May/June 2008 Issue

MAIN FEATURE
Grizzlies of the Great Bear Rainforest
by Nancy J. Wagner

The thought of seeing the grizzly bears that call British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest home was the draw for me. Add in lush forests filled with some of the world’s largest trees, crystal clear streams packed with spawning salmon, and craggy snow-capped peaks, and I figured I had the perfect remote setting to enjoy while I was at it.

Not long after I reached the rainforest and stood on a cliff above a stream, the stench of rotting salmon carcasses overwhelmed me. It was obvious why grizzlies were drawn to the area. It didn’t take long before I heard splashing from farther down stream. There were so many logs in the way I couldn’t spot the bear at first then I set my eyes on a rich chestnut-colored grizzly jumping and splashing along the water’s banks.

As I stood there in awe at seeing my first rainforest grizzly, it dawned on me why people feel so strongly that this expanse of rainforest needs more protection than it’s currently getting. It’s a beautiful, rugged, and magical place, but even more importantly, it’s home to a variety of threatened and endangered wildlife and bird species. And those species, including some of Canada’s largest grizzly bears, rely on the rainforest to keep the salmon running thick for their survival ...

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