Spirit Bear

An American black bear half above and half below the water

Wildlife photography is full of failures (and that’s okay)

This is a photo of an American black bear checking out a remotely triggered camera in the Great Bear Rainforest. Thanks to Paul Nicklen for technical assistance with this one (i.e. teaching this buffoon the basics of how to use and maintain an underwater housing). There were many, many failures while trying to get this one shot. So many failures. Oh, so many failures…

A spirit bear standing in a waterfall

An Ordinary Day With Spirit Bears?

It was the first day of our spirit bear trip this fall, and we were walking up a small creek in the Great Bear Rainforest. Sunlight filtered through the lichens and mosses dangling from the tree branches; salmon splashed in the stream. This creek is one of the best places on Earth to see a Kermode, or spirit, bear. The only problem was nobody had seen one here this year…

WWF, the Great Bear Sea and the Northern Gateway Pipeline.

WWF, the Great Bear Sea and the Northern Gateway Pipeline.

Last fall staff and supporters of the World Wildlife Fund traveled to British Columbia to explore the central coast aboard the Island Roamer, and I was fortunate enough to be their guide.

With the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal looming over the coast, it is an important time to draw attention to this unique and spectacular place. WWF tries to do just that in this video, referring to this region as the Great Bear Sea…

Cover image for youtube video on the Great Bear Rainforest

Spoil this?: Enbridge, oil and the Great Bear Rainforest.

Since the Queen of the North sank on the central coast of BC in March of 2006 people have been nervous. The ship’s massive hulk is now 1500 feet underwater, still leaking diesel into coastal waters. With that tragedy fresh in people’s mind, the looming threat of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline Project has people on edge…

Why we share stories

Recently my old friend Leeyann, whom I had not seen for 10 years, got in touch with me through my website. Besides being a wonderful person, she is a mom these days. It turns out that her two year old son, Thomas, was quite taken with some of the photos on my website, and Leeyann asked if I could send her some prints to hang in his bedroom. I was tickled happy by this idea…