Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/81685
ST AR A T TR A C TION S 52 Churchill and Kaskatamagan Wildlife Management Areas along with Wapusk National Park protect significant tracts of Hudson Bay coastline from the Churchill townsite, south along Hudson Bay and east to the Ontario border. The areas protect the fragile coastal and tundra ecosystem that provides habitat for polar bears, caribou and geese. Churchill Northern Studies Centre is an independent, non-profit research station located along the coast of Hudson Bay. It offers nature study tours of the sub-arctic, ranging from polar bears to beluga whales, wildflowers to northern lights. Courses are led by qualified instructors and proceeds support research and education in the Canadian sub-arctic. The CNSC also hosts school and youth group visits, university credit courses and ecological research initiatives. Facility tours available. Admission charged. location: Rocket Launch Rd., 24 km/15 mi east of Churchill p: 204-675-2307 e: cnsc@churchillscience.ca w: www.churchillscience.ca Eskimo Museum has a collection of Inuit carvings and artifacts that are among the finest and oldest in the world dating from Pre- Dorset (1700 B.C.) through Dorset, Thule and modern Inuit times. Manitoba Heritage Council plaques commemorate the presence of Pre-Dorset and Dorset peoples who lived in this area from 3000 to 1000 B.C. The gift shop specializes in northern books, Canadian Inuit art, unique postcards, art cards, stationery and local wildberry preserves. Open year- round, in summer, Monday, 1 – 5 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 5 p.m.; in winter, Monday to Saturday, 1 – 4:30 p.m.; closed Sundays and holidays. Groups of 10 or more by advance reservation. Donations accepted. p: 204-675-2030 Parks Canada Visitor Centre in Churchill features exhibits about the human and natural history of the area. Staff provide information on the area, including Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site, York Factory National All aboard for CHURCHILL HERITAGE RAILWAY STATION Historic Site and Wapusk National Park of Canada. Interactive and interpretive programs as well as DVDs and videos are offered year-round. Admission charged for audio-visual and interpretive programs. location: Churchill Heritage Railway Station p: 204-675-8863 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada.gc.ca b Across the Churchill River on the west peninsula, lies Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada, a huge stone fortress built by the Hudson's fall & winter wonders courtesy of Parks Canada Bay Company in the 1700s to protect their interests in the fur trade. It took over 40 years to build this fortification that signifies the French-English struggle on Hudson Bay for control of the fur trade. Licensed guides tell the story of the rivalry, the lives of men who lived there, and point out the details of the cannon embrasures, thick walls, and star-shaped bastions that make this architectural ruin nationally significant. Plaques on this site honour Sir Thomas Button, Samuel Hearne, Matonabee and the Jens Munk expedition. Tours are dependent on PHOTO: HEIDI DEN HAAN