Wolf and polar bear share a peaceful moment at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
by Allison Reimer
Churchill Wild loves to celebrate the accomplishments and endeavors of our fellow tour operators, as they strive to bring more good people to northern Manitoba. Spirit Way’s Wolf and Carnivore Conference in Thompson on October 18-19 is just such an endeavor.
Although polar bear tours and polar bear walking safaris are our main focus at Churchill Wild, we do get rogue wolf packs wandering past our front door on occasion, and wolves are thrilling to watch and photograph. Whether playing with each other or howling mournfully into the evening, they never cease to amaze. The Wolf and Carnivore Conference should be a howl of a time, and the Early Bird Discount is on until July 31.
Thompson has a healthy, albeit unstudied, wolf population roaming its surrounding boreal forests, and Spirit Way has started a treasure hunt to learn more about them. With unstudied and undocumented numbers, they are developing a wolf culture around Thompson.
The Wolf and Carnivore Conference will feature world-renowned scientists, researchers and wildlife conservationists and it’s sure to be a ground-breaking experience. Conference presentations will include: how climate change is affecting polar bears and other carnivores; whether wolves are at fault for declining moose and caribou populations; and the game plan for creating a Wolf Centre of Excellence.
Northern carnivores are mesmerising and Spirit Way is also providing an exclusive day-trip option for conference attendees. You can register for a Tundra Buggy tour that takes place on October 17 in Churchill. Guests will be flown to Churchill in the morning and be met by Frontier’s North staff, after which they will be spirited away to a Tundra Buggy to spend the day watching polar bears roam the Hudson Bay coast.
Just before dinner, guests will arrive back in the eclectic town of Churchill for a chance to shop and view some of the fabulous Sea Walls Churchill murals freshly decorating the town, enjoying a delicious meal before hopping on the plane back to Thompson for the Wolf and Carnivore Conference the following day.
On October 20, polar bear expert Nikita Ovysanikov will present a never-before offered workshop on safe polar bear encounters and conflict prevention methods. This will be an all-day seminar and attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance afterward. If you’ve never viewed his fascinating documentary Polar Bears: Life on the Field of Bones, you’ll certainly want to find a copy after listening to Ovysanikov’s stories.
The Wolf and Carnivore Conference will be held at Riverlodge Place, a stunning venue designed to provide more personal interaction with the keynote speakers and wolf experts. The conference is also designed to help create a wolf economy in Manitoba and to help develop a global Wolf Viewing and Study Centre.
After the conference, organizers are offering an optional bus tour of the Spirit Way, where guests can see striking public art, including a 10-story wolf mural and 35 locally crafted and painted wolf statues.
There are only 140 seats available at the Wolf and Carnivore Conference, so make sure to register early, and if you want to register for the Early Bird Discount before July 31, you should go here.
Don’t miss out on the chance to be a part of the pack in furthering wolf research, awareness and conservation!
