Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.02.2019, Side 8

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8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • February 15 2019
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Kelsey suggests that bears allow us into their
lives and being able to watch their behavior
is far easier than watching the average prey
animal because they are, overall, a very
self-assured animal. It appears they, too,
can project our feelings on them. He claims
the only real challenges with working with
them is the importance of remembering that
they are real live animals and being aware
of what they are capable.
The documentary has a huge Riverton
connection as well. Both Keith and Gail
were very supportive of the production and
they were involved at all levels of it with
activities ranging from babysitting the dogs
to organizing all of the vehicles needed for
filming. Another huge serendipitous event
was a chance meeting with Verne Thorarinson
of Calgary – originally from Riverton – when
he arrived on the Polar Bear Town set one day.
Once Verne and Kelsey made the Riverton
connection, the rest was history. Verne
provided outside financial assistance and,
coupled with assistance from NorthwestTel,
their creative project flourished.
Both Karine and Kelsey learned how
to make documentaries along the way.
Kelsey’s most stressful moment was
being charged by a grizzly mom of three,
but he also relays another story where he
accidentally sprayed Karine with water
from the river. He laughingly recounts that
he was not sure which event was going to be
more dangerous for him!
Karine’s labour of love is her French
documentary entitled L’esprit des ours, which
explores Indigenous traditions and legends,
and how they are influencing our modern
view of bears. He explains the choice of topic
was due to a strong Indigenous relationship
with bears (and all nature in general) and
the Indigenous people rightly tending to
be natural champions of conservation.
THE POLAR BEAR WHISPERER
Polar bear on the ice.
Below: a polar bear in the distance observing
a gaggle of humans. Portrait of a polar bear.
Both documentaries will be shown at the
Available Light Film Festival beginning
February 4th in Whitehorse, Yukon,
but Karine’s documentary will also be
shown on UnisTV. The documentaries
will be broadcast on other networks, such
as NorthwestTel Community Channel,
and in conjunction with international
distributors such as EarthTouch.
In the near future, Karine and Kelsey
will leave to film another documentary
that they are co-producing. Their next
documentary, called Arctic Oasis,
explores the phenomenon of polynyas,
which are open water and floe edges
on sea ice. Polynyas are considered an
“oasis of the sea.” As the word oasis
suggests, the open ice in frozen arctic
water allows wildlife some reprieve
from harsh conditions. Scientists have
never been able to fully explain why
the polynyas exist, but they do know
they existed before climate change. The
documentary illustrates how polynyas
have been negatively impacted by the
effects of climate change. Specifically,
climate change has caused the open water
to be either too cold, so that the ice will
freeze over, or too warm, so that the ice
around the hole is unstable. Either way, it
appears that climate change is the culprit.
After Arctic Oasis, we may not
know what project is next in line for this
creative team that champions wildlife,
but we do know that the project will
be exciting and unique. It was such an
honour and a pleasure speaking with
Kelsey, and I very much value his insight
and knowledge in the everchanging world
of climate change and how it affects this
planet’s animals. I hope to feature Kelsey
in another article later this year. Best of
luck with everything, Kelsey, and it was
certainly a pleasure for me to write about
yet another Riverton success story.
PHOTOS: KELSEY ELIASSON
“they give you
an insight into
their world on
their terms.”
Icelandic National League of North America
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