My time is coming to a close...but not yet!

Well I wasn't sure that I would get a final blog in before leaving but as we are looking at a 12 hour train delay here the time seemed right for a summary and some thank-yous.

I've had a very productive and enjoyable field season this year, and really got a chance to be a part of the larger community up here. Thanks to Brittany and Leah, field team extraordinaire! Thanks to the ladies of S3 and the "warm" lab for keeping things fun, you really made this field season unique! Thanks to the staff at the CNSC for all the incredible work they do...without the support of the CNSC there are many research projects (including mine) which would not be possible. I appreciate all the hot meals, help with vehicles, cleaning, advice, general mentoring, field assistance and all of the other hats you wear! And finally, thank you to all the other researchers with whom I shared laughs, stress, mosquitos, fog and space with this summer. I can't wait to hear the results of the various projects in progress this year.

And now for some numbers:

- Days spent on a train heading west and north: 4

- Days spent on a train heading east and south: 4 (fingers crossed!)

- Days in the field: 82

- Egg and cheese breakfast sandwhiches: 70

- Bag lunches: 30

- Total water samples: 647

- Total km biked: 536.4

- Times swimming in Stygge Cr.: 10

- Times in S3 shower (notice the discrepancy): 8

This summer has been another season of learnings, and has given me a lot to think about, about my own science but about this place and life in general. I appreciate this immensely.

I was very fortunate this week to attend two events different than the rest of my experiences this summer.

CNSC Annual General Meeting

Wednesday was the CNSC's AGM, held in town and open to researchers, students, visitors and community members along as members of the Board of Directors. It was interesting to attend and learn more about the "behind the scenes" operation of the CNSC. In addition to the staff that work tirelessly at the centre there is also a dedicated board of directors made up of professors, community members and other interest groups. These individuals are also committed to the success and long term sustainability of the CNSC, something you don't necessarily think about as a seasonal researcher. With changes in government, funding and the environment this is an important time to be doing research in the north and I feel very privileged to have worked in Churchill these past couple years. Because of these experiences I have a greater appreciation for the difficulties associated with field ecology and especially fieldwork in a remote or northern area and feel inspired to make sure that everything I do in such places counts. This means thinking about the environmental/social impact of my work as well as improving the way I communicate my plans/results to others.

Summer lecture series presentation on "Place attachment in Churchill, MB"

Thursday night included a lecture by Dr.Patricia Fitzpatrick from the Dept of Geography at the University of Winnipeg. She did a a very thought provoking presentation on the concept of why people choose to live where they live using Churchill as an example. Not only was it interesting to hear some of the results of her research, it was also neat to think about how you quantify and analyze data that includes opinions and feelings.

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