Christina - 8 April

This week I got to experience something that seems to be relatively common on the coast – getting stuck somewhere due to bad weather. I went to Chevery on Monday morning to attend a social development meeting and was supposed to come back on Tuesday, but didn’t make it back until Wednesday. It started to snow, then rain, and eventually the flight was cancelled. I didn’t mind though – it provided me with the opportunity to wander along some of the snowmobile trails through the woods, check out the beach, and see what the local development centre, the community learning centre, the clinic and the new hockey arena have to offer. I think the cook and waitress at the Misty River Restaurant, where we had all our meals, were beginning to wonder if we would ever leave, as we appeared for yet another delicious meal. While I was stuck in Chevery, Trish was stuck in St. Barbe's, Newfoundland due to ice conditions and technical problems that were preventing the ferry from running on the usual schedule. I say usual schedule, but really the ferry is incredibly unpredictable as a result of changing ice conditions. While Trish saw many seals on her return trip to the Lower North Shore, I did not see a single one on my flights, despite spending the majority of the flights with my face pressed against the window.

Chevery itself is interesting because some people have cars, but the roads there are not used in the winter. I walked out of the airport to find the “parking lot” full of snowmobiles. It was definitely a first for me to travel via plane and then skidoo to attend a meeting. While the skidoos are being used non-stop throughout the town in the winter, the cars are left to get buried up to their hoods in snow. I learned some new terms while I was there – it took me a couple minutes to determine that when people in Chevery talk about the “bar”, they are just as likely to mean the stretch of ice connecting Harrington Harbour (a community on an island just off the coast) to the mainland as they are to mean the drinking establishment. When I was there, the bar had just broken, and someone had gone through the ice. For locals, this means that the easy access provided between Harrington Harbour and Chevery that exists in the winter is coming to an end. When the ice can’t be used, residents of Harrington Harbour travel back and forth to Chevery via helicopter. In the summer though, Harrington Harbour has the advantage of being a stopping-point for the boats providing fresh fruit and vegetables, while Chevery does not. The vegetable selection at the Chevery grocery store was limited to a couple handfuls of shriveled button mushrooms and a cucumber that looked like it was striving to become a pickle. The town was also out of gas. It really made me think about the planning, organization and independence required to live in such an area.

The two-day meeting itself was productive and, like most things I have experienced here, provided me with more insight into some of the unique challenges being faced by individual villages and the region as a whole. I guess this is one of the reasons this group of women was meeting - to try to address some of the stumbling blocks to social development along the coast. All the acronyms often referred to – CLD, CEDEC, MRC, CSL, CLC, QeF, CHSSN, to name a few – are slowly becoming clear to me, although I am still confused about which organizations are responsible for which projects and who is on what committees. It seems like everyone (both organizations and people) has their hand in everything! The meeting provided a great opportunity to bring these women who are clearly incredibly passionate about the Lower North Shore together to discuss its future. I will be interested to see the changes that occur in the coming years along the coast.

We had beautiful weather last Friday, and I was able to get out and go ice fishing for the first time. My office-mate was nice enough to take me out to the cabin owned by some of her family. She showed me how to ice fish and took me for a ride around the pond. I even caught a (very small) fish!

Christina - 1 April

Things have been pretty quiet around the office this week. Trish has been away at a conference/meetings and I have been manning the fort, so to speak.

Part of this week was dedicated to the organization and inventory of the marine species at risk observer program resources. We want to know how many of each chart, information package, etc. we have, as we will soon be putting together some new marine species at risk observer program kits in preparation for the fishing season.

I have also been searching for a somewhat elusive material called “gelva”. As it turns out, it can be rather difficult to identify mammal hairs directly with a microscope. The identification book that we received discusses making imprints of the hair in gelva, and then looking at the impressions of the scale pattern from the hair cuticle in the gelva for identification purposes. Hair cuticle patterns vary between species.

Later in the week, Francois Guillet and Candace Cochrane from QLF came by the office to visit, and to take some pictures. It was nice to finally put faces to some of the names I have been hearing and to the voices I have heard in some conference calls!

More recently, I have been putting together a poster about the ivory gull. These birds nest in the Arctic on nunataks – mountain peaks that protrude from glaciers. They are largely scavengers, feeding on the remains of polar bear kills, and the placenta and feces of marine mammals, although they will also eat crustaceans and fish found at the ice edge, where much of their time is spent. In fact, the scientific name for these birds is Pagophila eburnea, which literally means “ice loving”. Although these birds, which are unique in appearance due to their striking black legs and pure white plumage as adults, nest in remote locations far from human habitation, they are still being affected by human activities. It is difficult to conduct research on the ivory gull because they choose to live in such isolated and un-reachable environments – large amounts of time, money and equipment are required for research. Because the ivory gull spends much of its time by the ice edge and depends on ice to survive, it is quite vulnerable to climate change and the disappearance of arctic ice. Through information gained from locals in the Arctic, and through the research that has been done, it appears that the number of ivory gulls in Canada has plummeted by about 80% since the 1980’s. Residents of Southern Labrador have seen ivory gulls when they are sealing, or on other occasions. By putting up posters about the ivory gull, we are hoping to learn of more ivory gull sightings in the area and to gather more data on this little studied species. The ivory gull is designated as endangered and is included in the Marine Species at Risk Program. Through this program QLF works with residents in coastal communities to aid in the recovery of sixteen species considered “at risk” in Canada.

I’m off to Chevery on Monday to attend a social development meeting and am very excited to see another new landscape.

Christina - 25 March

This week provided a chance to get out of the office for a couple days and to participate in the Youth Employability Forum hosted by the Coaster’s Association in St. Paul’s River. The forum brought together students from the various high schools along the coast, although unfortunately not all high schools were able to attend, and some schools were only able to send a couple students due to flight costs, etc. In total 26 secondary four students participated, with some students in Chevery attending via video-conference. The two days were packed with information, and many groups along the coast – QLF, CEDEC, the Carrefour Jeunesse, the Desjardins, the Coasters and others – ran workshops or presentations for the students. The topics ranged from acquiring computer skills to learning how to write a decent resume/cover letter and how to do an interview. We listened to the stories of three local entrepreneurs, and learned about what it means to be an entrepreneur/self-employed/small business owner, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. We talked about opportunities that might exist along the Lower North Shore in the future, and I was able to give a presentation about opportunities in the environmental field both here and elsewhere. Many of the presenters re-iterated the importance of education and were adamant about the advantages that come with being bilingual.

At one point, the students divided into their regions and were asked to determine their regions' greatest advantages and the greatest challenges. Presenters were divided up so that each group had someone they could ask for help/to get them thinking about the area. I was with the Blanc-Sablon group, and learned a lot about the area as seen through the eyes of the students. While many of the students were relatively negative about the area – many seem to think there is nothing here, no organized activities like they used to have years ago, no job prospects etc. – and they can’t wait to leave. They also had some very valid and insightful points about positive change that could take place. At the end of the two days, the students came together to present their suggestions for change to the mayors. The students had clearly put some thought into the presentations, and it was interesting to hear the responses from the mayors. This was the first Employability Forum in the area, and it went well.

Apart from the forum, I spent the week working on the marine debris banners that we are going to be putting up on the ferry, and writing an article for the local newspaper, among other things. Thanks to Trish, I was also able to enjoy a proper “boiled dinner” over the weekend.

While we were lucky and had good weather for the forum, we had another small storm over the weekend. At one point the snow literally drifted so much in front of the door that I couldn’t get outside! We had to go out the back door and shovel ourselves out. I love the winter, but I am looking forward to spring. I spent some more time exploring the coastline this weekend. The picture included is from exploration of the coast-line at low-tide.

Christina - 18 March

This week I shifted gears a bit and started putting together a mock-up for some educational banners about marine debris. The banners will be placed on the Strait of Belle Isle ferry so residents and tourists can read them while they are in transit. The funding for these banners is being provided by Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Plan for Species at Risk. Many sea turtles mistake marine debris as food, which can be fatal. And other species can become entangled in debris such as plastic beverage holders.

I have learned some interesting things through my research on marine debris, for example, I had heard of the Pacific Garbage Dump (essentially a vast expanse of Pacific Ocean where garbage is concentrated due to marine currents), but had no idea that a similar thing existed in the Atlantic Ocean. In many places in the world’s oceans, plastic pieces outnumber plankton 6:1. Who knew? I recently watched Sharkwater, which provided some insight into the problems of by-catch and “ghost-fishing”, which can occur if fishing gear is lost (for example during a storm or as a result of strong currents). Ghost nets continue to catch animals year after year as they move through the oceans. Hopefully our banners will cause people to reflect a bit more on how our choices as individuals can adversely affect the environment.

This week I had the privilege of meeting QLF’s founder, the Venerable Bob Bryan, in person. He was here visiting the Lower North Shore and old friends for about a week, and we were able to have dinner with him a couple times during his time here. He even dropped by the office to see us and to share some stories about sea turtles and flying on the coast. It’s really quite amazing to think about how the organization started, and to see where it is now.

This weekend was the Coaster’s Association Annual General Meeting, which I attended. I learned a bit about all the different projects across the Lower North Shore, from health care, to community learning centres, to tourism. I was interested to hear about some of the innovative ways people here deal with relative isolation from certain services – for example, one speaker talked about some of the tele-health initiatives that are being implemented along the coast. It was also neat to see the impact that Mr. Bryan has clearly had on the Coast, as many people spoke about their experiences with QLF or remembered his trips to the Coast when they were younger.

Throughout the week, Trish and I have also been working on a presentation for a Youth Employability Forum that will be held in St. Paul’s River next week. We will be informing youth about the environmental field and job opportunities that exist here and elsewhere. I think it will be a great opportunity for the students to gain a better understanding of the options after school.

Towards the end of the week, we had a follow-up meeting to last week’s development meeting to set a list of development/tourism priorities for the area and to determine what potential proposals for funding should include. The meeting was good and everyone seemed to agree on some key priorities for the area. It will be interesting to hear what the government ministries think about these priorities, and to see the projects develop.

Christina - 11 March

This week ended up being quite eventful. After a snow-clearing machine driver who probably mistook it for just another snow pile razed our quinzhee to the ground, we ended up being stuck inside for a couple days due to an epic storm. The power started to go on and off on Monday evening, and then eventually stayed off over night and until about 3 the following afternoon. It was back on for a couple hours, then cut out again for a couple hours. The heat in this building is all electric so it was starting to get a bit chilly, not to mention that we had no way to make tea to keep ourselves warm. We ended up playing board games by candlelight, piled on the clothing and blankets, and one of the neighbors was nice enough to drop by to check on us. When the storm was finally over, we were left with huge snowdrifts on the road in front of the office. It was quite a sight watching the lights of all the snow-clearing machines working away diligently across town like little ants.

Following the excitement of the storm, I was able to practice my French while reading some long documents about the wolf research that has taken place in Quebec over the years.

The majority of yesterday was taken up with a meeting about tourism, development, archaeological sites and other projects in progress on the Lower North Shore. The meeting brought together representatives from a number of local groups, as well as four very friendly and enthusiastic people from out of town representing various government groups. Discussion proved challenging at times as a result of the different languages being spoken at the table. It was great to be able to hear about all the different projects that are in the works on the Lower North Shore, and to learn about the potential that exists in this area. Not only are there a lot of project ideas, the projects are also very diverse. In general the meeting seemed to be very positive. Everyone involved is ready to put some of the many plans here into action to help celebrate the diversity and wealth of history, environment and culture that abounds on the Lower North Shore.

Christina - 4 March

This week we headed up to Red Bay to present our information on lead vs steel shot to the hunters, and to determine with them a rough plan for constructing and placing the eider duck nesting boxes. Six hunters showed up for the meeting, and they all seemed quite keen to build the boxes. I am fairly certain that my technical comparison of lead versus steel (a comparison of shot pattern, crippling incidence, cost, etc.) did not really convince them of the merits of steel. I think the presentation went well though, and one of the hunters said he had never really thought about the health implications of hunting with lead shot. We showed the hunters the brochure and display that I have been working on, and are hoping to get some feedback from them. It’s great to see how much the hunters know about the various species in the area, they have such a wealth of knowledge!

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see more of Labrador, and really liked Red Bay. There are some nice, old, decrepit buildings there, and houses scattered around the bay as well as on some small pieces of land jutting out into the bay. It’s quite beautiful. On our way up to Red Bay we tried to go to the Lanse Amour lighthouse, but ended up being unable to reach it because the road was blocked with snow. At another point we stopped and were able to take some pictures of the Pinware River, which is apparently world renowned for Atlantic salmon fly-fishing.

This week I finally heard back from some of the people I had been contacting about wolf research on the Lower North Shore, so I spent part of the week reading through papers and emails. I also finally succeeded in my search for a hair identification key for the contents of the wolf’s stomach. Although I do not have the key in my hands yet, it is being shipped up from the States. One of the emails I received in response to a query about wolf research here included a document from the 1930’s. If that is not a good indication that current research on the wolf population here doesn’t exist I don’t know what is.

Winter still seems to be hanging around Blanc Sablon – although many days have felt like spring, we are supposed to get about 2 feet of snow in the next two days. I have started to build a quinzee (snow shelter) in my backyard, so the weather really couldn’t be better.

Christina - 25 February

This week saw a continuation of the wolf skull cleaning. I removed all the teeth, scraped them down to remove any remaining tissue, and whitened them in hydrogen peroxide. It’s interesting to see the variation in shape and size of the teeth, as well as the amount of tooth that is buried in the jawbone. The condition of the teeth, and the length and width of the testes can be used to estimate the age of the wolf. Using these measurements/observations, I estimated the age to be about 4-5 years old, although this is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination.

I spent a large part of this week pulling together a powerpoint presentation which I will be giving to hunters in Red Bay, Labrador. This meant more reading up on eider ducks, lead, steel and nesting shelters. I was able to speak with a Master’s student who has done some eider duck research in Labrador. It was great to hear about his first hand experience with these animals, and it will be nice to have information to provide that is specifically from this area.

Trish and I have been trying to locate a key for identifying the hair of mammals in Canada, which has proven more difficult than anticipated. Many phone calls have led us nowhere, and although we have found the name of a key, we cannot seem to actually find the key itself. The key will be used to examine hairs obtained from the wolf’s stomach – we’re hoping this will allow us to determine what our wolf was eating before he died. I have also continued my fruitless search for information about the wolves on the Lower North Shore. I have yet to actually speak to someone who can provide me with detailed information about the population. It seems like the Lower North Shore is a bit of a black hole when it comes to information about many of the species here.

Next week: out to Red Bay!

Christina - 18 February

This week involved meeting some new people, exploring new places, a little bit of forensic science, and some interesting recipes. I spent the beginning of the week creating a brochure about eider ducks, which will be used to inform people about some of the threats these birds are facing, and some of the conservation initiatives that are in place to help ensure survival of this species.

For something a little bit different, I was able to read through and provide feedback on the rough draft of the Management Plan for the Blanc-Sablon National Historic Site. As it turns out, I am currently living right next to a site rich in artifacts and evidence of 9000 years of human habitation and use. The document was incredibly interesting to read, as it details the various groups that have used this land. The authors (one of whom is Trish) explain the significance of the area from a historical and archaeological standpoint, and describe the importance of the unique physical environment and resources found here over numerous centuries to the people who chose to live here. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the landscape in a different context.

Myriam, a representative of the YMCA, was here on Thursday to conduct a site visit – while I am working for QLF, I am actually sponsored by the YMCA Eco-Internship program. Trish and I explained the work that QLF does, what I’ve been working on in particular, and gave Myriam a tour of the QLF office and residence. She was quite excited about our work, and even came to St. Paul’s River with us in the afternoon for our second visit to examine the wolf.

When we arrived in St. Paul’s River, Garland was in the process of skinning the wolf. It was great to be able to watch him work – skinning is something I have never seen before. The wolf was hanging from the ceiling, face pointed at the floor, and Garland worked his fingers between the flesh and the pelt, separating the two with a knife. I was surprised by how easily the skin peeled off – it almost looked like Garland was simply pulling a sweater over the wolf’s head. The wolf looked quite small and even whippet-like once the fur had been removed – it was amazing to see the musculature and the bones underneath the pelt, and we quickly realized that the wolf had almost no body fat. Throughout the various layers of the wolf we kept coming across porcupine quills. Trish removed the wolf’s stomach from his body, and next week I will be analyzing the stomach contents. I brought the wolf head home, and have spent the last couple days boiling the head in order to remove the flesh. We are hoping to keep the skull as an educational tool. I am also in the process of trying to learn more about the wolf population on the Lower North Shore. I was able to explore a bit more of the coast this week as well. Trish took me to Labrador – we went in search of gas for the camp stove, which we were planning on using to boil the wolf’s head. It was great to get out and see some new sights.

I was also fortunate this week to be able to attend a workshop about oral histories. Reenie Marx, an authority on oral histories, was giving workshops and lectures in the communities along the coast, and Lourdes-de-Blanc Sablon was one of her stops. Reenie provided some insight into the importance of gathering oral histories, how to do this effectively, and what uses the information might have in the long run.