A lifelong lover of animals, Karine Blatter had a natural ability to draw them to her. It was this connection that led Karine and her husband, Rudi, to travel to Churchill, Manitoba for Karine’s 50th birthday in 2013. There they would see one of her favourite animals in the wild, the polar bear. This amazing journey left such a profound and lasting impression that the couple made a promise to return to the Arctic over and over.

Sadly, Karine passed away in 2019 before they could return. Rudi and their children, Sylvie and Eric, were determined to commemorate Karine’s love of animals through their family’s ELPIS Foundation (in Greek mythology, Elpis means is the “spirit of hope”). They turned to WWF-Canada to help ensure Karine’s lasting legacy of supporting polar bear conservation efforts and communities in the north.

After successfully raising one million dollars during the first five years of its existence, the ELPIS Foundation is pleased to announce that they have committed another one million dollars for the successful continuation of The Karine Blatter Arctic Fund at WWF-Canada. Over the next five to seven years, these additional funds to be raised through donations and events will support Arctic conservation – benefiting both the people and wildlife that call the North home. 

A particular focus will be supporting the establishment of the Aqviqtuuq Inuit Protected and Conserved Area in Taloyoak, Nunavut - North America's northernmost mainland community. The goal is to connect Aqviqtuuq’s land and marine-based conservation efforts with the community’s need for access to nutritious food, employment opportunities related to environmentally friendly economic development in the region, and the protection of Inuit knowledge, culture, and language.

WWF-Canada is the only environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO) with a permanent office in the Canadian Arctic. Here they continue to build strong relationships with Inuit communities and collaborate with them on Inuit- led initiatives and shared conservation priorities so nature, people and wildlife can thrive. Few places are feeling the impacts of climate change as drastically as the Arctic, which is warming at almost four times the global average. Climate change is greatly impacting the survival of ice-dependeant species, like polar bears whose future is inextricably linked to its diminishing sea ice habitat.