WHALE COVE - Three men completed a guiding course on ecotourism in Whale Cove this past month.

The course was delivered by Wes Werbowy of Wilderness Consultants.

Completing the three week Level 1 ecotourism guiding course were James Enaupik, Robert Angootealuk and Simon Enaupik.

Werbowy said the eyes of the world are upon the North.

He said recent media attention on the status of polar bears and the concept of climate change have lit a desire in many to see the North.

"Really, they want to see for themselves what the North is about," said Werbowy.

"These tourists hunt with a camera, and they want to capture images of the North to show to people they know.

"It's the start of a new wave of tourism.

"And, in order to be positioned to grasp this opportunity, Whale Cove has invested in the training of those in the community who have a desire to explore this new way of seeing things."

The course was funded through an agreement between the hamlet and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Werbowy said Whale's SAO, Shawn Trepanier, and chief economic development officer, Eloise Noble, were instrumental in making the program a reality.

He said the course included classroom theory and six days on the land to study plants, geomorphology, animals and adventure potential through the eyes of an ecotourist.

"Simon actually began giggling to himself when he realized he was no longer searching for caribou to hunt.

"Instead, he found himself searching for pretty purple flowers with names like purple saxifrage and Lapland rosebay. "Then, instead of a scope, he was adjusting the composition in the viewfinder of his Nikon camera to get a picture of those flowers."

Angootealuk said he was able to capture some picturesque closeups, and enjoyed photographing a herd of about 1,000 caribou from about 50 yards away.

"I was amazed at the beauty hidden inside of some of the smaller flowers," said Angootealuk.

While James was fascinated by the geology of the area, bringing samples of rocks to be examined under a hand lens, Simon felt like he was seeing everything from a totally different point of view.

"This course made me see everything on the tundra I never saw before," said Simon.

"This is what is waiting in Whale Cove for the world to discover."

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