Arctic HOWLs

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Arctic HOWLs

Leticia Mendonca

9 episodes

6 days ago

The long-awaited journey of Letty and her two senior dogs (Frazer and Denvor) from the coastal state of Goa (India) to Arctic Canada has come to an abrupt end with the passing of Frazer in Sept 2023 - Four days before their Oct road trip to Northern BC and the Yukon. A wild card entry called Suomi made their Arctic dream come true when they crossed the Arctic Circle, met Joulupukki, and visited Sodankylä (67.41 degrees N). Arctic HOWLs stands for the Arctic Habitat of Wildlife and Locals.

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Society & Culture

Episodes (9/9)

Arctic HOWLs

Remembering Patrik: From reality to fiction

Jalo Monivilja is a geologist from Finland and an alumnus of the Frazden School of Boundless Joy. He specializes in eclogites, their protoliths, and the taconian orogeny. His first job took him to Newfoundland and Labrador, which became his home nine years later.

Jalo is the central character in my upcoming audiobook titled the chosen rock. This character is inspired by my friend and colleague, Patrik Vilja.

Note: This is a work of fiction, so everything herein is imaginary with some dangling facts. To use Kate Wolf's songs, see ⁠⁠⁠⁠Using a Kate Wolf⁠ song⁠⁠⁠. You will hear a few minutes of ⁠Unfinished Life⁠ (1981) by Kate Wolf.

403 days since Frazer enfolded. Always here...

1 year ago

15 minutes 3 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

TravelCurators: A service project in loving memory of Frazer

I am resurrecting this podcast, Arctic HOWLs, which was paused indefinitely after the death of my best friend, Frazer.

The initial purpose of this podcast was to capture the essence of the Arctic habitat of wildlife and locals with a focus on Arctic Canada and Finland. It is now a part of my ongoing tribute to Frazer’s ubiquitous presence, which includes my website (TravelCurators), a free service offer, a fictional story about the Frazden School of Boundless Joy, and any future endeavors related to giving B9 tokens.

Two years ago, two kind Canadian souls (much indebted, Cara Moore and Anthony Mayne) helped me and my two best friends (Frazer and Denvor) start my long-awaited journey to the Yukon. I want to thank Cara and Anthony for supporting me and dedicate this episode to them.

Our Canadian journey started in Edmonton, and it took us to Northern British Columbia (BC) and Québec (QC). A memorable 5300-kilometer road trip from BC to QC with Denvor still alive and Frazer's ashes was repeated this month as Denvor and I came back to Alberta (Calgary this time) to say hello to old friends and make new ones.

Frazer lived a good 16 years, which isn't too bad for a medium-sized dog. Hoping that Denvor can celebrate his 16th birthday on Oct 24 and eventually rest with his brother in Alberta. As for the Yukon, I'm happy writing a fictional story about its geology for now.

Note: To use Kate Wolf's songs, see ⁠⁠⁠Using a Kate Wolf⁠ song⁠⁠. You will hear a few minutes of Back Roads (1975) by Kate Wolf in this episode.

384 days since Frazer enfolded. Always here...

1 year ago

16 minutes 11 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

Frazer's Flowering and Withering Away

This episode was recorded on Oct 17, 2023, at Fort Nelson (BC). 16 years of traveling, sniffing, enjoying fish, tolerating Letty's croaking, and playing with Denvor, Poonchi, Choco, BlackTea, Dusty, Sweety, Pumpkin, and Mr. B have come to an end. It's time to go.

Frazer: https://www.instagram.com/travel.curators/

You will hear a few seconds of two songs by Kate Wolf (The trumpet vine and Who knows where the time goes). To use Kate Wolf's songs, see ⁠Using a Kate Wolf song (https://www.katewolf.com/using-a-kate-song)

Note: This podcast and the Arctic HOWLs research is indefinitely on hold, as Letty is no longer heading to the Yukon. Letty's other podcast (SARtastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is active but with a changed direction. Both the podcasts are dedicated to Frazer.

2 years ago

22 minutes 41 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

Season 1 Finale: The Lost Poems

This episode was recorded on April 09, 2022, when Letty was in Kuopio, Finland. As Letty is starting her journey toward Arctic Canada next month, she is wrapping up Season 1 with a few edited versions of her episodes from 2022.

Episode 6 is the season finale and an opportunity for Letty to share three of her old poems. The first was written in 1997, the second in 2002, and the third in 2007. Interestingly, Letty's actual journey to the Yukon also began in Alberta. It will take a while to get to Old Crow Flats, but the first leg of the journey is in Northern British Columbia.

2 years ago

32 minutes 7 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

Following Snowchange Cooperative and watching the Yukon connection unfold at Kontiolahti

Day 1 was about following the local fish supply chain with ⁠⁠Lauri Hämäläinen and Karoliina Lehtimäki⁠⁠. This episode was recorded on June 10, 2022, when Letty was in Kuopio, Finland.

Toward the end of the episode, you will hear a snippet about Letty's Yukon connection. A story about a young girl from the coastal state of Goa who watched some wolves being introduced to the Yellowstone national park. At about the same time, she watched a video of wolves crossing the Dempster highway with an unforgettable view of the Richardson Mountains. It was love at first howl.

Little did she know that her arctic dream of the Yukon would stay enfolded for over two and half decades but leave weak signals along the way. The seed was planted with love for the Yukon, but it is germinating in Finland.

Note: You will hear your host croak a portion of the Finnish anthem. If you are curious about Letty's reference to the canvas that's slowly slipping away, listen to this interview with Dr. Fabrice Calmels (Yukon University) on Letty's other podcast (SARtastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).

2 years ago

22 minutes 28 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

The Cover Art

This episode was recorded on March 14, 2022, when Letty was in Kuopio, Finland. It captures the story behind the podcast's cover art, including its five elements.

2 years ago

20 minutes 29 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

The Yukon Connection

This episode was recorded on March 08, 2022, when Letty was in Kuopio, Finland. Back then, Letty was unaware that life would bring her childhood dream of being in the Yukon to fruition. Letty is now a permanent resident of Canada, and she is less than 1800 kilometers away from the Yukon. As she is resurrecting both her podcasts, she will be reviewing and republishing her old episodes. The Yukon Connection is the first.

2 years ago

31 minutes 31 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Uprooting Invasive Plants: In conversation with Alicia Jarma from Snowchange Cooperative

Day 2 was about measuring the soil condition after a forest fire. Day 3 was all about peat action by measuring the water level and methane emission. The final day was about uprooting the Himalayan Balsam, an invasive plant species, from an old-growth forest in Selkie, Eastern Finland.

In this episode, Letty had the opportunity to chat with Alicia Jarma, a biodiversity specialist from Spain, about old-growth forests, greenhouse gas emission, and invasive plant species.

Her key message is in Catalan, Spanish, French, and English. Here's what do expect in this episode: 00:00 Alicia's key message in four languages 04:07 Alicia's day at an old-growth forest in Selkie 10:54 The challenge with invasive plants like the Himalayan Balsam and Lupine 13:54 The work being done at a forest fire site and a restored peatland site 20:56 What sparked Alicia's interest and got her to Snowchange Cooperative

Letty followed Snowchange Cooperative (Lumimuutos Osuuskunta in Finnish), the organization behind Rewilding Finland, on four distinct field trips.

3 years ago

26 minutes 27 seconds

Arctic HOWLs

Finland’s Living Heritage (Winter Seine Fishing | Lake Puruvesi): In conversation with Noora Huusari from Snowchange Cooperative

Two themes (sustainable fishing and biocultural heritage) guided this conversation. Here's what to expect in this episode... Introducing our guest, Noora Huusari and what got her interested in Snowchange Cooperative? The traditional practice of winter seine fishing in Finland. How old is this practice? 1300 since the first written record. The oldest fishing net in the world was found in Eastern Finland, and it was over 10,000 years old! This is not the cultural heritage of some remote location in Finland. It’s our heritage as a species – our biological cultural heritage (BCH) and our interconnectedness with nature. Here’s an article from Nature Conservation on why does this matter. What makes Finland’s lake Puruvesi so special and two short films on the winter seiners of Puruvesi. How to keep the traditional practice alive and the challenge of operating a small-scale fisheries program. The average catch this season was 250 kg and the team is on the ice once a week. Remember that it’s winter seining, which means that our climate action or inaction influences how long this practice continues. A crispy vendace that is endemic to lake Puruvesi, which gave it a specialized European Commission label: Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Letty made a mistake and said that this fish has the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label, but the correct label is PGI. Only two Finnish products have this PGI label. The other product is the rye crust pie with lingonberries. For more information about these labels, see the Finnish Food Authority. You cannot find this fish anywhere in the world. Are Finns aware of this special heritage of Finland? A string of micro conversations about the current fish supply chain in Finland, the lack of support for the local fish and the fishing community, our inability to tell a wild fish from a cultivated one, and the ongoing battle with the salmon farms in Norway. The global concern about food security and some random thoughts about making the connections locally through low-impact practices, such as winter seine fishing. A stewardship message from our guest in Finnish. Non-Finnish speakers, don’t you worry. Letty has your back 😉 Where to find your local produce? REKO Facebook group https://www.ekompi.net/ https://www.omapelto.fi/tietoa-meista https://lahikalatori.fi/ (Fish from Northern Karelia) https://blogs.helsinki.fi/kumppanuusmaatalous/lahde-mukaan/loyda/ https://www.rannastaruokapoytaan.fi/ (Fish from the southern coast of Finland)

3 years ago

37 minutes 18 seconds