Programme

Bob Jefferies Symposium

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Thursday, August 25th

Keynote addresses in Churchill
7pm, Town Centre Complex

Introduction – Kathy Martin
Fred JaegerFred Cooke: La Perouse Bay and Churchill: The Early Years
Fred Cooke has been interested in birds from his earliest memories. His fascination with natural history led him into biology and he completed both hi s undergraduate and graduate training at Cambridge University, UK. His Ph D in fungal genetics was far removed from his present interests of Avian Ecology. It was his appointment to a faculty position at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario as an Assistant Professor of Genetics which allowed him to expand his interests in genetics to include the genetics of the colour phases of the Lesser Snow Goose, an Arctic nesting bird with much potential for research into population genetics. This research took an increasing part of Fred’s overall research activity and led to one of the most complete long term population studies of a bird species. In 1985 Fred received a Killam Fellowship. and in 1988 received the prestigious Brewster Award of the American Ornithologists Union. After a long career at Queen’s Fred became the Senior Research Chair of Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University, prior to his retirement. He currently lives in Norfolk, England with his wife, Sylvia

Lorenzo Cohen: Living the Anti-Cancer Life
An International Polar Year, in which researchers study both the north and south poles, happens every 50 years: the most recent was 2007-08 (although the research activities are still concluding). Bob Jefferies and his students participated in the recent Polar Year activities. This International Polar Year broke new ground with its themes of interdisciplinary collaborations, the inclusion of members of northern communities as researchers, and its goals of leaving a legacy for the north along with training a new generation of researchers. Health was an important theme in Polar Year Research and we are delighted to have, as a speaker, Bob Jefferies’ son-in-law, Professor Lorenzo Cohen with us, in Churchill to talk about the health aspect of life in the north . Dr. Cohen, who is a professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is a world-leader in research that examines how behaviour such as meditation, stress management, emotional writing, yoga, and tai chi/qigong improves quality of life and health. He will discuss how these findings, and others from cancer-research can improve the health of northerners.

Friday, August 26th

Friday and Saturday’s events are at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. A free shuttle bus will take you to the Studies Centre from the Town Centre. All talks are 20 minutes.

9am to 12 pm – Showcasing research of CNSC

9:00 -9:10 Introduction and Welcome: Mike Goodyear, Director, CNSC
9:10-9:30 Bill Erickson (Churchill): What is A Studies Centre?
9:30-9:50 Rick Bello (York University): Comparison of Peat Plateau Carbon Dynamics in Bog, Riparian and Polygon Habitats
9:50-10:10 Travis Dickson (UBC): Midges, Salinity & Sea Level Change in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
10:10-10:40 Break
10:40-11:00 Victor Fisher: Towson University’s CNSC-based Archaeological Fieldwork, 1986- 1990
11:00-11:20 Peter Kershaw (University of Alberta), LeeAnn Fishback (CNSC), Steven Mamet, Carley Basler and Jennifer McCulloch: Mid-winter snowpack and its ecological implications across the Arctic treeline
11:20-11:40 Steve Mamet (University of Alberta): Looking through the wooden time machine: tree-ring investigations of terrestrial ecosystem change in the western Hudson Bay Lowlands
11:40-12:00 Questions and Answers

12 to 1 pm – Lunch

1 pm to 3:30 pm – La Perouse Bay and Wapusk National Park

1:00-1:05 Introductions: David Hik and Peter Kotanen
1:05-1:25 Fred Cooke (Queen’s University & Simon Fraser University): La Pérouse Bay – a scientific history
1:25-1:45 Emma Horrigan (University of Toronto), LeeAnn Fishback (CNSC), Rocky Rockwell (City College), and Ken Abraham (OMNR): The Hudson Bay Project – current and future directions
1:45-2:05 Peter Ewins (World Wildlife Fund Canada): Polar Bears and Climate Change
2:05-2:25 Sheldon Kowalchuk (Parks Canada): Research at Wapusk National Park
2:25-2:40 Break
2:40-3:00 Kate Edwards (Canadian Forest Service): Soil microbial and nutritional ecology during late winter and early spring in low arctic sedge meadows
3:00-3:20 Kathy Martin (University of British Columbia): Ptarmigan in the North: population ecology,life history and response to climate change
3:20-3:30 Questions and Answers

Fred 1982

Saturday, August 27th

9 am to 12 pm – National and International Scene

9:00-9:05 Introduction: Dawn Bazely
9:05-9:25 Maarten Loonen (University of Groningen, The Netherlands): Understanding goose numbers: Bob Jefferies’ legacy on Spitsbergen
9:25-9:45 Mary Power (University of California Berkeley): Algal-mediated linkages of river, watershed, and coastal ecosystems
9:45-10:05 Rowan Sage (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto): The Inspirational Bob Jefferies
10:05-10:25 George Finney (Port Rowan, Ontario): Bird Monitoring and Citizen Science
10:35-10:50 Break
10:50-11:10 Peter Kotanen (University of Toronto): Do invaders escape natural enemies at their northern range limits?
11:10-11:30 David Hik (University of Alberta): Compensatory responses and multiple states of being: La Perouse Bay influenced my understanding of ecological interactions in extreme environments
11:30-11:50 Dawn Bazely (York University): My Life with Grass – from La Pérouse Bay to Mongolia
11:50-12:00 Closing Remarks: Mary Power, Thanks: Susan Jefferies

Entire Weekend – including CNSC Opening

Wednesday
August 24		 Thursday August 25 Friday
August 26		 Saturday August 27 Sunday August 28
Morning VIP Local Tours Special Donor Tours Dr. Robert Jefferies Memorial Symposium Dr. Robert Jefferies Memorial Symposium Pancake Breakfast

All Church Service

Tundra Buggy Tour 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Afternoon CNSC Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Weston Family Welcome Centre Opening

Awarding of Weston Family Prize

Reception & Building Tours

 Symposium Registration Dr. Robert Jefferies Memorial Symposium

Beluga Whale & Fort Tour 4:30-7:30 pm

 History Bus Tour
1:00-3:00 pm

Eskimo Museum Souvenir Hunting 3:00-5:00 pm

 Community Open House BBQ Lunch

Children’s Entertainer

Building & Field Site Tours

Kid’s Science Carnival
Evening Invitation Only DinnerAddress by Weston Award Recipient Symposium Plenary Lecture: Fred Cooke and Lorenzo Cohen Free time Community Feast

Community Dance