People of a Feather
Transcript with Timing
Langauge: English
Duration: 90 minutes
Date Prepared: July 18, 2012
Contact: Joel Heath
e-mail:
01:00:15:04 01:00:17:06
On my first hunting trip...
01:00:17:09 01:00:20:20
...I went with an elder, who is long gone now.
01:00:25:06 01:00:30:19
After building an igloo, he told me to
listen for the sound of thunder.
01:00:34:20 01:00:41:15
I was puzzled because the sky was blue,
real blue, not like it is these days.
01:00:48:08 01:00:52:18
I walked a short ways on the cold crisp snow.
01:00:55:05 01:00:58:06
It used to make such a big noise.
01:01:03:17 01:01:07:01
The thunder began as a low rumble.
01:01:07:06 01:01:12:09
But it got louder and louder, so I
ran back to tell the old man.
01:01:19:05 01:01:23:20
He calmly replied that soon
the sky would darken.
01:01:27:06 01:01:34:07
I raised my eyes and just as he had foretold,
the horizon began to turn black.
01:01:40:23 01:01:44:15
Then he opened his box of ammunition and said:
01:01:50:03 01:01:52:05
"The eiders are coming." 01:02:07:05 01:02:12:13
WINTER
01:02:18:14 01:02:24:05
SPRING
01:02:30:07 01:02:36:16
SUMMER
01:03:41:22 01:03:47:07
100 Years Ago
01:03:50:17 01:03:55:08
The Arctic Edier Society
&
Sanikiluaq Running Pictures
Present
01:03:56:08 01:04:00:02
An
International Polar Year Canada
Production
01:04:09:15 01:04:13:14
In collaboration with
The Canadian Wildlife Service
01:04:18:02 01:04:22:14
with appearances by Simeonie Kavik
01:04:23:20 01:04:28:08
Mary Kavik
01:04:29:14 01:04:34:02
Daniel Kavik
01:04:37:02 01:04:43:08
Kevin Kavik
Rebecca Kavik
Dora Kavik
01:04:46:11 01:04:50:23
Johnassie Ippak
01:04:52:08 01:04:56:19
Puasi Ippak
01:04:58:02 01:05:02:14
and Elijah Oqaituq
01:05:07:15 01:05:09:06
We're here.
01:05:27:20 01:05:34:02
Created With
The Community of Sanikiluaq
01:06:21:22 01:06:28:04
Edited By
Evan Warner
&
Jocelyne Chaput
01:06:44:08 01:06:48:22
Developed with
Johnny Kudluarok
&
Dinah Kavik
01:07:12:22 01:07:19:04
People of a Feather
01:07:20:11 01:07:26:09
A film by Joel Heath
01:07:45:20 01:07:50:14
Present Day
01:08:19:19 01:08:21:13
Which island are we going to?
01:08:22:20 01:08:24:20
Over there where the mosquitoes are?
01:08:25:07 01:08:26:21
The ones we brought with us?
01:08:27:11 01:08:29:19
Are you scared of mosquitoes?
01:08:31:10 01:08:32:17
They are bothersome!
01:09:16:11 01:09:18:11
There are eiders over there!
01:09:27:21 01:09:29:20
Leave some now.
01:09:31:11 01:09:33:14
Not too much grass on those eh?
01:09:44:03 01:09:45:12
It's floating.
01:09:47:02 01:09:49:18
Sim, there's a baby inside.
01:09:49:23 01:09:51:10
Ok, put it back here.
01:09:54:15 01:09:56:02
Give me some.
01:09:57:22 01:10:01:06
There's not too much grass
in it after all.
01:10:17:05 01:10:23:06
Maybe we can pick more down near
Quatjuit on our way camping.
01:10:23:11 01:10:26:18
That down has seaweed in it.
01:10:27:14 01:10:30:16
Eider down in seaweed is
the best kind to pick.
01:10:31:15 01:10:33:23
My goodness look at all the mosquitos.
01:14:17:11 01:14:21:14
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut
01:17:53:18 01:17:58:00
Fall is the most important time of year
for hunting eider ducks.
01:18:00:03 01:18:02:21
Eiders on our islands don't migrate.
01:18:03:21 01:18:05:23
They stay here all year.
01:18:16:18 01:18:20:01
In the winter, the eiders move with the sea ice...
01:18:20:12 01:18:25:14
... looking for good feeding areas
amongst the open water habitats.
01:18:39:01 01:18:45:19
One winter in the early 90's, there was
a large die off of thousands of eiders.
01:18:58:23 01:19:03:23
We were concerned so we contacted
the Canadian Wildlife Service.
01:19:05:02 01:19:11:19
One of the biologists that came up was studying
eiders by filming them diving under the ice.
01:19:25:21 01:19:30:05
Research Site - 2010
01:19:44:14 01:19:45:18
Ohh, lots of food, ehh?
01:19:45:21 01:19:46:11
Ay.
01:19:46:15 01:19:47:12
Sea urchins?
01:19:47:16 01:19:48:20
Right here anyway.
01:19:49:03 01:19:50:11
Are they diving right now?
01:19:51:06 01:19:53:02
Ehh, they’re diving right there.
01:20:01:19 01:20:03:04
Nice and clear on the bottom ehh?
01:20:03:14 01:20:04:21
Yeah, it is.
01:20:13:20 01:20:15:20
Lotta eider ducks you got in there!
01:20:16:01 01:20:17:06
Yeah, there's a good few.
01:20:17:15 01:20:18:07
Yeah.
01:20:18:17 01:20:20:15
Yeah this polynya is working out really good.
01:20:20:23 01:20:21:12
Yeah.
It's the perfect size so we can have the
time lapse monitoring the birds...
01:20:24:04 01:20:26:21
...as well as underwater video at the same time.
01:20:27:12 01:20:28:11
Yes b’y...
01:20:28:11 01:20:29:17
Yes b’y...
01:20:30:04 01:20:31:18
How's the current? Very strong?
01:20:32:03 01:20:35:21
Ahh, just switched over so it's just
starting to pick up going this way.
01:20:36:18 01:20:41:03
Yup, yeah this polynya wouldn't be
here back in 80's and 90's.
01:20:41:18 01:20:44:00
Yeah, the weather has been changing and all that.
01:20:44:17 01:20:48:23
That's why the polynya is still here.
The ice isn't getting any thicker.
01:20:49:15 01:20:51:08
It just aren't, some parts...
01:20:55:12 01:20:56:12
You’re going home?
01:20:56:16 01:20:58:21
Yup, can't wait to see my granddaughter.
01:20:59:20 01:21:03:21
Yup, she hugs me very hard.
Hard as she can.
01:21:04:00 01:21:04:12
Hey!?
01:21:04:16 01:21:05:08
Yup!
01:21:06:03 01:21:07:18
Grampa Simionie!
01:21:09:03 01:21:11:09
What do you call grampa, adda is father, right?
01:21:11:12 01:21:13:11
Ataatasiaq, grand-papa.
01:21:15:05 01:21:16:14
Addaddchuck, grampa.
01:21:30:23 01:21:32:22
For me, this is how it all got started:
01:21:33:05 01:21:36:03
...sitting in a box, watching some ducks.
01:21:41:21 01:21:45:12
Research Site - 2002
01:21:50:02 01:21:53:07
I came up here in response to
concerns from the community...
01:21:53:10 01:21:56:11
...about large die offs of eider ducks
that had happened in the wintertime.
01:21:56:20 01:21:59:20
So part of my job was to figure out how changing sea ice...
01:21:59:23 01:22:03:08
...was affecting the ability of eider
ducks to get through the winter.
01:22:09:18 01:22:12:09
When I first showed up here, one of
the first things I'd saw...
01:22:12:12 01:22:15:15
...was a die off event of a whole bunch of
eider ducks getting trapped in the ice.
01:22:15:18 01:22:17:11
The ice was shrinking around them.
01:22:17:19 01:22:21:08
There wasn't much open water,
and it was pretty deep so...
01:22:21:10 01:22:24:22
... it cost a lot of energy for them to dive,
to get not much food.
01:22:26:00 01:22:29:12
And it was only for Simionie and Elijah chopping it open...
01:22:29:15 01:22:32:07
...that kept it from closing up around those birds and...
01:22:32:15 01:22:35:22
...at the end of the season, only about 6 birds
made it through the winter there.
01:22:39:21 01:22:41:01
Tea Time!
01:22:41:06 01:22:44:02
It's tea time already, just for you and me!
01:22:50:05 01:22:54:07
I never would have made it, without my new
best buddies Elijah and Sim.
01:23:05:15 01:23:12:21
Elijah Oqaituk
"Short"
Simeonie Kavik
"Large"
01:23:16:04 01:23:21:20
I definitely learned a lot, just by sitting in a box
and by watching the people and listening to them.
01:23:44:07 01:23:49:13
When I first showed up, within like 3 days of being here
I got really really bad frostbite.
01:23:49:23 01:23:51:22
Almost my whole face was covered.
01:23:53:11 01:23:56:21
And the guys were freaking out, and I didn't know
what the heck I was doing up here!
01:24:01:07 01:24:03:01
But then I got used to it...
01:24:04:09 01:24:06:00
...and now I love it up here...
01:24:10:14 01:24:13:06
...but some people still call me frosty!
01:26:17:13 01:26:29:20
Polynya ?pä-l?n-'yä
An area of open water surrounded by sea ice that
remains open throughout the winter due to strong
currents. An arctic 'oasis'.
01:26:33:08 01:26:38:12
100 Years Ago
01:27:30:09 01:27:35:02
The wind is coming from the southwest.
The eiders will leave the floe edge...
01:27:35:06 01:27:38:01
... to come to the polynyas at Agiaraaluit.
01:27:38:15 01:27:41:09
We'll go hunting tomorrow morning.
01:27:54:18 01:28:01:00
In the winter, freshwater on our lakes
and ponds is the first to freeze.
01:28:01:09 01:28:04:04
Sea ice takes much longer.
01:28:04:13 01:28:09:04
In the spring, fresh melting water from the
mainland would flood our seas...
01:28:09:08 01:28:11:14
...and drive our currents.
01:28:12:23 01:28:17:08
But in the 1970’s, things started to change.
01:28:22:08 01:28:24:10
Many rivers were dammed...
01:28:24:19 01:28:27:20
...trapping our freshwater in reservoirs.
01:28:28:15 01:28:31:15
Now our spring water sits there
all summer getting warm...
01:28:31:20 01:28:33:21
...until in the winter time...
01:28:34:02 01:28:38:20
...people down south get cold
and turn up their thermostats...
01:28:39:02 01:28:40:20
...using more power.
01:28:41:07 01:28:43:13
For almost 40 years now...
01:28:43:17 01:28:48:14
...reservoirs have dumped their water onto
the sea ice habitats of Hudson Bay...
01:28:48:18 01:28:51:09
...at the opposite time of year.
01:28:53:20 01:29:00:02
Our people on the Belcher Islands were some
of the first to notice the consequences.
01:30:59:15 01:31:01:09
It's hot on the inside.
01:31:01:17 01:31:02:12
Radio.
01:31:04:04 01:31:06:18
Ok granddaughter, do you want
seal meat from here?
01:31:09:06 01:31:10:08
Seal meat.
01:31:10:12 01:31:12:07
I want this part. 01:31:17:08 01:31:18:12
Can you cut this up smaller?
01:31:18:19 01:31:19:21
Just pull it apart.
01:31:38:06 01:31:40:12
Turn up the volume!
01:31:40:23 01:31:42:20
Turn up the volume!
01:31:56:02 01:31:59:10
Those are my pepsi!
01:35:09:13 01:35:11:07
Almost like brand new again eh?
01:35:13:06 01:35:19:06
They said they don't have any speakers
that fit to an MP3 player...
01:35:20:07 01:35:22:20
...so we tried that funnel first.
01:38:12:10 01:38:15:16
If you eat the meat you'll get warmer.
01:38:27:06 01:38:28:22
She sure likes seal meat.
01:38:36:00 01:38:39:17
The long ones sound lower.
01:38:41:16 01:38:43:23
I'll use a short one.
01:38:55:13 01:38:56:21
Now you try.
01:38:57:01 01:38:57:19
Me?
01:38:58:11 01:39:00:15
You hold the feather like this.
01:40:42:11 01:40:45:10
I remember being at Agiarraluit...
01:40:45:18 01:40:48:03
... it was my first time seeing
so many eiders.
01:40:48:19 01:40:51:07
There were so many flying overhead!
01:40:51:23 01:40:57:08
I couldn't stop watching,
I just fell over backwards.
01:41:00:12 01:41:04:01
I was just watching the eiders fly by.
01:41:04:17 01:41:07:04
I forgot to hunt them...
01:41:09:17 01:41:11:20
... just lying there on my back.
01:41:18:00 01:41:19:06
Needs to be dried?
01:41:21:13 01:41:22:15
That should be good.
01:41:38:01 01:41:42:02
One night I dreamed I followed
a rabbit into it's burrow.
01:41:46:20 01:41:50:07
As I went further, the hole got bigger and bigger...
01:41:50:13 01:41:54:17
...until it swallowed all our rivers and freshwaters.
01:41:56:19 01:42:03:01
Somewhere deep underground, the energy is being
taken out of our spring currents...
01:42:03:06 01:42:07:14
...so people down south can stay warm in the winter.
01:42:33:14 01:42:37:12
This is the spillway of just one phase one reservoir.
01:42:37:18 01:42:44:17
This single reservoir covers almost 3000 square
hectares of drowned forest and river valley.
01:42:47:11 01:42:50:19
That's the fresh water they put into
the salt water in James Bay.
01:42:50:23 01:42:54:12
Phase one flooding extends 600km inland...
01:42:54:14 01:43:00:15
...in a chain of huge reservoirs that would
more than bury Prince Edward Island.
01:42:51:22 01:42:54:21
That's the rivers that
have been dammed.
01:43:01:22 01:43:05:08
When they finish building the dams,
we won't have any salt water left.
01:43:05:14 01:43:11:10
When the main powerhouse starts spewing 350 times
the natural amount of fresh water...
01:43:11:18 01:43:17:12
... into this closed system, it will be converted
from a salt to a fresh water habitat...
01:43:17:20 01:43:21:04
...with profound effects on current and ice formation...
01:43:21:20 01:43:24:23
...and an entirely different food chain will develop.
01:43:30:03 01:43:31:19
An eider duck!
01:43:32:01 01:43:34:01
You can see an urchin in his throat.
01:43:38:07 01:43:41:12
Ice formed but water from
the dam is breaking it up.
01:43:42:16 01:43:45:20
Normal spring flow is held back behind dikes...
01:43:46:00 01:43:49:20
...as electricity demands lessen,
to be released in the winter...
01:43:50:00 01:43:51:12
...for the high use period
01:43:52:03 01:43:58:04
No-one knows what reversing this normal seasonal
input from rivers will do to the bays.
01:43:59:00 01:44:01:00
Timing is critical.
01:44:04:11 01:44:06:12
With David Suzuki, Suzuki.
01:44:13:04 01:44:16:09
The ice is harder to understand now.
01:44:16:19 01:44:18:19
Hunting is more dangerous.
01:44:18:23 01:44:21:10
Maybe we won't be able
to hunt anymore.
01:44:22:02 01:44:24:03
Maybe only by boat.
01:44:35:12 01:44:46:03
Floe Edge
The intersection of shoreline ice and open water that
moves with wind and currents.
01:45:15:16 01:45:20:10
When I first came up here I was starting to think
about the effect of climate change...
01:45:20:14 01:45:23:21
...environmental change on sea ice ecosystems,
and eider ducks and people.
01:45:26:09 01:45:30:17
Then when I started making this film I began by interviewing...
01:45:30:22 01:45:35:12
...elders in the community, and everyone started
talking about Hydro Quebec, hydro.
01:45:43:19 01:45:48:03
I've been aware that the currents
around the islands...
01:45:48:20 01:45:53:18
...are not as strong now due to
hydro projects on the mainland.
01:45:55:07 01:46:01:04
Currents give us the food for all
living things in the sea...
01:46:01:10 01:46:02:20
...and us too.
01:46:03:06 01:46:08:12
When the tides turn and the
currents change direction...
01:46:08:18 01:46:10:20
... the floe edges clamp shut...
01:46:11:04 01:46:13:18
... so the eiders have to
find open water...
01:46:14:19 01:46:21:12
...and that's when they
fly to the polynyas.
01:46:22:00 01:46:24:14
They don't stay there all winter.
01:46:25:02 01:46:30:11
When the polynya starts to
get small, they move.
01:46:31:06 01:46:36:07
Some polynyas close over
but others stay open...
01:46:36:13 01:46:38:22
...where the currents are strong.
01:46:40:05 01:46:49:07
Since the damming began our currents
have not been as strong.
01:46:50:12 01:46:54:14
With weaker currents the polynyas
may not stay open all winter.
01:46:57:15 01:47:00:17
The first question we asked is what's
going to happen with the eider ducks?
01:48:08:06 01:48:09:13
Since first talking to the elders...
01:48:09:18 01:48:12:02
...and working with the hunters for many years now...
01:48:12:07 01:48:14:20
... I’ve learned a lot about sea ice ecosystems...
01:48:15:01 01:48:19:17
...and how changing the hydrological cycle can influence the marine environment.
01:48:20:15 01:48:25:01
But we’re only just beginning to understand these
effects and we still have a lot of questions.
01:48:26:09 01:48:29:16
What about other animals that rely on sea ice?
01:48:29:20 01:48:33:17
And what about the rest of the world outside of Hudson Bay?
01:48:35:12 01:48:39:10
The deeper I dug, the bigger I
realized the scale of the issue.
01:48:40:01 01:48:44:04
Hudson Bay drains over 40% of Canada...
01:48:44:07 01:48:48:08
...and almost all that freshwater passes by the
Belcher Islands, in the heart of Hudson Bay...
01:48:48:13 01:48:51:16
...before it leaves through the Hudson Straight
and enters the Labrador Current.
01:48:51:20 01:48:56:00
And the momentum of the Labrador current is
driven by cold salty water sinking...
01:48:56:05 01:48:59:01
...which in turn brings the gulf stream to Europe.
01:48:59:05 01:49:03:04
This process drives our ocean currents and our global climate...
01:49:03:10 01:49:07:02
...and here we are dumping warm freshwater
into it from reservoirs...
01:49:07:06 01:49:08:23
...at the opposite time of year.
01:49:09:04 01:49:13:06
Globally over 50% of accessible freshwater is now behind dams.
01:49:13:11 01:49:17:01
We’re working against the seasons of our hydrological cycle.
01:49:17:15 01:49:21:03
We still have a lot to learn, but we can
tell you from our perspective here...
01:49:21:11 01:49:25:15
...things are getting a lot noisier, and less predictable.
01:50:56:19 01:51:00:07
Daniel, maybe this harpoon head
is going to be better.
01:51:03:12 01:51:07:05
Because your harpoon has only caught
one seal, but this will catch lots!
01:51:10:13 01:51:12:12
Once I drill the hole in the shaft...
01:51:13:13 01:51:15:01
...it will be done.
01:51:20:06 01:51:21:18
Only the tip will be sharp.
01:51:22:00 01:51:24:01
If it is sharpened too far down...
01:51:25:06 01:51:27:10
...the gash will be too big...
01:51:27:23 01:51:29:10
...and it won't stay in.
01:51:34:11 01:51:35:19
There is a crack... 01:51:35:23 01:51:40:16
...down past the shack
at Kangiqsujuaq.
01:51:41:21 01:51:43:13
It's not very stable there.
01:51:44:03 01:51:46:06
And this area is probably not safe.
01:51:46:13 01:51:50:05
These polynyas around Nanuqtukk
are probably not safe...
01:51:50:10 01:51:52:10
...because of the mild weather.
01:51:53:08 01:51:57:09
We almost lost Elijah's skidoo here.
01:51:58:12 01:52:02:13
But it will probably be safe enough
to go there and hunt seals.
01:52:06:15 01:52:07:23
In the morning. 01:52:44:16 01:52:46:13
It rotted while I was letting it sit.
01:52:48:23 01:52:50:05
Lazy person. 01:53:17:23 01:53:20:07
A lazy person's bearded seal rope.
01:56:59:00 01:57:01:10
There could be a lot of eiders here tonight.
01:57:01:16 01:57:04:14
They'll be flying in when
the floe edge closes.
01:57:06:04 01:57:08:17
They will be coming from that way.
02:00:09:16 02:00:15:22
Layer upon layer, these same feathers have
kept us warm for hundreds of years.
02:00:19:06 02:00:24:15
The technology of the eider stores
our energy and keeps out the cold.
02:00:32:06 02:00:37:15
With all of modern technology, surely
there must be a way to store energy...
02:00:37:21 02:00:42:04
...without disrupting the currents
and reversing the seasons.
02:01:05:13 02:01:06:18
Hi Peter.
02:01:07:17 02:01:09:08
No seals eh?
02:01:10:22 02:01:13:10
The last seal that I caught sank.
02:01:13:23 02:01:14:19
Sank?
02:01:15:04 02:01:16:05
Here?
02:01:19:18 02:01:22:12
They are skinny so that could be why.
02:01:23:09 02:01:28:20
The fat was really thin on
the last one I caught.
02:01:32:20 02:01:34:16
Was it a full grown seal?
02:01:37:09 02:01:39:14
When they should be feeding...
02:01:39:21 02:01:42:11
...they are just basking on the rocks.
02:01:42:15 02:01:44:23
...because the spring sea ice
doesn’t last as long.
02:01:46:02 02:01:48:20
Elijah had a close call at Uivvaaluk.
02:01:49:09 02:01:51:06
He almost went through the ice.
02:01:51:17 02:01:53:08
He was gunning his motor...
02:01:53:23 02:01:56:02
but still just moving slowly.
02:01:56:14 02:02:00:11
His qamotik was underwater by
the time he got onto solid ice.
02:02:01:03 02:02:05:13
These days, even when it doesn’t look
dangerous, it's dangerous.
02:02:07:01 02:02:09:04
When you see broken piled up ice...
02:02:11:10 02:02:14:13
...you can tell it isn't very thick.
02:02:20:12 02:02:24:02
The ice used to be so smooth.
02:02:24:06 02:02:29:15
There was a crack over there that
we enjoyed hunting seals at.
02:02:30:10 02:02:33:22
But it's only piled up ice there now.
02:02:38:01 02:02:42:01
I think we’ll have better luck at the
breathing holes closer to shore.
02:02:42:18 02:02:46:23
We can catch seals there because they
have to breathe sooner or later.
02:02:56:07 02:03:00:17
The eider ducks have been coming over
this way all winter practically.
02:03:02:10 02:03:05:03
I wonder if there are lots of
eiders around Kataluk.
02:03:05:06 02:03:08:06
There must be eiders keeping the ice open.
02:03:08:15 02:03:09:14
I agree.
02:03:21:15 02:03:22:23
Bye Peter.
02:04:02:12 02:04:04:13
Your legs shouldn't move.
02:04:05:14 02:04:07:18
Only your arms should move.
02:05:05:00 02:05:06:17
What a miss!
02:05:36:13 02:05:38:22
Elijah missed so let's use this hole...
02:05:39:10 02:05:41:04
...for salinity monitoring.
02:05:44:02 02:05:46:07
Bring over the orange case.
02:06:17:16 02:06:19:15
Here it goes.
02:06:30:03 02:06:31:07
We're trying to see...
02:06:31:15 02:06:34:16
... how much freshwater
there is on top.
02:06:36:07 02:06:38:07
Because of hydro dams.
02:06:40:22 02:06:43:11
They are being built everywhere.
02:06:45:09 02:06:48:13
This can help researchers
monitor salinity.
02:08:02:15 02:08:04:06
- Can you get it out?
- Almost
02:08:04:10 02:08:05:18
Go get the gaff hook.
02:08:15:09 02:08:16:17
Over there.
02:08:17:16 02:08:19:07
Don't put your hand in there!
02:08:19:09 02:08:20:15
Let the rope go slack first.
02:08:28:06 02:08:29:16
Get ready to kill it.
02:08:29:20 02:08:30:18
Here goes.
02:08:36:17 02:08:39:02
I saw the whiskers coming up.
02:08:39:09 02:08:41:07
What were you thinking?
02:08:41:11 02:08:42:14
Here goes!
02:08:44:12 02:08:47:12
Rinse the harpoon head in the water.
02:08:51:02 02:08:53:13
First time it came, it just
rippled the water.
02:09:16:06 02:09:19:17
Your seal oil lamp will
have fat for light now.
02:09:19:21 02:09:21:09
If I had a seal fat lamp!
02:09:26:03 02:09:28:06
Are you going to use the
skin to wrap the meat?
02:09:51:09 02:09:52:18
Come eat!
02:12:25:03 02:12:29:10
Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned from
talking to the elders and hunters...
02:12:29:14 02:12:33:20
is that the problem lies in not having
too much or too little sea ice...
02:12:34:22 02:12:36:08
...but instead in its increasing variability.
It's less predictable now.
02:12:39:12 02:12:44:01
Winters are getting milder, and on top of that,
warmer water coming from the reservoirs...
02:12:44:05 02:12:48:01
...can break up sea ice and keep it
from freezing in the first place.
02:12:48:16 02:12:52:22
At the same time, freshwater freezes at
warmer temperatures than salt water...
02:12:53:02 02:12:56:19
..and with currents getting slower,
new ice can form very quickly...
02:12:57:08 02:13:01:05
...but it's more brittle and less flexible than salt water ice.
02:13:03:11 02:13:07:20
So this effects of how polynyas form...
02:13:08:00 02:13:12:07
...and floe edges break and move
in complex ways...
02:13:13:21 02:13:16:13
...and changes the dynamics of sea ice, and
that makes the ice less safe for people...
02:13:16:18 02:13:19:14
...and more difficult for the animals to make decisions...
02:13:20:19 02:13:23:00
...and sometimes they run out of options.
02:19:15:02 02:19:16:18
The floe edge has been closing up...
02:19:16:23 02:19:19:12
...that's the only puddles they could find.
02:19:25:10 02:19:28:14
If we don't help them, they're
all just going to die off.
02:19:42:13 02:19:45:14
By opening up the puddle there...
02:19:46:10 02:19:50:09
...make more room and they'll start
diving and start moving around.
02:20:28:05 02:20:30:11
Never ignore a dying bird.
02:23:17:06 02:23:17:22
Joel!
02:23:17:07 02:23:18:17
How's it going?
02:23:19:07 02:23:20:02
Good you?
02:23:20:08 02:23:21:05
Pretty good.
02:23:21:10 02:23:23:17
You guys have a chance to see the big polar bear?
02:23:23:23 02:23:24:23
Polar Bear? No.
02:23:25:03 02:23:28:13
Yeah, I chased him away.
Was coming towards your blind here.
02:23:29:06 02:23:32:00
He was huge one!
How's the eider ducks going?
02:23:32:08 02:23:33:13
Good! They've been diving
02:23:33:17 02:23:34:11
Oh yeah?
02:23:37:19 02:23:42:05
Oh, it's very easy now, compared to your old pole?
02:23:42:09 02:23:43:18
Yeah, this one's a lot better.
02:23:44:11 02:23:45:14
Yup, Getting professional!
02:23:45:20 02:23:46:16
Getting there maybe.
02:23:46:21 02:23:50:19
Maybe it will ok for you to have
students now these days.
02:23:51:02 02:23:55:17
Yup, get a job at a university,
Get a few students.
02:23:56:09 02:23:58:22
You'll take care of umm when they
are up here all by themselves?
02:23:59:01 02:24:00:09
So I'll get to work again!
02:24:01:23 02:24:06:06
And then Daniel your son maybe he'll
be your student and then one day...
02:24:06:15 02:24:08:08
...he'll be teaching my students.
02:24:10:06 02:24:12:07
Yuuup! Yeah he love to hunt.
02:24:12:21 02:24:16:07
Not like his younger brother, his younger
brother don't like to hunt.
02:24:16:15 02:24:19:05
Daniel used to hunt a lot in the summer, fall...
02:24:19:16 02:24:21:09
...but mostly his first time, this year.
02:24:21:11 02:24:22:03
This winter, yeah.
02:24:22:11 02:24:25:18
He caught one, two, three, four seals this year.
02:24:27:11 02:24:29:00
He's got lots of babies to feed now.
02:24:29:06 02:24:29:16
Yup!
02:24:32:01 02:24:34:21
Yup. Lucky ehh, they eating sea urchins, and uvalu.
02:24:35:11 02:24:38:08
Uvalu, muscles.
02:24:38:21 02:24:41:14
Yeah these ones don't seem to want to go
anywhere. They seem to be staying here.
02:24:41:18 02:24:43:17
Maybe they a family group ehh?
02:24:44:06 02:24:45:01
Could be!
02:24:45:13 02:24:46:12
Yeah, ya never know.
02:24:46:23 02:24:49:03
Must be very good to eat with bacon!
02:24:49:12 02:24:50:19
What? Family groups?
02:24:54:10 02:24:57:01
Yup, there seem to be lot of them now ehh?
02:24:59:08 02:25:02:01
There's an adult male coming, eating away.
02:25:04:09 02:25:06:00
Some of them look so skinny.
02:25:06:04 02:25:09:15
Yup, especially the ones just sleeping there.
02:25:11:07 02:25:16:09
Yeah even on other spots on polynyas,
some of them are no good.
02:25:17:10 02:25:19:06
And some of them are already open.
02:25:19:11 02:25:22:02
They only supposed to open on May.
02:25:23:20 02:25:25:20
The world's getting crazy.
02:25:56:21 02:26:09:05
In 1996, Inuit and Cree went to New York City and were able to stop
additional hydroelectric developments.
02:26:10:21 02:26:21:22
But it was just a delay. A similar project became operational in 2010,
significantly expanding the hydroelectric complex.
02:26:23:12 02:26:33:11
The new project was approved on the condition that a study of the
cumulative effects on the marine ecosystem would be undertaken.
02:26:37:13 02:26:42:18
To date, no such study has been done.
02:27:20:06 02:27:28:15
The Arctic Eider Society has been formed to assist Inuit in
community based environmental monitoring programs...
02:27:30:05 02:27:38:10
...to provide research and education combining Inuit and
scientific knowledge on sea ice ecosystems....
02:27:39:15 02:27:47:19
...and to support development of energy solutions that
work with the seasons, not against them.
02:27:52:21 02:28:03:08
For more information visit
ArcticEider.com
02:31:42:00 02:31:55:12
This project was produced on a not-for-profit basis.
Proceeds support research, education and outreach
initiatives of the Arctic Eider Society including
"The Arctic Sea Ice Educational Package"
for high school curriculum.
02:31:55:12 02:32:01:12
To learn more and show your support, visit us at
www.arcticeider.com