January 31st- The Wolverine and Climate Change (Impact on Subsistence in the North)

The wolverine, also known scientifically as the "Gulo Gulo", are from the weasel family, range between 66-68 cm in height and weight about 17-40 pounds. They live very solitary lives and are very shy animals. They wolverine is also well-suited for the cold, as they have dense fur and a very thick padding on their feet. The wolverine is a carnivorous animal, and are capable of taking down animals much bigger than them. The presenter raised the question of how to prevent wolverines climate from changing. Honestly, in the short-term, there is nothing that we can do to prevent their climate changing, there is only long-term fixes such as attempting to slow global warming by changing our habits. With the snow-melthing, we need to start to attempt to slow global warming now, as the wolverines may soon lose their habitat as well. 

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/wolverine.asp

The range of the Wolverine in the North.

The last presentation of the day was a presentation on Climate Change and the Impact that it has on the subsistence in the North. 

The presenter focused on the key subsistence issues faced by a small community called Sachs Harbour. I found it interesting specifically how the Inuit people of these community have modified their coping strategies to adapt to the subsisitence resource issues. They have to change their timing, location, method (to an ATV) which can leader to soaring prices, and hunting different species. There are cultural limits to this adaptability to as the traditional Inuit didn't use tools such as ATVs but with increasing modernization, this can also be seen as a good thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOZ5LLA-SKg

A documentary showcasing climate change in Sachs Harbour.

It has been another interesting day of presentations and I can't wait to hear more!

Janelle