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Bringing the Ocean to Eye Level for Inuit in the Arctic
Bank to the left; bank to the right: Tethered to a diver propulsion vehicle, I flew through emerald-green arctic waters at six kilometres per hour, dodging sculpted ice formations off the northern coast of Labrador, Canada.
Susan R. Eaton
A geoscientist, journalist and explorer, Susan R. Eaton studies the interplay of plate tectonics, oceans, glaciers, climate and life in polar regions.
A Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Susan explores the world’s oceans—from Antarctica to the Arctic—in the snorkel zone, a unique land-sea-ice-air interface where charismatic animals and snorkelers comingle.
In 2018, Ocean Geographic named Susan one of the “Ocean’s Best” 18 most influential women leaders in ocean conservation.
Twelve years ago, Susan suffered a scuba diving trauma that landed her in a hyperbaric chamber for three days, ending her 30-year diving career. Undaunted, her up-close-and-personal relationship with the ocean—which had included studying marine biology and teaching scuba diving—didn’t end in the hyperbaric chamber…
Redefining her relationship with the ocean, Susan has snorkeled with thousands of chatty belugas Hudson Bay and with docile manatees at Crystal River, Florida. She’s snorkeled in the Galapagos Archipelago where sea turtles, sea lions and nurse sharks outnumber snorkelers. In Haida Gwaii, she’s assisted the Haida Nation, snorkeling northern rivers to count salmon migrating to their ancestral spawning grounds. Susan has come face-to-mask with charging 1,400-pound leopard seals in the Southern Ocean—so close, in fact, that she could count the freckles on their upper palates and inspect their tri-serrated teeth which dispatch 30-pound penguins in mere minutes.
On Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, Susan was honoured to be included in the book by Paulina Cameron, entitled “Canada 150 Women: Conversations with Leaders, Champions and Luminaries.”
In 2015, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society named Susan one of Canada’s top 100 modern-day explorers and trailblazers. A year later, the same organization named her one of Canada’s 25 greatest female explorers.
VIDEOS
Martial Glacier, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
TELUS Spark: Meet an Innovator Susan R. Eaton
Sedna Epic: Seawomen To Snorkel Northwest
SOCIAL MEDIA
Bravo! My sister Stephanie Bertossi and her husband Maurizio Bertossi join the the #NovaScotia Business Hall of Fame! A formidable team, their career spanned four decades and has inspired #NextGen restauranteurs @OurBicycleThief @ristoranteamano @LaFrascaHfx #NSBHOF @NS_BHOF
The Special Committee on the #Arctic spent a year studying the significant and rapid changes in Canada's North and impacts on original inhabitants, finding that #Indigenous youth (the Arctic's greatest asset) were hit the hardest by federal underinvestment @SenPatBovey @SenateCA
Read the Report! In "Northern Lights: a Wake Up Call for the Future of Canada," the Special Committee on the #Arctic @SenateCA speaks to a history of neglect and disregard, saying the North is the future of #Canada in countless ways @SenateCA @SenPatBovey https://t.co/dvSUgb7vXr
This is my backyard people! Please stop suggesting we move because of the conditions Inuit face in our communities. This is home and it’s SO beautiful. Don’t penalize us for having lived here for thousands of years. Be allies, not jerks #Inukwithherjackrussell #nomoredarkness
Basketball was invented by a Canadian, after all... Congrats Toronto @Raptors! #WeTheNorth #JurassicPark #Raptors #RaptorsvsWarriors @NBA @WeTheNorth__
Seahorses likely evolved their upright posture in response to an increase in shallow water habitats containing #seagrass that occurred during the Oligocene, 34-23 million years ago, Photo © Elias Levy @creativecommons #FossilFridays #seahorses @NHM_London https://t.co/UxPpMsDOXX
Excited to deliver the plenary address at the Phycological Society of America's annual meeting on June 24 in #HollywoodBeach, Florida! Here's some of the #seaweed the sea women @SednaEpic Expedition saw offshore Labrador #PADIwomen #WomenoftheArctic #psa2019 #algae @PSAAlgae
What a way to wrap up #WorldOceansWeek @ExplorersClub in New York! Sedna's ocean educator and underwater robot expert Erica Moulton @ROV_Erica ran a workshop for Young Explorers, engaging them to design, build, operate and fly #ROVs #seawomen #WomeninSTEM #WomenoftheArctic
"Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada" is the result of a year-long study by the Senate of Canada - Sénat du Canada's Special Committee on the Arctic.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For far too long, the Arctic and northern regions have been neglected by Canada. Crises remain unresolved and the well-being of residents, left to tackle enormous challenges on their own, has been overlooked. Arctic residents are more than up to the task of resolving these challenges and they know what needs to be done. It is essential that the Government of Canada recognize that the Arctic requires greater attention, investment and consistent support from the federal government, to complete Canada’s nation-building project. The impact of federal underinvestment hits hardest on the Arctic’s greatest asset, Indigenous youth. Opportunities for nation-building can no longer be missed.
As highlighted by the title of this report, Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada, the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic (the committee) understands that the Arctic is Canada’s future. This report is an urgent wake-up call. The committee’s mandate was to study the “significant and rapid changes to the Arctic and impacts on original inhabitants.”1 As the Government of Canada prepares a new policy framework for the Arctic, this study recommends important changes for federal policy in areas such Canada’s sovereignty and safety, devolution of federal programs and services and investments in infrastructure to support the well-being and future prosperity of Arctic communities. This report, like others before it, makes recommendations that Arctic residents have raised time and time again.
Canada’s Sovereignty in the Arctic
Arctic residents keenly observed other countries’ interest in the region’s natural resources and the Northwest Passage. The committee recommends that the Government of Canada ensure the Canadian Arctic security and safety and assert and protect Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. In the committee’s view, actions ensuring prosperous, sustainable and safe Arctic communities are vital to enhance Canada’s ability to project its Arctic foreign policy, including sovereignty in the region.
Empowering Arctic Residents
The committee heard from numerous federal departments with responsibilities related to the Arctic, often working in silos. Indigenous and territorial leaders stressed that policy, legislation and service delivery must occur in the North, by the North, for the North. The committee therefore recommends that the Government of Canada develop a strategy that: 1) empowers Arctic and northern governments to assume roles in delivering federal programs and services to its residents; and 2) devolves federal programs and services related to the Arctic and northern regions to local, territorial and Indigenous governments.
Read the report: sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/ARCT/reports/ARCTFINALREPORT_E.pdf
sencanada.ca
Brava! Sedna's literary scholar and historian Dr. Kelly Bushnell successfully completed her Padi Open Water Diver and dry suit certifications with the Sedna Epic Expedition's partner Seattle Dive Tours.
Kelly wore her Ladies First SANTI Diving drysuit during her certification course.
Team Sedna will celebrate PADI Women's Dive Day on July 20 in Seattle, working with Seattle Dive Tours' dive instructors and dive masters to obtain several certifications during a long weekend. The sea women will also work with expedition sponsor Dive-Xtras, touring its facility that manufactures Sedna's diver propulsion vehicles (aka "scooters").
Team Sedna's divers and snorkelers look forward to exploring Puget Sound with Seattle Dive Tours!Congratulations to Kelly Bushnell of Bremerton, Washington for earning her Open Water Diver and Dry Suit specialty certification today.
Kelly is very comfortable in the water and was a pleasure to dive and learn with. She is a also a seawoman of Sedna Epic Expedition who will be joining us for PADI Women's Dive Day.
Thank you for diving with us!
#PADI #godive #gooutside #gotravel #Sedna #PNW #seattle #WestSeattle #openwater #divedry #santi #womenwhodive #strongwomen #ocean #life
The Sedna Epic Expedition's ocean STEM outreach continues!
Sedna's ocean educator and expert in underwater robots (ROVs) Erica Moulton celebrated World Oceans Day in New York at The Explorers Club.
Erica and her family led an interactive and inspiring session for the Young Explorers, engaging them to design, build, operate and fly ROVs.
What a great way to close the World Ocean Week at the Explorers Club! Photos courtesy of Explorer Martin Kraus!
Thank you for supporting young learners!
Thank you for supporting young learners!
Love those Moulton/Nordquists!
So proud!