Journey to the Arctic: Last Day on the Tundra Buggy

Friday, October 28, 2011

Last Day on the Tundra Buggy

This will be my last day on the tundra buggy. It's been five days since I actually walked on the ground. It's a weird feeling. I've actually grown sea legs! The time has just flown by. It's been a lot of work but a whole lot of fun also.

I have met people from all over the world: Antarctica, Germany, India, Australia, Thailand, China, Korea and a few others that I know I'm forgetting. It has been a really awesome experience.

The weather is way to warm for this time of year. We've only had a few flurries and the temperature has been between 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit. It's comfortable for us but so unfair to the bears!

I'm hoping to see more bears as the day progresses. This morning I had quite an experience. We walk on porches that have open grids on them when we travel between the cars at the tundra buggy lodge. I was heading out to breakfast and as I left the sleeping car, I heard this sniffing sound below me. There was this huge male right below me sniffing my boots. He stayed there for about 5 minutes and I got to sit there with him. It was truly the most awesome thing I have ever experienced. I was so tempted to reach down and touch his big black nose. He looked so sweet and fuzzy that I actually had to consciously keep my hands inside my pockets.

By the way, we have had over 1000 people watching the blog from the US, Germany, Armenia, Russia, England, Denmark, Korea, Canada and a few other nations I can't recall. It's rather awesome!

Welcome

I’m so happy that you’ve come to share this incredible journey with me. I hope that I can do justice to the experience through my own words and pictures and those of others I meet along the way.

I will be writing a daily blog of my experiences. However, there will be times when I’m out in the field without internet access so posting them may be sporadic so check back frequently for updates.

I encourage you to leave comments and questions by clicking on the word "comments" in red at the end of each posting. Comments will not show up immediately as they are moderated. You can subscribe to posts by clicking on the "Subscribe to: Posts" (in red) just once at the end of any post.

You may also email me at kathy.donahue@mac.com. My goal is to make this blog as interactive as possible. Please feel free to share this information with those who might be interested. I invite both kids and adults to email me.

My name is Kathy Donahue. I am a Michigan environmental educator and have loved sharing the wonder of science and the natural world in our woods and lakes with school groups, summer camps and the local community. However the global effects of climate change are threatening our world today in ways that are unprecedented in human history. I find myself inspired to do more than what I can on a local level.

Working as a volunteer with Polar Bears International (PBI), I have already traveled to Sudbury, Canada as a presenter for the 2010 Roots and Shoots Conference for Canadian youth and have attended a presentation at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago by Dr. Steve Amstrup (senior PBI scientist) and Dr. Ian Stirling (a Canadian scientist with over 40 years experience studying polar bears in the field).

I am so excited to be a part of the PBI team going to the arctic (Churchill, Manitoba, Canada) starting October 13, 2011.It is a privilege to be working with such an exceptional group of people – all experts in their field - who share a common passion and belief that humans can make positive lifestyle changes that will be sustainable for maintaining a healthy planet for generations to come.

Working together as part of an international team of educators and scientists, we will be developing educational materials onsite as well as broadcasting programs via the internet to classrooms and groups throughout the world documenting the rapidly deteriorating conditions in the arctic due to climate change and encouraging people to think in new sustainable ways.

Change can only occur when we take to heart the power of our experiences, intuition, science, a strong dose of common sense and turn that wisdom and knowledge into action through passionate embrace. The greatest gift we can give to our children and all living things on this earth is to empower others to make the changes in their daily lives that will increase sustainability on this planet.

Inspiration From the Field

The greatest danger to our future is apathy.
Jane Goodall

Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.

Kenyan Proverb

The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Jane Goodall

Let the beauty of what you LOVE be what you DO.
Rumi

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.
Author Unknown

My mission is to create a world where we can live in harmony with nature.
Jane Goodall

Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.
Jane Goodall

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Gandhi

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.
Jane Goodall

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We only love what we understand. We only understand what we are taught.
Babia Dioum (Senegalese Ecologist)

Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of confusion and bamboozle requires intelligence, vigilance, dedication and courage. But if we don't practice these tough habits of thought, we cannot hope to solve the truly serious problems that face us -- and we risk becoming a nation of suckers, up for grabs by the next charlatan who comes along.

Carl Sagan