around 4 p.m. ET and that it was completed in later in the evening. "All of the passengers were transferred to the Amundsen," she said. "They're all in good health." The Clipper's crew is expected to remain on the idled ship for now, she said, adding that there has been no pollution, such as oil, spilled in the water because of the incident. Swan said he didn't know what might be done to free the ship. Nichols said any decisions on assistance for the vessel will be made by Transport Canada. The icebreaker was taking the tourists to Kugluktuk and they will be flown to Edmonton.
Posted 29 August 2010; 10:44:01 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Canada, Circumpolar News, Disasters, etc., Nunavut, Tourism, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
Yukon salmon run 'cause for celebration'
(CBC News, 27 August 2010) -- While fishermen on British Columbia's Fraser River celebrate the largest sockeye salmon run in nearly a century, there is also jubilation along the Yukon's Alsek River where salmon returns are approaching historical records, say fisheries officials. "It's been a while since we've seen such good numbers there and with the poor numbers on the Yukon River this year, it is definitely cause for celebration," said Steve Smith, a federal fisheries manager for the Yukon region. As of this week, up to 8,000 salmon were counted in the Alsek River at Klukshu. That's double the 10-year average, and far more than forecast. Fishery experts said they can't explain the numbers, but before it's over, the Klukshu count could go as high as 24,000 fish, which may in fact be too high, said Smith. "You can get too many fish on the spawning grounds and they end up competing and end up with lower survival," he said. "So there's definitely fishing opportunity there and hopefully people take advantage of that." The fishery at Dalton Post is open for First Nations and recreational anglers but there is no word yet on how many have been taken.
Posted 29 August 2010; 12:09:16 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Fisheries, Yukon
North lags in high-school grads, map shows
(Nunatsiaq News, 27 August 2010) -- In some regions of northern Canada, almost half of all adults have not completed high school, compared to one in 12 in southern Canada, according to the Centre for the North’s “High School Confidential” map, the third in the Conference Board of Canada’s “Here, the North” series. “There is a growing consensus that high school completion is linked to future opportunity. People without high school diplomas have fewer job opportunities, employment stability, and lower future earnings potential,” Gilles Rheaume, vice-president of the Conference Board of Canada, said in an Aug. 26 news release. Parts of northern Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and northern Manitoba have the highest rates of adults without a high school diploma. About one in two adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in each of these regions have not graduated from high school, while about one in three adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in northern Quebec have not graduated, shows the map, which is based on Statistics Canada figures. What this means is that random survey of 25 to 64 year olds in Ottawa would find one in 12 people doesn’t have a high school certificate. But in Nunavut, that number would be closer to one in two, says the Centre for the North, a Conference Board of Canada program, which works with aboriginal leaders, businesses, governments, communities, educational institutions, and other organizations, to achieve “prosperity in the North.” Its 2010 study, “Pathways to Success—How Knowledge and Skills at Age 15 Shape Future Lives in Canada,” which linked high school performance with future opportunity, noted that “the longer term prospects of early labour market entrants, with only a secondary education diploma or less, as well as those who graduated late from upper-secondary school, are also of concern. They may fall victim to increasing competition for jobs from those better qualified in terms of job opportunities, stability of employment, and future earnings.”
Posted 28 August 2010; 11:24:01 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Circumpolar News, Communities, Education and Civil Society, Nunavut
(News24, 28 August 2010) -- Moscow - Eleven Russian sailors have drowned in the Arctic after going to the rescue of a fishing boat that got into distress, the Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on Saturday. The Alexey Kulakowski sank in the early hours of Friday as part of a rescue mission in the Laptev Sea, around 35km outside the port of Tiksi. However, the captain of the ship, and two engineers, were rescued from the sinking vessel. According to some reports, there were only two life-jackets onboard for the 14 crew members.
Posted 28 August 2010; 11:21:52 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Circumpolar News, Fisheries, Northwest Russia, People, Russia
Huge ice chunk breaks off Ellesmere Island
(CBC News, 24 August 2010) -- A large parcel of ice has fractured from a massive ice shelf on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, marking the third known case of Arctic ice loss this summer alone. The chunk of ice, which scientists estimate is roughly the size of Bermuda, broke away from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf on the island's northern coast around Aug. 18, according to NASA satellite imagery. At 40 metres thick, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf is estimated to be 3,000 to 5,000 years old, jutting off the island like an extension of the land. "The cracks are going right to the mainland, basically, right to Ellesmere Island," John England, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences with the University of Alberta, told CBC News on Tuesday. "So, in the core of the ice shelf itself, the fracturing is occurring. "I think that's really quite significant, that it's like the most resistant and most tenacious part of the ice shelf is now being dismantled." Giant tracts of Arctic ice have been calving off ancient glaciers and ice shelves in recent weeks.
Posted 28 August 2010; 11:19:50 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Canada, Environment and Landscape
M/V Nordic Barents to make historic voyage
(Barents Observer, 26 August 2010) - For the first time ever, a bulk carrier with non—Russian flag is using the Northern Sea Route as a transit trade lane, when transporting iron ore from the Northern Norway to China via Arctic and Russian waters. The historic transit is about one third shorter than traditional shipping routes. A strong Nordic–Russian partnership is behind this business adventure. The international shipping industry will witness the historic event, when the vessel departs from the port of Kirkenes in Northern Norway within the next few weeks. BarentsObserver could already in July report about the planned shipping of iron ore concentrate from Kirkenes to China via the Arctic, and today it is confirmed that the deal on shipping will actually take place. Russian authorities, the Northern Sea Route Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Rosatomflot, the operator of the Russian national icebreaking fleet, have given the project their first-ever approval for a foreign flagged vessel to ship a cargo in transit from a foreign port to a foreign port through Russian waters. One of the world’s few modern heavy ice-class bulk carriers — M/V Nordic Barents — will carry the 41,000 tons load from the port near the Norwegian mine in Kirkenes around the top of the world to Asia. M/V Nordic Barents is an ice-class 1a ship. This is the highest conventional ice-class, and the partners in the project confirm to BarentsObserver that it was the only ship classification that the Russian authorities would allow for this transit. Russian icebreakers operated by Rosatomflot will escort M/V Nordic Barents on its journey along the Northern Sea Route, in Europe also known as the North East Passage. The trip across the Arctic is a challenging task that requires great experience and navigational skills. In cooperation with the Russians, the expedition will help build critical expertise and experience in navigating these demanding waters. Never before has a non—Russian bulk carrier sail all along this route.
Posted 27 August 2010; 11:10:45 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Russia, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
Northern leaders divided on Arctic policy
(CBC News, 23 August 2010) -- Northern politicians are split on Canada's new Arctic policy statement, with some hoping it will mean positive changes for northerners but others remaining skeptical. Issuing the statement on Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Canada will work to resolve Arctic boundary disputes with the United States and Denmark, boost northern research, as well as promote "vibrant northern communities and healthy, productive ecosystems." While the policy statement mentions devolution — giving the territories more province-like powers over their governments and resources — Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak said devolution agreements with the federal government have stalled. "They still have yet to put in place a negotiator," Aariak told CBC News. Cannon mentioned plans to promote economic and social development for people in the North. He cited the government's existing Northern Strategy, which was released last year. Overall, Aariak said she welcomes the new Arctic policy, which calls for a "rules-based" Arctic region with clearly defined boundaries and more co-operation among northern countries.
Posted 27 August 2010; 11:03:08 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Canada, Governance
Iceland could have become German colony in 1864
(Iceland Review, 20 August 2010) -- According to secret documents which Queen Margrethe II of Denmark recently gave the author Tom Buk-Swientys access to, King Christian IX of Denmark offered King Wilhelm I of Prussia to make Denmark part of the German Confederation in 1864. If he had accepted the offer, Iceland would have become a German colony. The Danish King’s offer — which apparently did not sound appealing to the King of Prussia — is considered a desperate attempt to prevent the Danish Kingdom from losing Schleswig and Holstein to Germany after a defeat in 1864, mbl.is reports. According to Danish newspaper Politiken, King Christian IX did not consult his government before making the offer to the Prussian King and so it borders on treason. The King’s arguments were that although Denmark would lose its sovereignty by becoming part of the German Confederation, Schleswig, where he grew up, and Holstein would still be considered part of the Danish Kingdom. It has earlier been revealed that Denmark was prepared to trade Iceland for Schleswig in agreements with Prussia and Austria in the summer and autumn of 1864. Christian IX was the King of Denmark and Iceland from 1863 to 1906. During his reign Iceland received its constitution in 1874 and home rule in 1904. There is a statue of King Christian IX giving Iceland its constitution in front of the Government Offices on Laekjargata.
Posted 27 August 2010; 10:55:08 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Iceland
Amundsen honoured in Gjoa Haven
(CBC News, 25 August 2010) -- Residents of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, held a special flag-raising ceremony with Norwegian officials this week to honour Roald Amundsen, who spent two years in the community during his famed quest through the Northwest Passage. The Norwegian ambassador attended Monday's ceremony, in which the Canadian and Norwegian flags were raised near the Amundsen Centenary Cairn in Gjoa Haven. Also in attendance was Gier Klover, the director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway. "I've been interested in polar histories since I was a kid, so Gjoa Haven, that's the place I've read about for 30 years," Klover told CBC News on Tuesday. "Just to be here, and the incredible friendliness and hospitality of the community, is very touching." Klover said his museum is dedicated to polar explorers like Amundsen, who set sail for the Northwest Passage in 1903 in his ship, Gjoa. The museum is building an extension to house the Gjoa, he added. Amundsen spent two winters near King William Island, in what is now Gjoa Haven, learning from local Inuit as he prepared for his expedition. "He perfected the skills, making him the ultimate polar explorer," Klover said. "He had huge respect for local learnings and local knowledge, and he spent every day trying to learn as much as possible there, as opposed to many other explorers." Amundsen made history when he completed the east-to-west voyage across the passage in 1906. Klover said Monday's ceremony commemorates the growing partnership between his museum and the community of Gjoa Haven. He said he brought some photographs that were taken by Amundsen, as a gift to the community.
Posted 27 August 2010; 10:52:02 PM. Permalink
Tagged: August 2010, Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Communities
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