22: Bloody Fat Popsicles, Polar Bears, Conservation, Life in the North, and Career Progression with Alysa and BJ Who are Directors at Polar Bears International 

April 17, 2018

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Polar Bears Unmasked with facts and stories from the cold north. These two lovers of polar bears have dedicated their lives to understanding them and we are lucky enough to sit down with them to learn what they have learned, hear what they’ve seen, and downloads some of their wisdom.

Brief Background About Each of the Guests:

BJ Kirschhoffer Director of Field Operations

“BJ began working with PBI’s remote broadcasting needs in Churchill in the fall of 2007 and quickly proved himself an invaluable member of the team, able to trouble-shoot technical problems in extreme conditions with no corner hardware store. He now ensures the smooth working of our field operations, from our Maternal Den Studies in Svalbard and Alaska to our Tundra Connections Webcasts, which link scientists in the field with people around the world. BJ also works to test and refine new technology that aids in polar bear research and contributes to cutting-edge fieldwork. He also oversees our Polar Bear Cam with explore.org, as well as the Beluga and Northern Lights Cams. BJ has a degree in wildlife photography from Montana State University. ” As seen on Polar Bear International. 

Alysa McCall Director of Conservation Outreach and Staff Scientist 

“Alysa is the director of conservation outreach and a staff scientist at Polar Bears International. She has a B.Sc. (Hon.) in Animal Biology from Thompson Rivers University and an M.Sc. in Ecology from the University of Alberta where her thesis focused on the polar bears of western Hudson Bay. She gained hands-on experience with polar bears from multiple fall and spring field seasons in Tuktoyaktuk and Churchill, and has been heavily involved in the collaring and tracking of Hudson Bay polar bears. Before joining our staff, Alysa volunteered in multiple capacities, including being a panelist on the Tundra Connections program, blogging, and assisting with the Polar Bear Tracker. She is passionate about science education and polar bear conservation, and is dedicated to ensuring that future generations inherit a healthy planet.” As seen on Polar Bear International.

Brief synopsis of the episode:

BJ and Alysa talk about what they do, how they worked themselves into their positions (career progression), ways we all can be helpful to polar bears and climate change in general, amazing polar bear facts, fat popsicles (this is a funny one), and what interests them the most about what they do.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

Website: Polar Bear International. 

How to get involved at Polar Bear International. 

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook , Google Plus, and where to check out the live streams (Explore.org).

Timestamped Show Notes (I have to say, BJ has a really great voice. Also, my top 10 favorite sections have ** next to the timestamps):

  1. [ 03:15 ] **What originally got them interested in polar bear science and proactive conservation?
  2. [ 06:00 ] Thoughts on danger and how they prepare for the north.
  3. [ 08:15 ] **Their thoughts on the movie The Thing, and places that remind them of the facilities in that movie.
  4. [ 9:45 ] The results of their search projects and some of the projects they are working on.
  5. [ 12:25 ]** BJ’s Den monitoring project.
  6. [ 13:30 ] Montreal protocol, things we can support, and what we all can do to help.
  7. [ 18:50 ]  Polar Bear International information on advocacy.
  8. [ 19:45 ] What they do in their free time and their favorite board games.
  9. [ 23:45 ] **Positive news in the north, such as creative youth innovation and how they live stream.
  10. [ 27:25 ] Good news Friday, good branding for polar bears, and whether penguins and polar bears get along…
  11. [ 29:00 ] **Fat Popsicle from a baby seal… You really need to listen to this section to get it. It’s really funny and educational. 
  12. [ 30:25 ] Fun quick facts about polar bears as marine animals, such as how they can live off of straight fat unlike us.
  13. [ 34:35 ] How far a polar bear can travel, a fun conversion tip for the metric to US system, and how stealthy polar bears are.
  14. [ 39:00 ] The chances you have if you are attacked by a polar bear, how to keep them away from you, and how to protect yourself.
  15. [ 40:50 ] **BJ’s bear spray story.
  16. [ 41:50 ] An important fact about bear spray, and how you need to get out of the area when you use it. Anyone near bears needs to hear this section.
  17. [ 42:55 ] **Exciting projects they are working on, such as their Education programs, Buggy One (Mobile broadcast Studio), Tundra connections, Live Cams in the fall, how to watch the Northern Lights, boat cams, and research.
  18. [ 46:15 ] **Spotter RF Program, and how this is going to help make communities safer in the polar bear country.
  19. [ 49:00 ] About polar bear patrol around Halloween.
  20. [ 50:00 ] Benefits of polar bear hair, how it has properties you probably didn’t know, and the spectrum of pretty bears to grubby bears in the north.
  21. [ 52:00 ] How polar bear populations are changing, how they could decrease over the next century, and the countries that manage polar bears.
  22. [ 54:25 ] Advice and thoughts on getting involved in conservation.
  23. [ 58:45 ] Good books on polar bears, general nature resources, and library resources.
  24. [ 1:01:00 ] ** Top ways to be engaged and be active Twitter, Instagram, Facebook , Google Plus, and where to check out the live streams (Explore.org)
  25. [ 1:04:20 ] **First Person polar bear (Everyone needs to message them to get this idea off the ground).

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