Learning how to test blood pressure (Vital Signs Activity) at the Rankin Inlet camp.

January/February 2012 by Elizabeth Gray-Smith

On his bike ride home, Ben wears the surgical mask and gloves given to him at camp. Dressed the part, he declares, “I really want to be a dentist when I grow up.”

Ben is one of many young participants attending Actua’s Health Careers Camp, now famous among Pangnirtung youth. Campers analyze real x-rays of the human body, listen to a baby’s heartbeat and remove plaque from realistic teeth moulds with genuine dental instruments. During this weeklong, hands-on experience, Ben is not just roleplaying, he is starting to think about his own career in health sciences. He can’t wait to learn more.

“They kept asking me when the science camp was coming back,” recalls Chris Heide, coordinator for Making Connections for Youth for the Hamlet of Pangnirtung, describing the explosion of enthusiasm that came from campers. “They were excited about learning during the summer, when school is actually out.”

The Health Careers Camp is a relatively new program, in a long list of topics covered by Actua’s Science, Engineering and Technology camps, and is proving to be wildly successful. The programming combines cultural learning, delivered through community partners, with critical and creative thinking and allows youth to connect to their community in new and exciting ways by shining a spotlight on the science that exists at the very core of their everyday lives.

“Through this unique programming, campers are challenged to approach their immediate environment through a scientific lens,” says Jennifer Flanagan, President and CEO of Actua. “We want to ignite a love of learning and unleash the incredible curiosity youth possess.”

With a wealth of career choices in the resource-rich regions of the North, the programming is designed to leave a lasting impression on the participants they engage, with sustained results in the communities they reach. Each community-tailored science activity allows campers to connect with regional economic development opportunities. They begin looking at possible career paths in a whole new light.

Many kilometres away in Repulse Bay, campers piece together a labyrinth of pipes and watch the water flow through their plumbing creation. They talk about water delivery systems and the challenges presented by permafrost and they collaborate on the most appropriate community planning strategies. In one afternoon, they begin thinking like civil engineers.

Meanwhile, in Whale Cove, young participants are taking in the marvels of earth sciences. With their hands, they pick up samples of minerals, rocks that come from the ground in their community. It doesn’t take long to see it all differently. Using some simple chemicals and a UV light, they uncover the surprising properties the rocks possess. They now see the top layer of earth under their own feet as prosperous in science, an opportunity to ask questions and to dig deeper. They are gaining the skills to become geologists.

The activities, whether focused on engineer – ing, technology or health sciences, seem to have something for everyone — the creative thinker, the community leader, the math lover, the caregiver, the builder.

“We use a really wide diversity of activities to make sure that we connect science to what is important in the lives of youth. We want them to see that science is all around them and is present in the things they are interested in whether that is music, sports, art or hunting. With each experiment they do, problem they solve, or idea they generate, they discover skills they may not even know they have and they start to connect the dots between who they are and what they can be when they grow up,” says Flanagan. “We want them to know there is a place for them in science and, most importantly, we want science to empower them.”

As Heide contends, the imprint on the campers is detected immediately in the burst of motivation he sees in those wanting to continue with science learning.

“The camps produce children with a heightened sense of curiosity about the world around them,” he notes. “A week is not a long time in a child’s life, but the effects of this camp are long-lasting.”

While many of these communities do have strong economic development opportunities, they also witness alarming high school drop – out rates.

“Actua’s programs are making an impact in narrowing this gap,” says Kim Warburton, Vice-President Communications and Public Affairs of GE Canada, a national supporter and long-time fan of Actua. “The way they are designed, they have the capacity to pave a very positive path for youth as they look ahead, to the next school year, to graduation, to postsecondary educational options and to the career opportunities that abound around them.”

The camps are highly integrated with the community. Working with community leaders and local Elders to identify the most appropriate subject matter, Actua focuses on delivering activities that are culturally and locally relevant. Local experts — scientists, engineers and sometimes, technologists — are invited to visit the camps to provide extra inspiration. Trained instructors, many students themselves who share a love for learning science, are mobilized to serve as science role models and act as facilitators. While the local Elders and experts provide much of the traditional knowledge on which the activities are based, the instructors help the campers apply scientific practices and thinking skills. This for-youth by-youth delivery model is key to the success of the programming.

Danielle MacMillan is an Outreach Coordinator for Actua, where she supports curriculum development and delivery. Her passion for the program comes from her own experiences in knowledge sharing with youth, when she worked as an instructor for two years in the science camps throughout Nunavut.

MacMillan remembers walking campers through the simulated dental appointment in Iqaluit and seeing the participants soak in all the health information presented to them. “You see these curious minds exploring health questions in smaller communities that don’t necessarily have access to health professionals.

Through hands-on activities, they begin to understand that health can be simple, that they can make changes in their lives through health decisions and that they could perhaps one day be a dentist in their community.”

Heide witnessed the same results in Pangnirtung. “The camps allow them to demystify the health care system and help them understand the health practices in their everyday lives. Demystifying the health system is very valuable here, in a place where many of the doctors come from the south, where we are expecting our population to be our own health advocates. The more we can do to demystify the health system, the better.”

At the end of each camp session, parents, teachers and community members are invited to an Open House, to see for themselves what these campers have been raving about all week. “The youth are so excited and have gained so much information, they can’t wait to talk about and show their parents what they’ve learned,” say Flanagan.

MacMillan recalls her own experience at an Open House in Iqaluit and what she calls one of many “wow factor” moments she witnessed.

“We set up stations that the kids have full ownership over. The kids were ready to become teachers, leaders. They were excited to share their own knowledge. You can see the pride they have in what they’ve learned in their community. To hear a seven-year-old say the word phosphorescent with enthusiasm is pretty incredible.”

Actua has been delivering experiences like this one in Iqaluit to Northern communities for over ten years. Success of the programming is credited to strong relationships with community organizations, Inuit associations and through partnerships with the Nunavut Arctic College, the Nunavut Research Institute, Yukon College and DiscoverE at the University of Alberta. We are also pleased to have First Air as our Official Airline Sponsor of our Northern programming.

Through the generous support of GE Canada, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, the Suncor Energy Foundation, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Shell Canada and the Government of Nunavut, Actua will continue to invest in relationships with communities in the North, develop new curriculum, and inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators.

January/February 2012 by Pierre Dunnigan

It’s mid-July and the telltale signs of the early morning were pointing to a beautiful cloudless summer day. Any day the thermometer is predicted to top 20 Celsius up North, you can be assured that it is going to be “a hot one!” I’ve been told it has something to do with the intense strength of the Arctic summer sun’s rays relative to the thinner, clarified atmospheric layer hovering over the Earth above the 60th parallel. It is almost as if one is situated closer to the sun. That can make for a scorcher on the land, often exacerbated by the buzzing hoards of mosquitoes the high summer heat seems to awaken in the North. Lugging hundreds of pounds of film gear around is difficult enough without having to deal with the humbling effects wrought on the human condition while under attack by ravenous swarms of mosquitoes.

I was up North again. Every time I go I feel it is an adventure. This time my adventure is starting at Naujaat, Nunavut. On occasion I’d also be camped on a small island not far off the Hudson Bay coast. This year my visit would not be solely in my usual role as an assignment photographer. The summer of 2011 was going to be very different for me. I would be spending six glorious, educational weeks in a region I loved, catering to the voracious, sometimes demanding appetites of a hardworking feature film crew.

I had no false illusions that life would be relaxed and easy over the six weeks. Each new day in the wee hours I would have to roust up my body and fire up my enthusiasm well in advance of everyone else, to prep the day’s meals, starting with early morning breakfast. No problem, that’s why I was there. Willing and able to contribute and participate in my own small way in an adventure-filled summer.

A Long Hot Summer is the “working title” for a future big screen feature film being produced and directed by wildlife cinematographer and Arctic environmentalist Adam Ravetch and his company, Arctic Bear Productions. The final product, I expect, is going to be a feel-good, Disney-style cinematic treatment featuring a lone young polar bear. The main premise of the story is that a young polar bear’s difficult hunt for food during a long, hot Arctic summer is progressively becoming more challenging each subsequent summer, in large part due to climate change. Global warming trends (heightened in the North) are changing migratory patterns of the young bear’s usual food sources. Additional footage would also be shot for a future documentary.

The subject of climate change and how it is negatively impacting northern landscapes, coastal waters and wildlife habitats plays a significant and very timely supporting role in both projects. Global warming is changing the face of the Arctic. There is a growing, undeniable body of evidence that dramatic temperature increases make for longer, hotter summers in the Arctic.

But back to the film(s). The storyboard plan, simply put, was that the cameras would — in the most in-obtrusive and respectful manner possible — capture the habits of our chosen star and other Arctic wildlife calmly going about their business in their natural environs. Our polar bear’s arduous search for food would be documented on the land and water and below the sea’s surface.

What will make these two projects so special and engaging for audiences is that the final products will ultimately be viewed around the world in 3D! New methods, miniaturized remote control gear and advances in digital technology and gear in the hands of experienced filmmakers would show the way. But first things first. Our film star and supporting cast however would have to be located before any filming could begin.

On those days the shooting schedule called for a crew move from land to sea, there is a chorus of relief. The chance to escape from the of the heat and the mosquitoes is welcomed by all. Good fortune smiled often. Many a day the film shoot took us away from the mosquito infested coastline onto the refreshing swells of Hudson Bay. After breakfast and with clean-up done and all the paraphernalia and camera gear stowed on the boat, off we all went, cruising the coastal waters, bow to gusty wind and sea spray — in search of willing, hopefully cooperative film stars.

I’m sharing a berth with one of only a handful of cold water, sub-surface cinema – tographers in the world. Mario Cyr, from the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, has travelled and filmed in over 60 different countries. His return North this year after a long absence held significant personal meaning for him. He and Ravetch first met 25 years ago to work together on a film project in the Arctic. That collaboration brought the award-winning feature “doc” Toothwalkers: Giants of the Arctic Ice, to the big screen and earned them international recognition and kudos when it was named “Best Documentary” at the renowned Cannes Film Festival.

No stranger to Adam and Mario is Inuk Steve Mapsalak, from Naujaat. Ten years ago Steve had provided the vital guiding expertise and boat transportation services for the making of Toothwalker. It was no surprise then that again this year, Steve and friend, fellow Nunavummiut, Lawrence Kringayark chose to take their summer vacations so they could provide transportation support to Ravetch and his crew on this project.

A Long Hot Summer also featured other Arctic creatures. Later working further up along the coast we had our own little cruise ship all to ourselves. Joe Netser’s Natsiak was perfect. Big enough to hold many hundreds of pounds of camera gear, camping equipment and groceries for a few weeks. After a few days anchored safely in front of cliffs filled with nesting Arctic Murres, Joe put us ashore.

One day visiting the cliffs, a lone, quite skinny polar bear (as if scripted) was preying on eggs and newborn chicks. Sadly, they never seemed to satisfy his hunger.

Come late summer, walruses start migrating to an island in Hudson Bay, in search of slippery rocks onto which they will lounge for hours on end. These strange lumbering creatures look so awkward and out of place on land. They were unperturbed by our presence. These creatures are at their best in the water. They swim and dive effortlessly with a ballet-like grace.

The island was about one kilometre long and not more than 300 metres wide — a wild and rugged composite of tundra and jagged rock that in reality only takes about an hour to explore. There are other rewards.

The historic remnants of Thule tent rings on its small land surface are evidence of its significance to the Inuit nomads who carved out their existence in the Arctic over the centuries. It was fun to imagine what life might have been like for them. The island is now a regular stopover for many cruising tourists. They come to view the animals from the comforts from ship in relative safety.

For all its splendour the Arctic summer in terms of real time is short. For the animals that live there though, those that so depend on seasonal cycles and climate norms such as our polar bear and his co-stars, summers now must seem much longer than in the past — different and more difficult due to the changing weather patterns and shifts in nature’s natural rhythms, their rhythms. I suppose in a way they will speak to us through Ravetch’s films, in the hope that we all have a chance to better understand how climate change is affecting the Arctic — a place that I continue to love.

Ability to read inuit language, children aged 6-14, 2006

January/February 2012 by Mary Simon

Two years ago in January 2010, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami launched the Inuit Qaujisarvingat – the Inuit Knowledge Centre. We had two people on staff at the start, and now there are seven, including full and part-time staff. Most are Inuit. The mission of the Centre is to ensure that Inuit knowledge advances sustainable Arctic science and policy.

North American society is being transformed from a manufacturing economy to a knowledge based economy. The Arctic is rich in traditional Inuit knowledge. As attention to Arctic issues increases, we want to ensure that scientific research is guided by Inuit knowledge, and that the results of this research are shared with Inuit.

Knowledge is power. And knowledge in our contemporary society frequently takes the form of data. In our political and business world, to make a political argument, or a business case, sound and credible data is needed.

One of the projects the Inuit Qaujisarvingat has brought to life is one of the most remarkable data sets among Aboriginal peoples in Canada called Naasautit. The data is based on the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and the Aboriginal Peoples Children’s Survey. All Inuit regions participated in the collection of data for these surveys in a formal agreement with Statistics Canada. It was funded by Health Canada from the Aboriginal Health Transition Fund.

I encourage readers to go online and explore this remarkable data collection and “Get the Data Bug”. On the surface, Naasautit is a collection of Inuit Health Statistics, however it covers a broader range of data than simply health statistics. Let me give an example.

In my role as Chair of the National Inuit Committee on Education, we spent months developing the National Inuit Education Strategy, launched in June 2011 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Naasautit data complements our report by providing data on key indicators, such as language use.

Using the Naasautit website, I was able to produce the chart used to illustrate this article. The data is organized in 10 categories. I clicked on “Culture and Language,” scrolled down to “Language,” and selected “Ability to read Inuit language, aged 6-14”. Only 32 percent of this age group can read very well. 16 percent can read relatively well. The figures are broken down region to region.

These facts are generally well known, however this data collection brings it to life for me as a leader, and it is publicly available for you regardless of your occupation or area of interest. As a student, explore this data collection and do a project based on it. As a teacher, assign a project based on the Naasautit data. If you are in media, the wealth of information supports a number of stories in the Arctic. If you are engaged in crafting policy for Inuit in the Arctic this is an important tool for you.

The 10 categories show the many factors that contribute to Inuit health and well-being. All data is exportable to Excel. You can print colour charts directly from the website, and create statistical charts within minutes for a PowerPoint presentation.

I am proud of the people who have developed the Naasautit data collection. As with many Inuit endeavours, it is a joint effort with many organizations involved. They include the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the Nunatsiavut Government, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (for Makivik Corporation), the Inuit Tuttarvingat Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization, and ITK.

Ningeokuluk Teevee, Sea Goddess, 2010. Coloured pencil, black ink on paper. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Naylor, funds administered by The Winnipeg Foundation. 2011-93.

January/February 2012

If you find yourself in Winnipeg between now and April 8, 2012, be sure to take in the glowing exhibit, New Art from Cape Dorset at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Pieced together by Inuit Art Curator Darlene Coward Wight, the show turns the spotlight on two of Cape Dorset’s promising and prolific young artists, Ningeokuluk Teevee and Tim Pitsiulak.

Dorset’s Kinngait Studios have taught us to expect the unexpected in recent years as artists diverge from the traditional subjects that we know and love to express their very modern and often very personal Northern experiences. In keeping with this, the show includes only sculptures and drawings, indicative of a shift away from printmaking that Wight says is increasingly common with the younger generation of artists.

Among the most striking works here are Teevee’s myth inspired Sea Goddess and serenely defiant Tattoed Woman, both of which double as mesmerizing, abstract meditations on human hair rendered in coloured pencil. Pitseolak doesn’t fail to deliver with modern subjects executed in a refined realist style that whispers of Mary Pratt and Alex Colville. Filling every square inch of paper, his work often reads like massive snapshots documenting day-to-day life in Dorset. The show also includes a number of breathtaking sculpture works by Goota Ashoona, Joe Jaw Ashoona and Jamesie Pitseolak, negotiating with confidence the freedom that comes with stepping out of the shadows of the great Dorset artists that have come before. Don’t miss it!

For more information, visit www.wag.ca or head to the gallery at 300 Memorial Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB; (204) 786-6641.

Elisapie Isaac treats the crowd to a lively performance at the 6th Annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in November.

January/February 2012

The red carpet was unrolled in Winnipeg over November 3 and 4 to honour North American aboriginal artists from Inuvik to Albuquerque at the 6th Annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMAs). Northern talent was represented in force with Yellowknife’s own Leela Gilday taking home the prize for Aboriginal Female Entertainer of the Year. The Dene song – stress is no stranger to accolades having received numerous awards for her creative prowess, including a 2007 JUNO for Aboriginal Recording of the Year and a 2010 APCMA for Best Folk Album Calling All Warriors. Of the win Gilday stated, “it just means that I have the support of my people so that’s a really awesome thing”.

Former JUNO winning Montreal-based Inuk singer Elisapie Isaac was nominated for the same award. Inuvik’s Leanne Goose was up for best country CD for the boot stomping Got You Covered while Yukon born Diyet emerged with a nomination for Best New Artist.

Treat your ears to these and more artists on the APCMA website at www.aboriginalpeopleschoice.com.

Predictions on the speed and scope of Arctic sea-ice melt are indicating that an ice-free summer is not far away. However, there are a few regions where summer sea ice is anticipated to persist, if not permanently, than longer than most. As a crucial habitat for many Arctic animals, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has pinpointed these pockets for the creation of a protected Last Ice Area.

The proposed regions lie off the Northern tips of Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island. WWF intends to work with government and local communities to create a conservation strategy for the areas, one that protects vital habitat while accommodating the priorities of the local people who depend on that habitat for their economic and cultural survival.

With polar bear conservation at the helm of their campaign, the WWF has teamed up with corporate giant and marketing engine Coca Cola to raise both awareness and funds for the initiative. Making an initial donation of $2 million dollars to the cause, the company is also printing white labels on 1.4 billion of its normally red soda cans to encourage consumers to make donations by visiting www.arctichome.com.

Is this a bold step in the right direction or is it just good marketing? Let us know what you think! Email us at: editor@arcticjournal.ca

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation CEO, Roberta Jamieson (centre), poses with award recipients Minnie Grey (left) and Violet Ford (right).

January/February 2012

Congratulations to the recipients of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards 2012! The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), an organization dedicated to empowering aboriginal people in Canada, especially youth, to achieve their goals through education, administers the awards. To date, NAAF’s development and funding of educational programs, workshops and scholarships have helped over 34,000 students.

Each year the organization honours the accomplishments of 14 outstanding individuals of First Nations, Inuit or Métis heritage for having exhibited high achievement and excellence in their chosen careers.

February 24, the NAAA officially honours three remarkable Inuit women: The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq (Nunavut), Violet Ford (Newfoundland/Labrador) and Minnie Grey (Nunavik) for their accomplishments in the fields of politics, law and public service. The official awards ceremony will take place in Vancouver and be televised at a later date.

With the High North as its highest foreign policy priority, Norway has set an admirable example of peaceful and responsible develop – ment in the North. This, says Her Excellency Else Berit Eikeland (Norwegian Ambassador to Canada), has resulted largely from an insistence on meticulous scientific research and a strong emphasis on cooperation with other Arctic nations.

Recently, the Ambassador visited Winnipeg in a gesture that looks toward a bright future for Canadian-Norwegian cooperation by celebrating its historic beginnings forged by polar explorers and the Inuit people. She spoke at the University of Manitoba on Norwegian policy in the High Arctic where she emphasized increased international collaboration as the key to understanding and adapting to the current and future impacts of climate change in the North.

She made additional stops at the University’s Thorlakson Gallery and Manitoba Legislative Building to open the exhibit Cold Recall: Roald Amundsen’s Reflections from the Northwest Passage, an exhibit she calls “a celebration of the indigenous people of Canada.” Here, journal entries and hand-tinted photographs by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen offer a glimpse into his 1903-1906 groundbreaking expedition through the fabled Northwest Passage. Two years of this journey were spent with the Inuit around present day Gjoa Haven. It is from these people that Amundsen adopted an understanding of the survival skills required to endure the harsh Arctic climate. This invaluable traditional knowledge has been credited in the success of his 1911 achievement of planting the first flag at the South Pole. The exhibit also celebrates the centennial of this epic achievement.

Cold Recall runs until January 13 before moving on to the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit in February, The MacBride Museum in Whitehorse in April and to Gimli, Manitoba, in June.

January/February by above&beyond

It feels like it has taken a while, a long while — especially so to those who call the North their home and those involved in one or more of the many community, territorial, or national organizations, governments, or policy advisory groups dealing with northern issues — for substantive interest in the Arctic to take hold in the wider public domain, interest enough to command serious engagement and debate calling for the creation of a new northern era, a new way of doing things, a new approach to the rapidly changing economic, environmental and social challenges facing the Arctic.

Up to and including the final decades of the 20th Century, those enthralled or engaged in all things Arctic were comparatively few. Most people were understandably pre-occupied with embracing southern concepts of urban, suburban and rural opportunity, development, and renewal. This was especially true during the mid 1900s post Second World War era.

A great deal has been accomplished since. New models for governance that promote indigenous participation in the evolution of Canada’s northern regions, now numbering five (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, Nunavik and Labrador), continue to mature and take hold in mainstream thought and social development.

International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 (celebrating 125 years since the inception of IPY) provided a further catalyst for more robust exchanges of scientific information and ideas promoting national and global discussion on the Arctic. Topics such as climate change and Arctic resource management and sustainability have leapt to the fore.

Indigenous groups across the circumpolar world and Inuit, First Nations and Métis here at home are now finally able to add their inherent knowledge and ideas to the discussion. In 1999, Inuit, after close to 30 years of lobbying and negotiation, finally achieved full territorial status along with the right of self-governance and control over a vast swath of northern Canada with the creation of Nunavut.

In Nunavut, the concept of Qaujimajatuqangitat (IQ) — a compendium of Inuit traditional knowledge gained and passed down through the generations — is now being applied in areas of social and economic development, governance and education, based on the principle that better, far more relevant and palatable solutions to some modern issues can and will flow out of closer adherence to ancient Inuit wisdom. Concrete engagement, even activism too, are today more acceptable, assisted by a burgeoning social media component and information exchange conferences and think tanks that draw on expertise from a broad range of disciplines, governments, across academia and circumpolar governments.

Last January, for example, The Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, at the University of Toronto’s prestigious Munk School of Global Affairs, in association with the highly respected Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation (WDGF), hosted a day-long Arctic sovereignty and security forum to present the results and attendant expert analysis of the Ekos Research Associates poll jointly commissioned by the Centre and the WDGF titled, Rethinking the Top of the World: Arctic Security Public Opinion Survey.

The opinion sampling of some 9,000 respondents in Canada and across the balance of the eight member states that form the international Arctic research and advisory body known as the Arctic Council (Canada, United States, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Finland) polled the general populace of those nations on a wide spectrum of concerns in order to broadly quantify the level of general knowledge of circumpolar issues and gauge personal views and attitudes. One noteworthy (and telling) aspect of the Ekos survey’s methodology for this particular study was relative to the specific questions posed to Canada’s respondents (only).

For the purposes of their survey, Canadian respondents were split into two distinct geographic groups — those living in the North and those living in the South. The response aggregates of each group ultimately enabled researchers to define a clear comparative between similarities or differences in opinion on a wide range of topics including not only sovereignty and security issues but also a broad range of social concerns.

Concerns about Arctic sovereignty, security, the environmental impacts of climate change, education and social development and the ever growing resource demands of world economies.

Destined it seems to forever be a fragile, changing frontier, the North needs to quickly grow capacity and capability, not only militarily, but more urgently in the realm of education, opportunity and the ongoing development of healthy and sustainable economic and social programming that will prepare people for change within the context of their own self-determination and the needs and expectations of future generations of northerners, non-indigenous and indigenous alike.

Working groups on a wide variety of topics ranging from military and security needs to enabling greater indigenous participation in Arctic issues, facilitated broad discussion and opened the door to an appreciation that Canadians, of course, are not entirely alone in having to come to grips with the many challenges or threats all northern nations are facing.

Looking beyond the robust protectionist tone in Canadian responses the survey exposed — not only in the answers of respondents, but in our national media too — further analysis clearly indicates that we and neighbouring Arctic nations are in the main fair-minded, level-headed and essentially altruistic when it comes to our many concerns about Arctic sovereignty, security, the environmental impacts of climate change, education and social development and the ever growing resource demands of world economies.

Destined it seems to forever be a fragile, changing frontier, the North needs to quickly grow capacity and capability, not only militarily, but more urgently in the realm of education, opportunity and the ongoing development of healthy and sustainable economic and social programming that will prepare people for change within the context of their own self-determination and the needs and expectations of future generations of northerners, non-indigenous and indigenous alike.

Working groups on a wide variety of topics ranging from military and security needs to enabling greater indigenous participation in Arctic issues, facilitated broad discussion and opened the door to an appreciation that Canadians, of course, are not entirely alone in having to come to grips with the many challenges or threats all northern nations are facing.

Looking beyond the robust protectionist tone in Canadian responses the survey exposed — not only in the answers of respondents, but in our national media too — further analysis clearly indicates that we and neighbouring Arctic nations are in the main fair-minded, level-headed and essentially altruistic when it comes to our many Though our own attitudes and views may differ slightly due to geography, culture and circumstance, the door has never been so open to foster inclusive and enlightened discourse.

That our own concerns about the environment and social responsibility here at home are generally shared by many of our Arctic neighbours and allies gives real hope for the future. The Ekos survey also left no doubt whatsoever that in the minds of average Canadians, the North is an integral part of our heritage and our identity as a nation.

With no let up in sight of climate change’s relentless assault on the North, developing new and effective social and economic frameworks for the circumpolar regions call for ongoing dialogue, extensive consultation, goodwill and action on the parts of communities, governments and the corporate sector. The Arctic deserves our nurture. It deserves our respect, support and protection.

Northern indigenous groups are now at long last able to participate on a more equal footing. They are sought-after partners in shaping the evolution of their homelands and Canada as a whole. They are actively involved, their voices are strong, they are listened to. From them new organizations and social programming promoting better more knowledgeable approaches and beneficial alignments in the management of social, economic and political issues dealing with future sustainability and responsible stewardship are thriving here at home.

Capturing The Amazing Aurora

January/February 2012 by Nigel Fearon

It’s still summer and we’re camping. The night is just starting to get dark enough to see some stars and, more importantly, the Aurora. The chase begins as I lock down my tripod, pointing my camera west, opening the shutter and the lights quickly flutter to the other side of the sky. Sometimes slow moving, sometimes as fast as lightning — no two nights are ever the same.

As we quickly approach 2012, our eyes turn North to gaze into the night sky, awaiting a natural wonder that is beyond imagination — Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Over the next two years we can expect a show that is more intense and more active than it has been in recent memory — certainly than has been recorded by digital photography. Welcome to the maximum of Solar Cycle 24, ultimately peaking in the summer of 2013 when the Aurora may be seen as far south as California or Florida.

Currently we are two years into the solar cycle and heading into the solar maximum — the most active period of the 11-year solar cycle. This international event has captured the interest of the scientific communities, shown by the creation of the AuroraMax research project, a partnership between the Canadian Space Agency, University of Calgary, City of Yellowknife and Astronomy North. AuroraMax is a great effort to study the lights, but also an excellent resource for people around the world to share in our experience, thanks to the AuroraMax camera.

To some, the Northern Lights are phenomena veiled in mysticism, an unearthly spectacle only understood by scientists. But the explanation of the lights is really not that complicated. The sun constantly emits highly charged particles, called solar wind, streaming at the Earth at speeds around 1 million miles per hour, yet still taking 40 hours to reach Earth.

When these particles reach Earth’s magnetic field, the electrons and protons are hurled towards the Polar Regions where they react with atoms and molecules in the ionosphere, 100 to 600 kilometres above Earth. As energized electrons collide with oxygen atoms, energy is released in the form of an electric green light, the Aurora’s most common colour. On nights of higher activity, the solar particles will react somewhat differently with oxygen in the upper ionosphere, creating reds in the Aurora.

In my experience, this is often seen at the top edge of a band of green. I have yet to witness the stunning completely red Aurora I have seen in some photographs… but I am keeping my fingers crossed for this year.

At the peak of activity, the Aurora will also come alive with blue, purple and violet colours as particles interact with nitrogen 80 to 100 kilometres above Earth. These reactions all take place along the Auroral Oval, a band that encircles the Earth at the North (Aurora Borealis) and South (Aurora Australis). The bands are centred around the Earth’s magnetic poles and expand or contract according to the magnitude of the solar wind. The incredible dance that we witness is due to the fluctuations in atmospheric current.

Predicting the imminent arrival of the Aurora and anticipating their possible shapes and intensities is tricky business indeed, not unlike predicting the weather. However, a number of signs indicate a great night of Aurora. One is the occurrence of a sunspot facing Earth. Another is a solar flare or a coronal mass ejection (CME). Once these events occur, the activity on Earth can roughly be expected 40 hours later. Many resources are available for Aurora predictions.

In Yellowknife, we have our very own forecaster, thanks to dedicated Aurora and astronomy enthusiast James Pugsley: astronomynorth.com. Like the weather, I take these predictions with a grain of salt. Each evening I watch for the Aurora (I am lucky enough to see them from my back window and deck). Then, if I see the faintest hint of Aurora, I grab my gear and head out of town away from light pollution.

The first job is to find an interesting spot to take photos of the Northern Lights out on the land. Really this means finding a location that is facing the right direction — Aurora typically follow a line from east to west — that also has something else interesting in the foreground. In the summer and fall, water is a favourite element to include in a photograph, since it magnifies the presence of the lights with a stunning reflection. Other favourites include trees, which are more typical, and cliffs, to create interesting geometry with various shapes. Houseboats, old vehicles, the city or even an ice-castle are great elements to include, in Yellowknife anyway.

Once a stunning foreground element is chosen to anchor the image, I set up my tripod, the first crucial ingredient to successful Aurora photography. Next is the camera. Unfortunately, capturing the Aurora often requires a high-end digital SLR for the best results and always have the quality set to RAW. This allows your photos to retain the most information and quality. JPEG is possible, but you basically loose the ability to edit the photos. Film is certainly possible, but at ISO speeds of 1600 or greater, results are often grainy and of lesser quality. With RAW photos, white balance is easy to adjust on the computer, but if you’re shooting JPEGs, then setting your white balance to “tungsten” is a good starting point.

With camera mounted securely, you’ll want to go for a good wide-angle view, ideally 24 mm and wider. Personally my preference is a regular wide-angle over the fisheye, since it distorts the land less, but the benefit of a fisheye is that you can capture the whole sky with the 180º field of view.

In terms of aperture control, your setting should be wide open. For the DSLR crowd, an aperture of f2.8 is ideal. Any less than that, focusing precisely is difficult. More than that and you are not letting in enough light. Actual exposure time and best ISO rating can vary from night to night. Typically I start out at ISO 800 with a 30-second exposure, then adjust according to the strength of the lights. I prefer to not go over 30 seconds for the exposure time because once you do, the stars begin to leave trails and I think they look much better as sharp points of light.

Manually focusing your camera is often the hardest task when it’s dark and below -30ºC. There are two methods that I’ve used with relative success. The first works well if your lens has a distance scale on it. During the day, find something that is quite far away and focus on it. Take note of where the focus is, relative to the ∞ (infinity) mark. You’re essentially looking for the hyperfocal distance (there are many tutorials available for help determining this focus point). Once you find this sweet spot on your lens, then you can easily find it again at night. The other method is to use “live view” on your camera to focus. Once in live view, set your focus point on the brightest star in the sky that you can see, then manually focus until the star is the smallest, most defined point possible.

Of course the most important step is to be daring and press that shutter. For best results a cable release is recommended, but if you don’t have one of those, then simply use the timer setting on your camera. Exposure times can range from 1 to 60 seconds, so just get out there and play around. With the longer exposures you can often enjoy watching the lights more than looking through the lens, which is the best part of Aurora photography — just enjoying the spectacular show unfolding above!

Nigel Fearon is a photographer, based out of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and has been photographing the Aurora Borealis for three years. You can follow his adventure into the AuroraMax on his blog and more of his work can be found at www.nigelfearon.ca.