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Northern Exposure

Tacoma girl to bring her knowledge of arctic issues to local community

By Clare Jensen

Tacoma Weekly
cjensen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: October 09, 2008

Tacoma teenager Zoe Stoy has joined forces with 32 other students worldwide to become advocates for polar bears in their home communities.

She is attending Polar Bears International’s (PBI) leadership camp this week in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Stoy, along with her Arctic Ambassador counterparts, are right in the thick of polar bear migration, experiencing the arctic tundra and the issues facing polar bears and the human inhabitants of that region.

As ambassadors, the students are expected to convey what they learn about environmental issues and polar bear conservation efforts through online blogs, student-video conferencing with their peers, and public presentations upon return.

“Polar bears can’t speak up for themselves, they need our help, and that’s where we all come in,” Stoy said in her PBI daily blog. “With the help of everyone involved in the camps and the others who are avid supporters we can give the polar bears that voice and raise awareness.”

Stoy noted that she plans to spread the word on polar bears to as many people as possible.

Stoy is a junior at Wilson High School and attends the Running Start program.

When she gets back to Tacoma, Stoy will set up community conferences sharing what she learned in the tundra through presentations at Wilson, her community college, as well as her 4-H program.

Stoy has been involved in 4-H for nine years and plans to work with animals as a career.  

She got involved in PBI’s leadership camp through Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA), which was invited to participate in PBI’s student selection process for the first time this past year. PDZA was added to the participating zoos because of its polar bear exhibit.

During their time in Churchill, the students work with scientists, visit a maternal den site, discuss the implications of climate change and discover how local residents coexist with their bears.

“They leave with an in-depth knowledge of polar bears and the problems they face,” said PBI President Robert Buchanan in a press release. “And they help us communicate those problems to the world.”

For more information about Polar Bears International, visit www.PolarBearsInternational.org.

Keep on the look out for information on Stoy’s polar bear presentations in the coming months.

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