Divers Explore Life Under The Ice

• Jill Heinerth

  Citizen Divers Exploring Life Beneath the Ice

In winter, a frozen lake might seem empty and quiet. But under the ice, there is a busy world full of life. Now, a group of volunteer ice divers is working with scientists to explore it.

Freeze The Future, founded by filmmaker and explorer Andrew Budziak, brings together trained volunteer divers to study life under the ice in Canada’s lakes and rivers. Working with researchers, citizen scientists collect samples that show how warming winters and less ice are changing freshwater ecosystems.

The work is not easy. A dedicated team must cut holes through thick ice, descend into near-freezing water, and carefully maneuver specialized equipment beneath a solid ceiling of ice. The goal is to study microorganisms, including ice-associated algae and diatoms that live on the underside of the ice.

These tiny organisms play an outsized role. Diatoms form the base of aquatic food webs, produce oxygen, and help capture carbon. Yet they are fragile. Traditional sampling often dislodged or destroyed them, making study difficult.

That’s where the dive team makes a difference. Using a custom plexiglass sampler, divers gently release air to loosen algae from the ice without damaging them. The algae-rich water is then collected in sterile bottles for analysis. This technique lets researchers obtain clean, intact samples for the first time.

The project has already supported dozens of scientists across North America and contributed to cryogenic biodiversity banks that preserve samples for the future. Early findings suggest these ice-dwelling communities are unique and may be vulnerable to climate change. They are also critical to the food web, providing nutrients for the entire ecosystem. The initial discovery suggests global warming will impact this population. If these beneficial, oxygen-producing algae suffer from a loss of ice, harmful algae, like the toxic blooms that grow in summer, could worsen.

For the volunteer team, the motivation is simple: protect the lakes we love. Our efforts blend adventure, science, and stewardship, showing how citizen science can expand research in ways traditional fieldwork cannot.

As winters warm, the window to study these ecosystems may be shrinking. Thanks to this passionate dive community, the story beneath the ice is finally being told.

For more info and to view a documentary trailer: FreezeTheFuture.com

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An Invisible Immigrant

• Robert McClellan

I am an invisible immigrant. I look like many people who were born in my adopted country. I speak one of the official languages. My original culture is very similar to my new home’s lifestyle and traditions.

I have had an easy ride into the Canadian mainstream. I have never been treated as an outsider or interloper. I am white, male, cis, educated - and these traits grant me unearned privileges many other immigrants don’t enjoy.

My immediate paternal ancestors hail from the British Isles: Scotland, Ireland, and the north of England. On my mother’s side there is direct lineage back to Quebec in the early twentieth century. The Ontario town in which I live was founded by Scots and Irish. There are more McClellan’s here than any other place I’ve lived. The French Canadian town of my maternal grandmother’s people is only 2 1/2 hours east.

Yes, my immigration journey has been very smooth.

If my skin was a little more brown, or I spoke with a heavy African or Asian accent, things may be very different.

There are bigots amongst us.

It disappoints me to see stories of discrimination and harassment. Unlike the United States, which claims to be a “melting pot,” Canada describes itself as a mosaic, or a quilt of many colors and cultures. Immigrants are encouraged to preserve and practice their original traditions, languages, and lifestyle, while concurrently assimilating as Canadians. It is a wonderful thing to witness. A few years ago I sat on the Bloor Line subway in Toronto. Seated across from me were three women in traditional Muslim dress. Next to them was a Buddhist monk in saffron robes. A South Asian grandmother in a beautiful sari held her young granddaughter’s hand as the subway car bounced over a section of rough tracks. I heard a sweet symphony of multiple languages and smiled at this living example of diversity and inclusion. I was, at that moment a citizen of the world around me, not defined by borders on a map but by the commonality of our humanity.

In my home country Brown People are being brutalized and rounded up like livestock and deported. White People who come to their aid are being murdered in cold blood by government agents.

For the first time in my life I struggle with my American identity.

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“City of Immigrants” by Steve Earle -

Livin’ in a city of immigrants
I don’t need to go travelin’
Open my door and the world walks in
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

Livin’ in a city that never sleeps
My heart keepin’ time to a thousand beats
Singin’ in languages I don’t speak
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of black
City of white
City of light
City of innocents
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
City of immigrants

Livin’ in a city where the dreams of men
Reach up to touch the sky and then
Tumble back down to earth again
Livin’ in a city that never quits

Livin’ in a city where the streets are paved
With good intentions and a people’s faith
In the sacred promise a statue made
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Constantly spinnin’
City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants

All of us are immigrants
Every daughter, every son
Everyone is everyone
All of us are immigrants
Everyone

Livin’ in a city of immigrants
River flows out and the sea rolls in
Washin’ away nearly all of my sins
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of black
City of white
City of light
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants

All of us are immigrants
All of us are immigrants

Steve Earle may be the most overlooked master American songwriter of our time. He’s always been a favorite of mine, not just for his musical chops but also for his progressive social justice and humanitarian positions.

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