Also called the white, ghost, or spirit bear, it has long been the subject of myth. Only 10% of black bears in the area are kermode, so though we expect to see black bears, it will require good luck and perseverance to spot a spirit bear. The great bear rainforest features twins who travel the world and have great adventures. The spirit bear is a subspecies of the north american black bear that has white fur due to a rare genetic trait. The great bear rainforest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforest left in the world. Experience the great bear rainforest discover canada tours. Spirit bears of the great bear rainforest photo tour oct 2020. Along with the fun and learning about lands far and wide. Experience an ancient culture, spectacular wildlife viewing, stunning landscapes and reconnect with nature. As the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, the great bear rainforest is home to hundreds of species of animals that make up one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
This vast, pristine wilderness is home to a rare subspecies of black bear. Search for grizzly bears, black bears, and spirit bears in pristine river valleys. Bill duthie bc booksellers choice award for bc book of the year 1998. Combining an authoritative but readable text with over 150 breathtaking fullcolour photographs of wild bears and neverbeforeseen landscapes, the book takes the reader on an unforgettable tour of one of. Great bear rainforest tours sail into the great bear rainforest and see the allwhite spirit bear. Spirit bears of the great bear rainforest spending time with spirit bears on a river that is full of salmon is one thing, but spending quality time in close proximity with one of these nomads in a rainforest is an indescribable moment. The area is home to eagles, wolves, cougars, grizzly bears. Great bear rainforest is a pristine and protected environment so please practice responsible tourism by not leaving trash or chemicals in the forest, rivers, or ocean. Annuk learns what it means to be different when he discovers that he has a coat of white fur instead of black, like the rest of his family. A bear s life uses ian mcallisters stunning photographs to follow these beautiful animals through a year in the british columbia wildernesscatching fish, eating berries, climbing trees and taking long naps. Spirit bears are only found in the great bear rainforest.
Spirit bear many of the kitasoo xaixais people believe that the spirit bear holds super natural powers, hence the name spirit bear a name that suits its. It is the story of annuk, a white bear cub a spirit bear, who one fateful day is swept away in the river and must make his way back home through the rainforest to his mother. Spirit bear by charles russell is the first book published on spirit bears and remains one of the best. The great bear rainforest is the worlds largest remaining intact coastal temperate rainforest, covering an area of 70,000 square kilometres 27,000 square miles in northern british columbia. One day the people of british columbia and the wolrd will realize that if the great spirit bear rainforest can survive, then so can humanity. The area is home to species such as cougars, wolves, salmon, grizzly bears, and the kermode spirit bear, a unique subspecies of the black bear, in which one in ten cubs displays a recessive white coloured coat. A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear hardcover picture book, february 12, 2019. Spirit bears of the great bear rainforest art of seeing. The films three main human characters are youth representing three first nations, and each tells a different story about their peoples stewardship of their land and water. The first time you see a spirit bear its mindblowing, really. Feb 01, 2016 interspersed with spectacular footage from the great bear rainforest, partners talk about what achieving ecosystem based management in the region means to them. Spirit bear is the inspiring story of a very special bear who never gives up.
The spirit bear, or kermode bear, are a white black bear. Alex van tol a companion to ian mcallisters film for imax and giantscreen theaters, great bear rainforest. In search of the elusive spirit bear in the amazon of the. This rare, white bear may be the key to saving a canadian rainforest smithsonian magazine. A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear hardcover february 12, 2019. Thats because its almost impossible not to tremble with excitement and awe the first time you witness a spirit bear materialize from dark, dense, moss draped old growth forest. Spirit bears and the gitgaat nation spencer cordovano. Great bear rainforest is a spirit bear entertainment film presented by seaspan in association with destination british columbia and distributed by macgillivray freeman films. Only half of the rainforest is currently protected, and it is currently under threat from the proposed northern gatewaytrans mountain pipeline, which will run directly through the centre.
I hope this book will help awaken people to the importance of this last. Sail into the narrow, winding fjords of northern british columbia and enter the domain of the rare spirit bear. In the northwest corner of british columbia, between the alaskabc border and the northern tip of vancouver island, lies a land of forest green and sparkling blue. Towering forested mountains give way to richly diverse river valleys and estuaries teaming with sea life. Spirit bear the great bear rainforest series book 1. Canadas great bear rainforest is the largest, most intact coastal temperate rainforest left on earth and also home to the rare white kermode bear, of which there are less than 400 left. Along with his mother and siblings annuk discovers all that their habitat has to offer. Annuk is a young cub born in the great bear rainforest. Our purpose is to raise awareness and financial support for the great bear rainforest for research, legal battles, and protection which includes. In these forests, the cedars bearded with lowdraping moss, are a bear found only here. The lush, sacred, 21 million acre great bear rainforest, of b. They learn about the grizzlies, wolves and salmon that live in the rainforest from alu, a first nations girl. For the first time ever, experience this magical world in imax and giant screen theaters, and discover the land of the spirit bear.
A voyage to great bear rainforest alaska adventure cruise. The great bear rainforest of british columbia is the largest piece of intact temperate rainforest in the world. After checkin and a brief orientation, relax and take in the sights and sounds of the great bear rainforest. The great bear rainforest is a land of fjords, islands and great river estuaries.
Immerse yourself in true wilderness on a grand scale, deep in the heart of the great bear rainforest. Great bear rainforest bc kayaking tours spirit of the west. Along the way, they and the reader learn about the area. A giant screen adventure in the land of the spirit bear, by ian mcallister and alex van tol. Interspersed with spectacular footage from the great bear rainforest, partners talk about what achieving ecosystem based management in the region means to them.
Spirit bears of the great bear rainforest paul nicklen. The forest is roughly the size of ireland and one of national geographics places of a lifetime. Offer valid on new bookings only, for a limited time upon availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Spirit bear, grizzly bear viewing and whale watching the great bear rainforest in fall will take you to the heart of bcs great bear rainforest, to experience unparalleled wildlife viewing and whale watching amidst some of the most soul stirring landscapes on earth.
Experience this magical place through the power of imax and the giant screen. Great bear books is a collection of three books about the natural history of the great bear rainforest in british columbia, with the goal of raising awareness about this precious ecosystem and the threats that endanger its survival. Book cover, great bear rainforest words through the middle of two pictures a spirit. Go behind the scenes in one of the last untouched places on earth. Princess royal island is one of the few areas on the coast where one can find the kermode.
Wildflowers and brilliant green sedges fill the estuaries where grizzlies come out to forage. The publication of the great bear rainforest aided greenpeace, the sierra club, ian and karen mcallisters raincoast preservation society and other environmental groups successfully lobby bcs provincial government for a moratorium on grizzly bear hunting and the protection of a large portion of the area as parkland in 2001. While learning how to fish, annuk realizes he is not a black bear like his mother, but instead white. A rare encounter with a kermode bear in the great bear rainforest of british columbia, canada. Explore the wildlife, the waterfallfilled wonder, and the human history of one of earths most spectacular coastlines the last stand of the. Spirit bears of the great bear rainforest photo tour oct 2020 forgive yourself if your first spirit bear photographs turn out a bit blurry. A young male kermode bear walks on a log while fishing for salmon. A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear. Located in the heart of the great bear rainforest, spirit bear lodge offers world class wildlife tours, indigenous cultural experiences that are second to none. This trip is to the great bear rainforest where the boys look forward to seeing whales, bears and the rare white spirit bear. When you sail the great bear rainforest you will see islands and intricate waterways beneath towering mountains.
Like most black bears, the spirit bear only weighs about half a pound at birth, growing to 150300 pounds when fully grown. Princess royal island, an uninhabited spot of land off the coast of british columbia, is the home of the rare kermode bear, a variety of grizzly bear. Spirit bear and great bear rainforest books white spirit bear by gramma tess. A kermode bear, a black bear born with white fur, perches on a rock. Official book trailer for travels with gannon and wyatt. Pacific northwest, canada, was created and named by environmental groups and first nations groups whom also coined the name spirit bear in the mid 90s, was set aside as the largest protested temperate rainforest in the world, to protect logging and housing developments from encroaching further on. The labyrinthine islands, low, shaggy emerald mountains, meet the water with a ring of grey rock, an intertidal zone home to yellow kelp, anemones, and sea stars. Oct 26, 2017 a study by the center for responsible travel found that in 2012 visitors to the great bear rainforest spent 12 times as much money on bear watching as on trophy huntingand doug neasloss.
In search of the spirit bear in the great bear rainforest. As usual, the sow arrangements for food and equipment were excellent. From massive whales to tiny herring, spirit bears to sea wolves, an incredibly diverse array of wildlife calls this land home. Thats because its almost impossible not to tremble with excitement and awe the first time you witness a spirit bear materialize from. Great bear rainforest spirit bears fishing for salmon. The authors passion for the great bear rainforest, its inhabitants and for shaping attitudes toward protecting its special nature are evident throughout this appealing book. Great bear rainforest british columbia 2020 all you need. A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear film and companion book out now. Capturing the spirit bear national geographic live. Bears are majestic, wild animals capable of inflicting serious harm so please practice bear etiquette. Great bear rainforest tour with bluewater adventures. Discover spirit bears of the great bear rainforest in british columbia.
Check out the first ever map of spirit bear sighting map in the great bear rainforest, which is a protected area for these rare, special bears. Not only that, the book covers a wide range of topics concerning the great bear rainforest. Spirit bear follows the adventures of annuk, a little spirit bear cub growing up in the great bear rainforest of bcs northwest coast. The captain and an environmentalist first disappear, and the gannom and wyatts parents go missing. Protecting canadas spirit bears through great bear rainforest and. No one knows exactly how many spirit bears there are, but estimates range from 50 to 100. The kermode bear, or spirit bear, is found almost exclusively in the great bear rainforest. In this book, the family is in the great bear rainforest to hopefully see a spirit bear. An elusive and rarely seen wonder, the spirit bear is a genetic throwback a black bear with a recessive gene for snowwhite fur. It is the official provincial mammal of british columbia.
A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear will make a fascinating addition to your coffee table collection, great for browsing. Great bear expedition is a must for serious kayaker. Spirit bear lodge is indigenous owned, offering exclusive access to wildlife viewing areas and cultural sites within the kitasoo xaixais traditional territory. Hidden from the outside world, the great bear rainforest is one of the wildest places left on earth. Gannon and wyatt are real twin brothers who go on adventures with their mother, father and a team of others.
Also known as a kermode bear, it is a variant of the north american black bear and can only be found in the pristine wilderness of the great bear rainforest. The spirit bear lodge water taxi will pick you up at the dock for a scenic 90minute boat ride to klemtu and spirit bear lodge. This was an amazing opportunity to kayak in this wild and magical land. Babies of the great bear rainforest, by ian mcallister. A giantscreen adventure in the land of the spirit bear mcallister, ian, van tol, alex on. Canadas forgotten coast, by ian mcallister and karen mcallister with cameron young, offers the world its first indepth view of this remarkable but long overlooked area. Part of the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world, the great bear rainforest is one the last remaining wild places on earth. The kermode bear ursus americanus kermodei, also known as the spirit bear particularly in british columbia, is a rare subspecies of the american black bear living in the central and north coast regions of british columbia, canada. Bears and wolf packs thrive as they have for millennia. Part of the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world, the great bear rainforest is one the last untouched places on earth.
May 17, 2018 the staff at spirit bear lodge in the great bear rainforest on bcs central coast describe the magic of the area and the thrill of seeing the local wildlife, including the elusive white spirit bear. Giants of the great bear rainforest by mcallister and read is an excellent, entertaining and educational book with fabulous photography on. The land of the spirit bear cruise and receive complimentary roundtrip airfare between seattle and ketchikan. Gannon and wyatt join an expedition to search for the mythical spirit bear and must foil a. The new childrens book spirit bear by jennifer harrington fits squarely into this tradition. Kermode spirit bear these primeval forests are the only habitat of the kermode or spirit bear. The great bear rainforest was created with that in mind. Black bears, grizzly bears and spirit bears all make their home in the great bear rainforest. A voyage to great bear rainforest alaska adventure.
Experience the great bear rainforest discover canada. Enjoy these sights on a great bear rainforest spring tour where you will explore deep fjords, walk through estuaries, and watch wildlife emerge during the vibrant spring. Maple leaf schooner was in immaculate condition for a 115 year old vessel and living onboard for 8 nights made the trip magical and exciting. The spirit bear, also known as a kermode bear, is a variant of the north american black bear and can only be found in the pristine wilderness of the great bear rainforest. Spirit bear, grizzly bearviewing boat tour, great bear. After growing big eco books 4 kids eco books 4 kids is a unique ebook publishing company designed to get kids excited about reading, learning and conservation. Great bear rainforest spring maple leaf adventures. Spirit bear lodge in bcs great bear rainforest youtube. Ecology, economic pressures, animal and plant life, geography, even a lot of interesting history and contemporary issues concerning the first nation who we in the u. First nations fight to protect the great bear rainforests. Spot whales, porpoise, sea lions, and much more while exploring the great bear sea.
With an engaging, flowing narrative quite textually dense, so definitely more for older children, and i actually believe even many adults would find the information presented enlightening, dorothy hinshawpatents garden of the spirit bear demonstrates, describes the development of and life in the great bear rainforest of coastal british columbia, canada including the ongoing and. Forest products coming out of the great bear rainforest have been given a green stamp of. This book tells the story of the unusual and beautiful creatures that inhabit ancient rainforests on the northwest coast of british columbia. A white phase black bear or spirit bear is seen at the great bear rainforest. Maple leaf great bear rainforest trip of a lifetime well planned, well organized and perfectly executed eco friendly adventure trip by maple leaf victoria staff and onboard crew.