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A Legacy of Love: Celebrating 25 Years and the Mothers of the North

This Mother’s Day, we aren’t just celebrating the women in our lives; we are celebrating a quarter-century of alliance, a pioneering female founder, and the most remarkable mother on the tundra, the polar bear. 

At Frontiers North Adventures, family is the compass that guides us as a family-owned Manitoba business.

The Matriarch of Frontiers North: Lynda Gunter

Our story didn’t start in a boardroom; it started in a family home in Churchill, Manitoba. When Lynda Gunter and her husband, Merv Gunter, moved their family to the North, they recognized that Churchill was a place worth sharing. 

In 1987, Lynda co-founded Frontiers North Adventures. As a woman working in the male-dominated industry of remote adventure tourism, she helped  build a company rooted in community, sustainability and wildlife.

The north is a very utilitarian place; for a polar bear or for a small business to survive, things just need to get done. Lynda’s drive, determination, and leadership to get things done has resulted, in-part, to the success of the team at Frontiers North Adventures.

Today, the spirit of teamwork and passion for Churchill demonstrated by Lynda and her partner, remain the heartbeat of everything we do. Sharing  Churchill, Manitoba with guests from all over the world and welcoming them with open arms, warm hospitality and the hope that they may just leave inspired by their experience has always been the goal of Frontiers North.

A Polar Alliance Started On Mother's Day

On Mother’s Day in 2001, an agreement was struck. Lynda and Merv Gunter, founders of Frontiers North Adventures, sat down with the leadership at Polar Bears International  and recognized that the two organizations could accomplish much more for the bears by working together than either of them could accomplish on their own. Though our organizations had long been woven from the same cloth, this accord turned a shared passion into a formal alliance.

For twenty-five years, this alliance has been dedicated to protecting the species the Gunters so deeply admire. Together, we have bridged the gap between the remote tundra and the rest of the world. By supplying EV Tundra Buggy One—and one of only 12 coveted permits to operate in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area—Frontiers North enables Polar Bears International to share the magic of Churchill and the tundra to global audiences and to inspire action to preserve polar bears. 

Mother’s Day carries a special weight in the Arctic and subarctic. Right now, out on the shifting sea ice, polar bear mothers are patiently teaching their cubs the art of survival. It is a poignant reminder of why we do what we do: ensuring that these mothers always have a frozen landscape they rely upon to raise the next generation.

A Mother’s Instinct: The Story of Hope the Polar Bear  

^{Image: Dave Sandford/ Discover Churchill} 

This year, one mother bear has captured our hearts and redefined what we thought we knew about maternal instinct. Hope, the polar bear currently assigned to Frontiers North on Polar Bears International's Polar Bear Tracker, is showing the world the true depth of a mother's heart by adopting an orphaned cub. 

To commemorate this special polar bear we ran a naming contest with our followers to name this bear, and she was named Hope. 

In an incredibly rare event—one of only 13 cases ever recorded in 45 years of study in the Churchill Western Hudson Bay polar bear population— polar bear Hope adopted an orphaned polar bear cub.

• The Discovery: When she was first tagged and collared by researchers, Hope only had one biological cub of her own. 

• The Surprise: Months later, in November 2025, she reappeared with two healthy cubs in tow, making researchers scratch their heads as to where the second one had come from. Photographer and Guide Dave Sandford snapped the pictures you see above and below of Hope with her two cubs in tow. 

• The Adoption: Genetic testing confirmed what scientists suspected: she had taken in an orphaned or "switched" cub with no genetic relation to herself, raising it as her own alongside her biological offspring. The trio were last spotted heading out onto the sea ice together at the end of November 2025. 

In the harsh, unforgiving environment of the Western Hudson Bay, where resources require fine tuned seal hunting skills and every calorie counts, Hope chose to give another cub a chance at life.

"It gives you a lot of hope when you realize that polar bears, maybe, are looking out for each other out there." Alysa McCall, Polar Bears International

Watching Hope on the tracker today, we see her moving across the ice, indicating that she is out hunting seals and teaching her cubs how to be polar bears. Cubs face harsh conditions, and without a mother to guide them, a cub cannot survive alone. 

^{Image: Dave Sandford/ Discover Churchill} 

Happy Mother’s Day from the North

Whether it’s Lynda Gunter building a legacy for her family in Churchill, or polar bear Hope guiding two cubs across the frozen Hudson Bay, today is about the fierce, protective love that keeps us moving forward.

To the mothers, the founders, and the polar bears, Happy Mother’s Day.

Want to see where Hope (Polar bear #12) and her cubs are today? Follow her journey on the Polar Bear Tracker.

Feeling Inspired— Take Action With Us

This autumn, we invite you to join the alliance. To celebrate our landmark 25th anniversary, allied alongside Polar Bears International, we are hosting a special Conservation Journey®: Polar Bears departure—and you are invited. Imagine learning about polar bear biology and cutting-edge research directly from Polar Bears International's leading polar bear scientists, all while stationed at the Tundra Buggy Lodge. Located in the heart of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, this is your chance to stay where wild polar bears roam and engage with experts.