In northern Labrador, a training program started by Inuit elder Derrick Pottle is responding to a shifting Arctic. Pottle, a former Canadian conservation officer, founded BearSafe Planning in 2005 after the creation of Torngat Mountains National Park left a need for certified bear guards in Nunatsiavut. The three-day course teaches students to recognize signs of bear discomfort, use protective tools, and prevent dangerous encounters.
Climate change is intensifying that work. The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet, and polar bears—which rely on sea ice to travel and hunt—are spending longer stretches on land as the ice-free season lengthens. Canadian officials say encounters are becoming more likely, and Inuit and Cree communities report bears appearing more often in places where they were once rare.
Pottle notes that bears are now seen year-round in parts of Inuit Nunangat where they once migrated north in late spring. The program, developed with input from Parks Canada, conservationists, Inuit elders, and academics, is increasingly seen as essential for both professional guards and ordinary people spending time on the land. Sherri Wolfrey, a mother of four and trained bear guard, put her certification to work last year in Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve, and says the skills are just as useful when she is at her cabin with family.