Speaker Series: Fall 2007

“Wild About Weather”
An evening with David Phillips

Photo: Darren Stone, Victoria Times-Colonist

Why is weather so important to Canadians? Why are we obsessed with it? After all, we can’t really change the weather. There are times when Canadians seem so disgusted by the weather, yet so secretly proud of its power at the same time. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear — our weather is not boring! An average year in Canada includes three million lightning strikes, 80 to 100 tornadoes, brushes with three or four tropical cyclones, temperatures that range from +40° to -50°C, blizzards and glaze, droughts and floods.

David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, is generally acknowledged as Canada's unofficial weather guru. He is also the originator and author of Canada's most popular calendar, The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar, in its 20th anniversary edition for 2008.

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Speaker Series: Spring 2007

“Meeting Nanuk”
In person with Ian Stirling

Nanuk, the Inuit word for polar bear, symbolizes the Arctic more than any other animal. Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on polar bears, Ian Stirling captivates his audience as he describes the natural history of polar bears, their annual cycle in western Hudson Bay, where fasting plays an important role, and how climate warming is affecting them in Hudson Bay and potentially elsewhere. In his 1998 book Polar Bears, he recounts his experiences in studying these magnificent animals, including the time he performed artificial respiration on a tranquilized polar bear for three hours after it had stopped breathing. Please join The Royal Canadian Geographical Society in welcoming Ian Stirling and his tales of Nanuk.

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