Explore the
GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST
The Kermode bear plays a part in local First Nations lore and religion. Legend has it that long ago the area where the spirit bear lives was covered in ice and snow. Raven saw this and decided to make the land lush and green for the people. But as a reminder to the people of the misery they had once lived in, he made every tenth bear white like ice. This is perhaps a memory of the ice ages transmitted through folklore.
Today the Tsimshian people call white Kermode bears moskÓgm'ol, which simply means "white bear".
The central coast of British Columbia is a land of fjords between craggy mountains, scattered droplet islands, waterfalls and great river estuaries. This home to grizzlies, wolves and the mysterious white Spirit Bear draws you far back in time. Along the coast there is evidence of civilization of the First Nation peoples of the coast. Fish traps, bark-stripped trees and fallen long house pinings give testimony to a way of life that follows only nature's seasons.
BC's coastal temperate rainforests are characterized by some of the oldest and largest trees on Earth, the most common of which are Sitka spruce, red cedar, western hemlock, amabilis and Douglas fir. Trees can tower up to 300 feet and grow for more than 1,500 years. The biological abundance of BC's coastal rainforests are the result of over 10,000 years of evolution which began when the glaciers of the Pleistocene Epoch melted.
In the fall the channels of the rivers are covered with spawning salmon. This annual return to spawn where they in turn were created creates a spectacular dinner plate for nature as bears, wolve s and other mammals feast on the salmon.
Eagles by the hundreds, gulls, great blue herons, colorful Harlequin ducks and a myriad of other shore and seabirds are also grateful recipients of this bounty. It is an incredible opportunity to see the completion of the salmons' life and the wildlife that subsist upon them.
We should encounter humpback whales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises as they converge on these areas for feeding.
Monumental ancient forests line the riverbanks. Centuries old, they have born witness to many changes in their world.
There are many conservation efforts here to protect this one-of-a-kind old growth forest, as not only is it a treasure unto itself but it is also home to the Kermode Bear, the rare white black bear. Marbled murrelets only nest in old growth forest, and timber wolves and grizzlies also need the protective canopy of this forest.
We will spend 3 days exploring the territory of the Gitga’at starting with an evening feast with the Gitga’at people in their long house hearing their stories and seeing the dances of this First Nation. Then for 3 days Marven Robinson, our Gitga’at Sprit Bear Guide, will lead us by skiff, kayak and on foot exploring the land looking for the Kermode bear, exploring Old Town (Laxgal’tsap) and an ancient petroglyph site.
We feel it is critical that as many people as possible see this place and become aware of the magnitude of the potential loss of so much critical habitat and immeasurable beauty.
So come and adventure with us in the Great Bear Rain Forest!
