Protecting the Polar Bear Capital of the World Just on the edge of the western Hudson Bay lies the small town of Churchill, Manitoba. Here, the sea meets the boreal forest under the rippling northern lights. Farther to the north, the trees stop growing. Snow coats a harsh landscape of Canadian shield, and the ceaseless wind cuts through the willows. No roads lead to Churchill. Just a rail line and an airport runway, carrying the occasional charter plane. But it attracts tourists and scientists alike because for a short time in the fall, the kings of the arctic migrate through town back to their homes on the frozen sea ice. Travelers come here, from all over the world, seeking one thing: to lock eyes with a polar bear.