Lancaster Sound to be conservation area

CBC News

Speaking to reporters Monday in Ottawa, Environment Minister John Baird says the federal government will hold consultations into designating Lancaster Sound as a national marine conservation area. (CBC)

The federal government is moving to protect Lancaster Sound, a marine area in the Eastern Arctic, from development.

Environment Minister John Baird announced on Monday that Ottawa has begun the formal process of designating Lancaster Sound as a national marine conservation area.

Baird said the government will hold public consultations with Inuit in the area, as well as the Nunavut government and other groups on protecting the 44,500-square-kilometre sound, which is about twice the size of Lake Erie.

Located near the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage, Lancaster Sound is a known migratory corridor for most of the world's narwhal, bowhead and beluga whale populations, as well as a habitat for polar bears, seabirds and other marine life. It is also believed to contain potentially significant deposits of oil and natural gas.

Designating Lancaster Sound as a national marine conservation area means it will be protected from resource exploration or extraction, Baird said, although he added that commercial shipping will still be allowed in the area.

In August, the Nunavut Court of Justice stopped scientists with the federal Natural Resources Department from carrying out seismic tests for potential oil and gas resources in the sound.

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which sought to block the seismic tests, argued that such testing would have a negative effect on the migration routes of whales, as well as serve as a prelude to drilling.

Baird said no new seismic tests will take place but existing data will be used in planning for the marine park.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/12/06/lancaster-sound-marine-conservation.html#ixzz17Mnp4kHu

Yukon photographer named Northerner of the Year
CBC News

Paul Nicklen is a world-renowned photographer, known for his stunning pictures of Canada's Arctic. (Paul Nicklen/Paramount Classics)

Yukon resident and acclaimed National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen has been named the 2010 Northerner of the Year by Up Here Magazine.

Nicklen was raised in Nunavut, went to school in Yellowknife and makes his home in Yukon.

He studied biology at the University of Victoria before turning his passion for wildlife into a successful photojournalism career. He sold his first photo to Up Here Magazine for $72 nearly two decades ago.

In its December issue, the magazine highlights Nicklen's work in an article titled He'll Go to the Depths of Hell.

The article focuses on the extreme measures Nicklen goes to in order to capture a picture, including diving beneath ice floes in frigid water and chasing deadly sea creatures.

Nicklen is considered one of the world's greatest wildlife photographers and his iconic pictures have garnered him notoriety across the globe. He has appeared on Jeopardy and the Today Show, and has won five World Press Photo Awards.

Paul Nicklen has been named the 2010 Northener of the Year. (Paul Nicklen)

The photographer tells Up Here Magazine he is still passionate about his work, and more invigorated than ever, even after 15 years.

During his time in the Arctic, he said, he's seen the impacts of the polar meltdown and feels his photos — and his life — can be inspiration for fighting climate change.

"If I'm going to have near-death experiences, suffer from hypothermia and spend months waiting for one image," he said, "you can go home and think about what car you're going to buy next."

The December issue of Up Here Magazine is on newsstands throughout the North and Canada.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2010/12/01/north-nicklen-photographer-northerner-of-the-year.html#ixzz17Mp66hDg