Return to Polar Bear Country
Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers its second Polar Bear Eco Trip this fall
Sask Polytech’s first polar bear eco trip last fall was a resounding success, with 22 intrepid adventurers and two guides making the trip from Saskatoon to Churchill, Manitoba for the week-long foray into educational travel. “The stars aligned for something exciting,” says Dr. Susan Blum, Sask Polytech’s vice president of applied research and innovation. “We decided the time was right to offer an eco-trip with an educational component and invite the public to join us.”
Sask Polytech will head to Churchill again this coming November for a second polar bear adventure and has already heard from people who put their name on a waitlist last year when the trip filled. “I highly recommend the adventure,” says 2022 participant Julia Coutts. “It’s hard to describe the feeling when you see something so few people see in their lifetime except in photos or video. “They are just beautiful animals and mesmerizing to watch.” Participant Glen Solnicka describes the experience as magical. “It was truly amazing to see these majestic creatures in the wild. Going to Churchill to see polar bears has been on my bucket list for some time and this trip was such a rewarding way to fulfill that dream.”
Registration for 2023 is now open to alumni and the public for the one-week guided tour with a sustainability focus. Participants will travel by van then train to this sensitive region, passing through Saskatchewan parkland and boreal forest to where taiga and tundra meet the Churchill River and Hudson Bay.
Trip highlights will include a full day on a Tundra Buggy © to view polar bears, lectures at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC) and tours of local historic and nature areas. As part of the trip package, participants will earn a Surge Micro-credential badge through pre-trip learning with subject experts.
The trip is scheduled to take place November 7-13, 2023. For more information, visit saskpolytech.ca/polarbear
April 2023