The Great Bear Rainforest: Home of the Spirit Bear presented by Jerry Miller
February 10, 2021
In late August of 2018, Jerry Miller spent nine days aboard the 68’ ketch, the Island Odyssey, sailing thru various areas of the Great Bear Rainforest. The Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) is located on the west coast of British Columbia and is home to the rare and elusive Spirit bear.
The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the largest tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforest left in the world. The Great Bear Rainforest stretches some 400 km (250 miles) along the central and northern coast of British Columbia. The southern border begins at Knight Inlet, 240 km (about 150 miles) north of Vancouver, BC and extends north to the Alaska panhandle. It covers 6.4 million hectares (15.8 million acres), equivalent in size to Ireland. This land is home to 26 First Nations that overlap the region and have lived there for millennia. It also home to a variety of wildlife, on land and in the sea, including black, grizzly and spirit bears, coastal wolves, orcas, humpback whales, seals , sea lions and much more. Five species of salmon spawn here. Salmon is the lifeblood of the GBR.
Jerry’s trip began in the port city of Prince Rupert, BC where the Odyssey was docked. The Great Bear Rainforest is primarily road less and is mostly accessible by boat. After meeting the four person crew and the ten other passengers, they sailed out of Prince Rupert and traveled to the northern border of the GBR to visit the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary. After exploring the sanctuary, the group headed south. Over the course of the next nine days they traveled as far south as Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands to search for and photograph spirit bears. Each night the Odyssey anchored in different bays throughout the GBR. The group spent some time most days exploring different areas in kayaks, in Zodiacs or ‘hiking’ in the rainforest. ‘Hiking’ in an old growth rainforest is best described as weaving your way over, under and around obstacles in the direction one wants to go. During their travels, they encountered and photographed a variety of wildlife and learned a great deal about the Great Bear Rainforest. It was truly a privilege to spend time in such a wild and amazing place. Jerry will also talk about the ongoing effort to protect the area for future generations.
Their trip ended in the small port village of Kitimat, where the group said goodbye, caught a shuttle to the regional airport in Terrace, BC and headed home. Jerry Miller lives in Rochester and travels the world to photograph animals in their natural habitat. His photos will bring you about as close as you will ever get to these majestic animals.
This video is a recording of the February 10, 2021 meeting of the Genesee Valley Chapter (GVC) of ADK. The meetings are open to the public. For more information about meeting times and previous recorded meetings go to: WWW.ADK-GVC.ORG