Wapusk National Park

Wapusk National Park

In the language of the Cree the word “wapusk” means “white bear”. In Wapusk National Park and the small adjacent town of Churchill, almost everything revolves around this white bear. The park is located in the far northeast of the province of Manitoba, directly by the coast of the Hudson Bay. This so-called “icehouse of North America” is also home to the largest polar bear population in the world, all year round. Measuring 11,000 square kilometres, the Wapusk National Park forms the transitional zone between the endless coniferous forests of southern Manitoba and the arctic tundra of Nunavut in the north. Because of its fragile ecosystem and the many polar bears, visitors to Wapusk National Park are forbidden to enter without a guide and there are no roads in the park. During the summer months, hungry polar bears feed on plants and small animals. But from November onwards, the Hudson Bay is completely frozen and after the hardships of summer on land, the bears can finally return to the ice to hunt.

Amongst others, the film accompanies employees of Parks Canada, who work in Wapusk on their long-term studies on climate change. The nature on the edge of the Arctic is an indicator of imminent change across the globe. Set alone in the wide expanse of the tundra lies the research station Nester I. It was established in 1969 to investigate the nesting behaviour of Canada geese. In the mouth of the Churchill River thousands of Beluga whales cavort. Young scientists from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre study their genetic code using their bladders. Meanwhile, Churchill residents are training their sled dogs for the upcoming winter – an old tradition among the First Nation population of the Métis. There is no other place on earth where it is more obvious, that man and nature are dependent on each other.