22 CONTED.UCALGARY.CA/TRAVELPROGRAMS | 403.220.2952

YELLOWKNIFE AURORA BOREALIS AT ITS BEST

MARCH 9 – 14, 2015 WITH DR. WAYNE LYNCH

Ancient Inuit believed that the aurora borealis was the torches of spirits guiding souls to a land of happiness and plenty. First Nations peoples along the Pacific Coast thought that auroras were the cooking fires of Eskimos boiling whale blubber. My grandfather believed they were the reflection of the sun off the polar icecap. Auroras have inspired countless colorful stories and legends; their shifting curtains of green, red and purple light, pulsating across a blackened star-filled sky, are fuel for the imagination and never fail to amaze and captivate.

When viewed from space, an aurora forms a bright crown of light encircling the northern polar region. Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories and the most northern city in Canada, lies under the magical Auroral Oval where northern lights occur on 100 percent of nights when it’s dark enough to see the displays. Auroras are most intense around the autumn and spring equinoxes so our tour in March is at an optimal time. As well, the month of March has the greatest percentage of clear skies, the least amount of winter snowfall, and the warmest winter temperatures—a time when it’s truly energizing to be outside in nature.

Photo by Dr. Wayne Lynch

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OrientationThe orientation course will be held on Wednesday March 4, 2015, 7 – 9:30 pm, at the University of Calgary campus. The main topic of discussion will be the fascinating science of the aurora borealis. Understanding the science behind the northern lights doesn’t rob the displays of any of their beauty and makes the spectacle even more exciting to witness. As well we’ll explore some interesting topics in winter ecology. Subjects of special interest to the instructor include the natural history of: ptarmigan and northern grouse, ravens and gray jays, red foxes, and wood bison in winter, all of which we hope to see on the tour. Everyone will want to photograph the spectacular displays of the aurora and a segment of the orientation evening will be spent discussing digital camera and lens choices, and how to make the best aurora photographs. The itinerary and travel arrangements will also be discussed.

Every participant will receive a copy of Auroras: Fire in the Sky, by Dan Bortolotti and Yuichi Takasaka, Firefly Books, Toronto, 2011, as part of the course materials.

ItineraryTwo lunches and two dinners in total are included on this trip.

MAR 9 Depart Calgary for Yel-lowknife. The city of Yellowknife is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, the tenth largest lake in the world. This community of roughly 20,000 inhabitants bills itself as the Aurora Capital of Canada and is one of the three best locations on the planet to view the northern lights. Fairbanks, Alaska and Tromso, Norway are the other aurora hotspots but both are more expensive to reach than Yellowknife and neither has as many daytime wildlife viewing pos-sibilities.

MAR 10 – 13 For the next four days our small group of six participants will explore Yellowknife and its surrounding wildlands in our own

private 7-passenger van. Each night from roughly 9:30 pm to 3 am we’ll travel far from the distracting lights of the city to where we can view the northern lights at their best. On three of these nights we will base ourselves at a remote cabin where we can stay warm, enjoy soup, bannock and sweets while the aurora dances overhead.

Mornings will be free for some extra sleep or strolling around town, but our afternoons will be busy with winter activities. We’ll introduce you to snowshoeing and the thrill of tromping through powder snow in a boreal wilderness, and dog sledding over frozen northern lakes. If weather permits we’ll also make a daylong ex-pedition to see wintering wood bison in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. Typically, these shaggy, frost-coated beasts rest and graze beside the highway; generally ignoring travelers who can observe and photograph them from relatively close distances. As well, if time and energy permits we’ll drive some of the many roads surrounding Yellowknife to search for red foxes, willow ptarmigan, gray jays and ravens and discover how northern wildlife thrives despite the snow and winter temperatures.

MAR 14 Return to Calgary.

Accompanying Resource PersonDr. Wayne Lynch is an internationally-recognized naturalist, science writer and professional wildlife photog-rapher. His photo credits include

hundreds of magazine covers, thou-sands of calendar shots, and tens of thousands of images published in over 60 dozen countries. He is also a popular guest speaker, and audiences worldwide applaud his practical and entertaining approach to natural history. As well, he is the author and photographer of over 50 natural history books for children, young adults and adults. Two of his books relevant to this tour include: The Great Northern Kingdom—Life in the Boreal Forest and Planet Arctic—Life at the Top of the World. He is an elected fellow of the Explor-ers Club and the Arctic Institute of North America, and his biography has been included in the Canadian Who’s Who, published by the University of Toronto, since 1996. He has made dozens of trips to the boreal forest and the arctic.

Cost

Airfare $900Land, tuition and other costs $3,000GST $35TOTAL $3,935Single supplement $700

Cost includes: Tuition and orientation course, airfare, accommodation, transfers, all surface travel, and meals as listed in the itinerary. A deposit of $500 is required with the registration form. There is a $200 withdrawal fee prior to the final payment date. Final payment is due on October 15, 2014. Please see the Refund Policy section for withdrawal/refund procedures and liabilities. Fees are based on the information available at the time of print and are subject to change to reflect any changes in currency rates, airfares, or land costs. There are possibilities of decreases or increases, and any changes will be reflected on the final payment and passed on to the participant. All fees are based on double occupancy.

Photo by Dr. Wayne Lynch

Photo by Dr. Wayne Lynch

2 CONTED.UCALGARY.CA/TRAVELPROGRAMS | 403.220.2952

Do you love to learn? Do you love to travel? You can experience both with U of C Continuing Education!

Every year, University of Calgary Continuing Education, in association with other U of C academic departments, offers you a series of amazing travel programs. The educational component that is part of every program is what sets these trips apart from any other holiday you will ever take.

Travel worry-free, knowing a Continuing Education travel program coordinator has handled all of the logistics. You will be guided throughout the program by an expert resource person—someone who has a passion for your destination.

All of the travel programs begin with orientation classes in Calgary.

Everyone is welcome in the University of Calgary Educational Travel Study Program, where every trip is the trip of a lifetime!

Lois Kokoski Program Director, Travel Study

Lois has traveled to over 85 countries and has been involved with the U of C Educational Travel Study Program for 24 years. In this time she has coordinated hundreds of trips and has taken many groups abroad.

Fees

Cost includes: tuition, orientation course, airfare, accommodation, transfers, all surface travel, and meals as listed in the itinerary. A de-posit is required with the registration form. There is a withdrawal fee prior to the final payment date. Fees are based on the information available at the time of print and are subject to change to reflect any changes in currency rates, airfares, or land costs. There are possibilities of decreases or increases, and any changes will be reflected on the final payment and passed on to the participant. All fees are based on double occupancy. Fees in all programs exclude airport taxes, passport and visa fees, lug-gage, cancellation, medical and other personal insurance, gratuities for local guides, wine, liquors, and other items not specifically mentioned as included and other personal services.

Single Supplement

The single supplement fee is listed in each program description. Every

Registration

Please complete the registration form on the back cover and mail it with your deposit.

Contact Information

Lois Kokoski, Program Director Educational Travel Study Program Phone 403.220.5052 Fax 403.284.9242 kokoski@ucalgary.ca conted.ucalgary.ca/travelprograms

Educational Travel Study Program U of C Continuing Education Education Tower 1120 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4

Mailing List

If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please email mkuczaj@ucalgary.ca or kokoski@ucalgary.ca

TRAVEL WITH US IN 2014...

GENERAL INFORMATION

effort is made to find a suitable roommate for those who wish to share, however, if this is not possible, a single supplement charge will be applied.

Insurance

We highly recommend cancellation and medical insurance. Information will be sent out at the time of final payment.

Liability and Responsibility

University of Calgary and its travel agents will exercise all reasonable care in making arrangements for conducting the tour. They are, how-ever, acting only in the capacity of an agent and do not assume liability for any damage to persons or property resulting from or arising out of any act or inadvertence of any hotel, car-rier, restaurant, or other company or persons rendering any of the services included in the tour or for any dam-age caused by other factors beyond their control. The passage contract in use by the airlines concerned

when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the airlines and passengers. All prices are based on current international exchange rates and airfare prices at the time of planning the tours, and are subject to change. In the event that it becomes necessary or advisable to alter the itinerary or arrangements for any reason whatsoever, such alterations may be made. Additional expenses, if any, shall be borne by the participants; conversely refunds will be made to participants if any savings are affected thereby. The right is reserved to decline, accept, or retain any participant or tour member at any time.

Refund Policy

Please call 403-220-5052 or write to Lois Kokoski at the address on this page. Up to the final payment date, a cancellation fee of $200 will apply. After the final payment date, the amount of refund will depend on the amount recoverable from the tour operators. We highly recommend insurance.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

NAME _____________________________________________________________

DATE OF BIRTH (MM/DD/YYYY) ___________________________________________

HOME PHONE _______________________________________________________

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CELL PHONE ________________________________________________________

ADDRESS __________________________________________________________

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FAX __________________________ EMAIL _______________________________

OFFICIAL NAME (As it appears on your passport): ______________________________

Will you be travelling with another person?

¨ Yes Their Name: _________________________________________ ¨ No

Would you like to have a roommate? ¨ Yes ¨ No

Please note that if you wish to share, every effort will be made to find you a suitable room-mate. However, if this is not possible, a single supplement will be applied.

PAYMENT

If you are registering for a trip, your deposit of $500 must accompany this registration. Remit by credit card, cheque or money order in Canadian funds payable to University of Calgary.

¨ CHEQUE ENCLOSED

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This information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Pri-vacy Act. It is required to register you in the program, forms part of the permanent student record, and will be used to notify you of other courses and programs. If you have questions about the collection or use of this information, or, if you want your name removed from our mailing list, call 403-220-2952.

¨ TANZANIA AND THE SERENGETI PLAINS February 7 – 23, 2014 with Dr. Wayne Lynch

¨ TOULOUSE TO BORDEAUX: THE SOUTHWEST OF FRANCE April 14 – 27, 2014 with John Gilchrist

¨ EXPLORE BARCELONA AND THE CATALONIA REGION May 5 – 20, 2014 with Kenneth Brown

¨ THE HISTORIC UKRAINE May 13 – 29, 2014 with Dr. Valery Efimenko

¨ CHICAGO’S GOT THE BLUES! June 1 – 9, 2014 with John Charles Reid

¨ GREAT CITIES OF THE ADRIATIC: FROM VENICE TO DUBROVNIK June 7 – 24, 2014 with Dr. John Humphrey

¨ WILD BORNEO: RAIN FORESTS AND ORANGUTANS August 13 – 31, 2014 with Dr. Wayne Lynch

¨ AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNEY THROUGH WESTERN TURKEY September 4 – 26, 2014 with Dr. John Humphrey

¨ WILD PATAGONIA AND EASTER ISLAND November 14 – 29, 2014 with Dr. Wayne Lynch

¨ YELLOWKNIFE: AURORA BOREALIS AT ITS BEST March 9 – 14, 2015 with Dr. Wayne Lynch

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE...

University of Calgary Continuing Education2500 University Drive NWCalgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4