Ecological Vegetation Management
David Polster, Plant ecologist specializing in ecological restoration, mine reclamation and vegetation management
Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Imagine roadside vegetation that manages itself: sweet clover plants that quietly retreat from Yukon roadsides where they choke out native species of grasses and flowers. Sounds like magic? Understanding the ecological principles that dictate vegetation establishment and growth can provide long-term solutions to weed management challenges.
In some cases, our traditional treatment of vegetation actually enhances conditions for the very weeds we are trying to get rid of. Awareness of how these weeds operate allows us to design management systems that control and eventually eliminate the weeds. Join Dave Polster as he looks at how the natural dynamics of the vegetation can be used to develop cost-effective management systems.
Predicting the consequences of climate change in northern alpine ecosystems:
a tale of pikas, plants and long-term observing networks
David Hik, Ecologist, University of Alberta
and Executive Director of the Canadian International Polar Year Secretariat
Sunday, July 8, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Of the four circumpolar Arctic sub-regions defined in the 2005 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Alaska and the Canadian Yukon have experienced the most dramatic warming, resulting in some major ecological impacts. Small mammals, like collared pikas and hoary marmots, appear to be particularly sensitive to warmer winter conditions. Similarly, warmer growing season temperatures are associated with changes in plant communities, resulting in a ‘greening’ of the tundra. An overview of the results of a decade long research project in the mountains of the southwest Yukon will be presented as a means of understanding changes in the alpine ecosystem.
Finally, the need for a well coordinated and sustained Arctic observing network that meets scientific and societal needs has been identified many times. During the International Polar Year (2007-2008) there will be a renewed effort to improve Arctic observing capabilities that will provide free, open and timely access to high quality data that will help us predict and understand the future of northern environments in the Yukon and elsewhere.
Edward Glave: Early Expeditions to the Congo and
Tatshenshini Rivers, 1883-1895
Julie Cruikshank, Professor emerita, Department of Anthropology,
University of British Columbia
Sunday, May 6, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, May 7, 2007, 7:30 pm Kluane National Park VRC, Haines Junction
In 1890, a young British man named Edward Glave traveled to the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers as a member of the Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper Expedition, and he returned in 1891. Glave was a prolific writer and his expedition reports were immediately serialized in popular magazines. He described the country and inhabitants in some detail. He recorded names and drew sketches of First Nation people living on the Tatshenshini River valley that were recognizable to members of Champagne-Aishihik First Nation sixty years later.
Surprisingly, Glave was also one of Henry Morton Stanley’s officers on the Congo River in Africa for six years prior to his Yukon visits, and returned to Africa after his Alsek/Tatshenshini travels. Three recent books have suggested that Glave’s African writings may have inspired characters in Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, Heart of Darkness. This lecture will compare Glave’s experiences in these two very different regions – the jungle and the Saint Elias Icefields – and his legacies in each location.
Forensic Science in International Human Rights Investigations
Bob Stair, Coroner for the province of BC
Sunday, April 22, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, April 23, 2007, 7:30 pm Dawson City Museum, Dawson City
Part science, part history, part travelogue, and part mass murder investigation, Bob Stair’s lecture on his experiences as a forensic investigator is graphic and not for the faint of heart.
Canadian forensic laboratory scientists and scenes of crime investigators are among the most highly trained and experienced in the world, and are highly sought after for international work. In the pursuit of evidence to support criminal charges relating to either War Crimes or Human Rights violations, they use a broad array of techniques borrowed from such scientific disciplines as Anthropology, Archaeology, Botany, Entomology and Geophysics.
This presentation will provide a snapshot into the procedures used by Canadian teams during the search for, and excavation of, human remains in countries such as Ukraine, East Timor, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. Join Bob as he draws on his own experiences to illustrate the challenges, successes and failures encountered in these countries.
Space Exploration: An Astronaut's Perspective
Julie Payette, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut
Thursday, April 19, 2007, 7:30 pm Westmark Whitehorse, Whitehorse
In 1992, Montréal born Julie Payette was selected from among 5,330 applicants to become a Canadian astronaut. In 1999, after completing her training in Houston, Texas, she flew on Space Shuttle Discovery. She contributed to the building of the International Space Station by serving as a mission specialist responsible for the station's systems, and operated Canadarm while in orbit. Join Julie Payette as she discusses her experiences in space.
Science at the ends of the earth
Fred Roots, Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada
Former member of Canadian International Geophysical Year committee and U.S. Committee on Polar Research
Sunday, March 18, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, March 19, 2007, 6:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
In 1992, Montréal born Julie Payette was selected from among 5,330 applicants to become a Canadian astronaut. In 1999, after completing her training in Houston, Texas, she flew on Space Shuttle Discovery. She contributed to the building of the International Space Station by serving as a mission specialist responsible for the station's systems, and operated Canadarm while in orbit. Join Julie Payette as she discusses her experiences in space.
This is not the first coordinated study of the polar regions. In 1882-83, eleven countries sent 14 separate expeditions to the arctic and sub-antarctic regions, not to make new geographical discoveries, but to take careful simultaneous standardized observations of weather, magnetism, aurora, tides and other phenomena. The result was the first-ever complete snapshot of the entire planet. It had an enormous effect in improving weather forecasting and navigation, and even more important, it established science as an international activity for producing reliable knowledge available to everyone.
The subsequent two International Polar Years have had similar impacts including the launching of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. And now we are embarking on the most ambitious IPY of them all. IPY-IV includes studies in biology, and the role of humans and their cultures as an essential part of our planet; and it will give young people and teachers at all levels a role in learning about, and caring for, our little home in space.
Yukon's Land and Sea
Monday, February 19, 2007, 7:30 pm, Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
In one evening, two members of the Canadian Polar Commission will be presenting perspectives on environmental issues encompassing both land and sea. Join them as they present the following lectures.
Restoration of toxic abandoned mine tailings sites in the Yukon by native vegetation: an experimental approach
Tom Hutchinson Chair, Canadian Polar Commission Professor,
Environmental & Resource Studies Program, Trent University
A large number of abandoned mine sites exist in the Yukon. Some, as in the Klondike, represent a striking visual legacy of the 100+ years of mining and mineral extraction in the Yukon. Many others have been naturally revegetated over the years, to the point that little visible remains to tell the observer that mining once took place there. However, a large number of other sites are proving to be very resistant to natural revegetation, despite many years having passed since their abandonment.
The reasons for this ongoing challenge relate to many physical and chemical factors. Tom Hutchinson and his co-workers have selected 3 of the most toxic and challenging sites in the Yukon as locations at which to run long-term experiments designed to provide an initial surface plant cover which will lead to a permanent solution, with minimal management interventions. Join Tom as he outlines the process, the challenges, and the results of the last 4 years of work.
Taking measure of the Yukon Territory’s maritime dimensions: ocean resources, the environment and sovereignty
Ron Macnab, Canadian Polar Commission
Geological Survey of Canada (retired)
The Yukon Territory is almost totally surrounded by the land masses of the Northwest Territories, the Province of British Columbia, and the State of Alaska. But the Yukon is not landlocked: by virtue of its short northern coastline, the Territory opens onto the Arctic Ocean, where it assumes certain characteristics and concerns that are more typical of a maritime constituency.
Ron Macnab’s presentation will provide a brief overview of current issues and developments in the oceanic realm that could have long-lasting economic and social effects upon the Yukon. Considered by many to be a mixed blessing, these consequences arise from: the pursuit and development of offshore energy resources; the progressive shrinking of the permanent pack ice; the ongoing debates over sovereignty and international shipping in the Northwest Passage; and the expansion of Canada’s sovereign rights beyond the usual 200 nautical mile limit.
Developing avalanche safety systems for backcountry enthusiasts:
research at the interface of natural and social sciences
Pascal Haegeli, Avalanche consultant
post doctoral fellow, Simon Fraser University
Sunday, January 21, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, January 22, 2007, 6:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
Avalanches are a powerful force in the winter mountain landscape. Each winter in Canada, an average of 12 people are killed and many more are injured by avalanches. Most of these accidents happen during recreational activities, such as backcountry skiing, snowmobile riding and out-of-bounds skiing.
Recent studies show that many avalanche victims knew how to recognize dangerous conditions. Some of them even had formal avalanche training. So why did they get caught? Growing evidence suggests that many avalanche victims dies because they lack a systematic way of making decisions in avalanche terrain.
In this presentation, Dr. Haegeli will present the results of the ADFAR (Avalanche Decision Framework for Amateur Recreationists) project of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Under this project, natural and social scientists collaborated in what has been quoted as one of the most comprehensive efforts to understand and improve recreational decision-making in avalanche terrain. After giving overviews of the various research projects, Dr. Haegeli will present the Avaluator, a new rule-based decision method for backcountry enthusiasts.
Wildlife communities and changing environments: Lessons learned from pikas, ptarmigan and voles
Sunday, December 3, 2006, 7:30 pm, Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Over the last two years, Troy Pretzlaw and Kieran O’Donovan have been roaming the tundra and forests of the Yukon studying a variety of animal communities in order to better understand how they will adapt to a changing climate. Join them as they share their experiences and their observations.
Collared pikas and climate change
Kieran O'Donovan, Masters candidate, University of Alberta
Monday, December 4, 2006, 7:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
If the climate of the Yukon continues to warm at the current rate, which parts of the Yukon environment will be able to adapt, and for how long? And which elements are likely to become locally extinct? To examine these questions, Kieran O’Donovan is studying the behavioural adaptations collared pikas use to exploit habitats ranging in quality from the harsh nunataks of the St Elias Icefields to the comparatively lush mountains of the Ruby Ranges.
Kieran’s research is one element within a larger project designed to assess the biological and physical effects of climate change in the southwest Yukon. Join him as he shares aspects of his work with pikas, and how his research fits within the larger goal of developing a predictive model for ecosystem responses to climate change.
Wildlife at the edge: Species of the forest to tundra transition
Troy Pretzlaw, Masters candidate, McGill University
Tuesday, December 5, 2006, 7:30 pm Dawson City Museum, Dawson
Travelling along the Dempster Highway, you see patches of forest and tundra, one after another, as forest gradually transitions to tundra. We know very little about the animal communities in this region. Do species that are found together in forest ecosystems occur together in the same groups in these transition zones? Or do forest species mix with tundra species along the edges of their ranges? In what way will ranges shift in a warming climate?
In 2005, Troy Pretzlaw and his field crew set out to explore these questions. Living out of a pickup camper from February to August, they studied 20 small mammal and 2 bird species along the Dempster highway. Join Troy as he shares his findings and experiences, and how they have led to new avenues of research.
A Mile in these Shoes: How Apachean ancestors arrived in the American Southwest
Dr. Jack Ives, Provincial Archaeologist, Heritage Resource Management Branch, Alberta Community Development
Sunday, November 5, 2006, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, November 6, 2006, 7:00 pm Teslin Public Library, Teslin
Despite the fact that the Athapaskan language family covers the largest geographic area in North America, little is known about how Athapaskan speakers came to occupy such vast and different areas. This is particularly true of the Navajo and Apache, who clearly share close ties with Canadian Dene speakers.
Dry deposits in the Promontory Caves of northern Utah preserved organic items seldom seen in the archaeological record: moccasins, a mitten, cane arrows, fabric and wooden tools. Some of these artifacts are remarkably similar to those found in Subarctic Canada, including finds from the southern Yukon ice patches. Viewing the Promontory finds through the eyes of two giants in 20th century anthropology, Edward Sapir and Julian Steward, Jack Ives will lead us in the footsteps of Apachean ancestors who left Canada and made their way into the American Southwest, more than a thousand years ago.
Losing large sharks from the ocean
Alejandro Frid, Marine Ecologist
Sunday, October 29, 2006, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
With rare exceptions, industrial fisheries are a super-predator. There is no species that they leave untouched. Once they deplete a particular stock, they simply move on to the next and the next and the next. The problem is exacerbated by the simple fact that it is very difficult to know what is going on down there, underneath the surface and in the deep waters. Almost always we find out too little and too late about the damage that industrial fisheries have done.
Large sharks, which require many years to become sexually mature and have low reproductive rates, are particularly susceptible to overexploitation. They are going, going, going. Several eminent scientists have highlighted the collapse of large predatory fish and some changes to marine communities after exploitation. The story that they tell, as scary as it is, is incomplete.
Drawing on his work with sleeper sharks and seals in the Gulf of Alaska, and tiger sharks and green turtles in Western Australia, Alejandro Frid will explore the effects of industrial fisheries on the behavioural interactions of different species. Join him to learn more about the dynamic life lived in the ocean and the threats it is facing.
David Polster, Plant ecologist specializing in ecological restoration, mine reclamation and vegetation management
Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Imagine roadside vegetation that manages itself: sweet clover plants that quietly retreat from Yukon roadsides where they choke out native species of grasses and flowers. Sounds like magic? Understanding the ecological principles that dictate vegetation establishment and growth can provide long-term solutions to weed management challenges.
In some cases, our traditional treatment of vegetation actually enhances conditions for the very weeds we are trying to get rid of. Awareness of how these weeds operate allows us to design management systems that control and eventually eliminate the weeds. Join Dave Polster as he looks at how the natural dynamics of the vegetation can be used to develop cost-effective management systems.
Predicting the consequences of climate change in northern alpine ecosystems:
a tale of pikas, plants and long-term observing networks
David Hik, Ecologist, University of Alberta
and Executive Director of the Canadian International Polar Year Secretariat
Sunday, July 8, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Of the four circumpolar Arctic sub-regions defined in the 2005 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Alaska and the Canadian Yukon have experienced the most dramatic warming, resulting in some major ecological impacts. Small mammals, like collared pikas and hoary marmots, appear to be particularly sensitive to warmer winter conditions. Similarly, warmer growing season temperatures are associated with changes in plant communities, resulting in a ‘greening’ of the tundra. An overview of the results of a decade long research project in the mountains of the southwest Yukon will be presented as a means of understanding changes in the alpine ecosystem.
Finally, the need for a well coordinated and sustained Arctic observing network that meets scientific and societal needs has been identified many times. During the International Polar Year (2007-2008) there will be a renewed effort to improve Arctic observing capabilities that will provide free, open and timely access to high quality data that will help us predict and understand the future of northern environments in the Yukon and elsewhere.
Edward Glave: Early Expeditions to the Congo and
Tatshenshini Rivers, 1883-1895
Julie Cruikshank, Professor emerita, Department of Anthropology,
University of British Columbia
Sunday, May 6, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, May 7, 2007, 7:30 pm Kluane National Park VRC, Haines Junction
In 1890, a young British man named Edward Glave traveled to the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers as a member of the Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper Expedition, and he returned in 1891. Glave was a prolific writer and his expedition reports were immediately serialized in popular magazines. He described the country and inhabitants in some detail. He recorded names and drew sketches of First Nation people living on the Tatshenshini River valley that were recognizable to members of Champagne-Aishihik First Nation sixty years later.
Surprisingly, Glave was also one of Henry Morton Stanley’s officers on the Congo River in Africa for six years prior to his Yukon visits, and returned to Africa after his Alsek/Tatshenshini travels. Three recent books have suggested that Glave’s African writings may have inspired characters in Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, Heart of Darkness. This lecture will compare Glave’s experiences in these two very different regions – the jungle and the Saint Elias Icefields – and his legacies in each location.
Forensic Science in International Human Rights Investigations
Bob Stair, Coroner for the province of BC
Sunday, April 22, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, April 23, 2007, 7:30 pm Dawson City Museum, Dawson City
Part science, part history, part travelogue, and part mass murder investigation, Bob Stair’s lecture on his experiences as a forensic investigator is graphic and not for the faint of heart.
Canadian forensic laboratory scientists and scenes of crime investigators are among the most highly trained and experienced in the world, and are highly sought after for international work. In the pursuit of evidence to support criminal charges relating to either War Crimes or Human Rights violations, they use a broad array of techniques borrowed from such scientific disciplines as Anthropology, Archaeology, Botany, Entomology and Geophysics.
This presentation will provide a snapshot into the procedures used by Canadian teams during the search for, and excavation of, human remains in countries such as Ukraine, East Timor, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. Join Bob as he draws on his own experiences to illustrate the challenges, successes and failures encountered in these countries.
Space Exploration: An Astronaut's Perspective
Julie Payette, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut
Thursday, April 19, 2007, 7:30 pm Westmark Whitehorse, Whitehorse
In 1992, Montréal born Julie Payette was selected from among 5,330 applicants to become a Canadian astronaut. In 1999, after completing her training in Houston, Texas, she flew on Space Shuttle Discovery. She contributed to the building of the International Space Station by serving as a mission specialist responsible for the station's systems, and operated Canadarm while in orbit. Join Julie Payette as she discusses her experiences in space.
Science at the ends of the earth
Fred Roots, Science Advisor Emeritus to Environment Canada
Former member of Canadian International Geophysical Year committee and U.S. Committee on Polar Research
Sunday, March 18, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, March 19, 2007, 6:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
In 1992, Montréal born Julie Payette was selected from among 5,330 applicants to become a Canadian astronaut. In 1999, after completing her training in Houston, Texas, she flew on Space Shuttle Discovery. She contributed to the building of the International Space Station by serving as a mission specialist responsible for the station's systems, and operated Canadarm while in orbit. Join Julie Payette as she discusses her experiences in space.
This is not the first coordinated study of the polar regions. In 1882-83, eleven countries sent 14 separate expeditions to the arctic and sub-antarctic regions, not to make new geographical discoveries, but to take careful simultaneous standardized observations of weather, magnetism, aurora, tides and other phenomena. The result was the first-ever complete snapshot of the entire planet. It had an enormous effect in improving weather forecasting and navigation, and even more important, it established science as an international activity for producing reliable knowledge available to everyone.
The subsequent two International Polar Years have had similar impacts including the launching of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. And now we are embarking on the most ambitious IPY of them all. IPY-IV includes studies in biology, and the role of humans and their cultures as an essential part of our planet; and it will give young people and teachers at all levels a role in learning about, and caring for, our little home in space.
Yukon's Land and Sea
Monday, February 19, 2007, 7:30 pm, Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
In one evening, two members of the Canadian Polar Commission will be presenting perspectives on environmental issues encompassing both land and sea. Join them as they present the following lectures.
Restoration of toxic abandoned mine tailings sites in the Yukon by native vegetation: an experimental approach
Tom Hutchinson Chair, Canadian Polar Commission Professor,
Environmental & Resource Studies Program, Trent University
A large number of abandoned mine sites exist in the Yukon. Some, as in the Klondike, represent a striking visual legacy of the 100+ years of mining and mineral extraction in the Yukon. Many others have been naturally revegetated over the years, to the point that little visible remains to tell the observer that mining once took place there. However, a large number of other sites are proving to be very resistant to natural revegetation, despite many years having passed since their abandonment.
The reasons for this ongoing challenge relate to many physical and chemical factors. Tom Hutchinson and his co-workers have selected 3 of the most toxic and challenging sites in the Yukon as locations at which to run long-term experiments designed to provide an initial surface plant cover which will lead to a permanent solution, with minimal management interventions. Join Tom as he outlines the process, the challenges, and the results of the last 4 years of work.
Taking measure of the Yukon Territory’s maritime dimensions: ocean resources, the environment and sovereignty
Ron Macnab, Canadian Polar Commission
Geological Survey of Canada (retired)
The Yukon Territory is almost totally surrounded by the land masses of the Northwest Territories, the Province of British Columbia, and the State of Alaska. But the Yukon is not landlocked: by virtue of its short northern coastline, the Territory opens onto the Arctic Ocean, where it assumes certain characteristics and concerns that are more typical of a maritime constituency.
Ron Macnab’s presentation will provide a brief overview of current issues and developments in the oceanic realm that could have long-lasting economic and social effects upon the Yukon. Considered by many to be a mixed blessing, these consequences arise from: the pursuit and development of offshore energy resources; the progressive shrinking of the permanent pack ice; the ongoing debates over sovereignty and international shipping in the Northwest Passage; and the expansion of Canada’s sovereign rights beyond the usual 200 nautical mile limit.
Developing avalanche safety systems for backcountry enthusiasts:
research at the interface of natural and social sciences
Pascal Haegeli, Avalanche consultant
post doctoral fellow, Simon Fraser University
Sunday, January 21, 2007, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, January 22, 2007, 6:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
Avalanches are a powerful force in the winter mountain landscape. Each winter in Canada, an average of 12 people are killed and many more are injured by avalanches. Most of these accidents happen during recreational activities, such as backcountry skiing, snowmobile riding and out-of-bounds skiing.
Recent studies show that many avalanche victims knew how to recognize dangerous conditions. Some of them even had formal avalanche training. So why did they get caught? Growing evidence suggests that many avalanche victims dies because they lack a systematic way of making decisions in avalanche terrain.
In this presentation, Dr. Haegeli will present the results of the ADFAR (Avalanche Decision Framework for Amateur Recreationists) project of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Under this project, natural and social scientists collaborated in what has been quoted as one of the most comprehensive efforts to understand and improve recreational decision-making in avalanche terrain. After giving overviews of the various research projects, Dr. Haegeli will present the Avaluator, a new rule-based decision method for backcountry enthusiasts.
Wildlife communities and changing environments: Lessons learned from pikas, ptarmigan and voles
Sunday, December 3, 2006, 7:30 pm, Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Over the last two years, Troy Pretzlaw and Kieran O’Donovan have been roaming the tundra and forests of the Yukon studying a variety of animal communities in order to better understand how they will adapt to a changing climate. Join them as they share their experiences and their observations.
Collared pikas and climate change
Kieran O'Donovan, Masters candidate, University of Alberta
Monday, December 4, 2006, 7:30 pm Kluane National Park Visitor Reception Centre, Haines Junction
If the climate of the Yukon continues to warm at the current rate, which parts of the Yukon environment will be able to adapt, and for how long? And which elements are likely to become locally extinct? To examine these questions, Kieran O’Donovan is studying the behavioural adaptations collared pikas use to exploit habitats ranging in quality from the harsh nunataks of the St Elias Icefields to the comparatively lush mountains of the Ruby Ranges.
Kieran’s research is one element within a larger project designed to assess the biological and physical effects of climate change in the southwest Yukon. Join him as he shares aspects of his work with pikas, and how his research fits within the larger goal of developing a predictive model for ecosystem responses to climate change.
Wildlife at the edge: Species of the forest to tundra transition
Troy Pretzlaw, Masters candidate, McGill University
Tuesday, December 5, 2006, 7:30 pm Dawson City Museum, Dawson
Travelling along the Dempster Highway, you see patches of forest and tundra, one after another, as forest gradually transitions to tundra. We know very little about the animal communities in this region. Do species that are found together in forest ecosystems occur together in the same groups in these transition zones? Or do forest species mix with tundra species along the edges of their ranges? In what way will ranges shift in a warming climate?
In 2005, Troy Pretzlaw and his field crew set out to explore these questions. Living out of a pickup camper from February to August, they studied 20 small mammal and 2 bird species along the Dempster highway. Join Troy as he shares his findings and experiences, and how they have led to new avenues of research.
A Mile in these Shoes: How Apachean ancestors arrived in the American Southwest
Dr. Jack Ives, Provincial Archaeologist, Heritage Resource Management Branch, Alberta Community Development
Sunday, November 5, 2006, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, November 6, 2006, 7:00 pm Teslin Public Library, Teslin
Despite the fact that the Athapaskan language family covers the largest geographic area in North America, little is known about how Athapaskan speakers came to occupy such vast and different areas. This is particularly true of the Navajo and Apache, who clearly share close ties with Canadian Dene speakers.
Dry deposits in the Promontory Caves of northern Utah preserved organic items seldom seen in the archaeological record: moccasins, a mitten, cane arrows, fabric and wooden tools. Some of these artifacts are remarkably similar to those found in Subarctic Canada, including finds from the southern Yukon ice patches. Viewing the Promontory finds through the eyes of two giants in 20th century anthropology, Edward Sapir and Julian Steward, Jack Ives will lead us in the footsteps of Apachean ancestors who left Canada and made their way into the American Southwest, more than a thousand years ago.
Losing large sharks from the ocean
Alejandro Frid, Marine Ecologist
Sunday, October 29, 2006, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
With rare exceptions, industrial fisheries are a super-predator. There is no species that they leave untouched. Once they deplete a particular stock, they simply move on to the next and the next and the next. The problem is exacerbated by the simple fact that it is very difficult to know what is going on down there, underneath the surface and in the deep waters. Almost always we find out too little and too late about the damage that industrial fisheries have done.
Large sharks, which require many years to become sexually mature and have low reproductive rates, are particularly susceptible to overexploitation. They are going, going, going. Several eminent scientists have highlighted the collapse of large predatory fish and some changes to marine communities after exploitation. The story that they tell, as scary as it is, is incomplete.
Drawing on his work with sleeper sharks and seals in the Gulf of Alaska, and tiger sharks and green turtles in Western Australia, Alejandro Frid will explore the effects of industrial fisheries on the behavioural interactions of different species. Join him to learn more about the dynamic life lived in the ocean and the threats it is facing.