Great Bear Rainforest :: Photo Essay :: 5

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by Tim Ennis

posted May 07, 2008

Photo © Tim Ennis Photography

Climbing Bear

High in a mountain pass, between the verdant forests of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest and the high-elevation Chilcotin plateau I encountered this magnificent, wild, black bear. I saw this bear foraging on protein rich grasses from afar, and approached cautiously. When the bear detected my presence, he literally ran up this tree. I’ve always known black bears to be excellent climbers, but I was astonished at just how fast he went straight up this largely limb-less tree. Once 30 or 40 feet off the ground, the bear moved agitatedly up and down a little, snorting at me. Through the thick clouds of mosquitoes that follow these bears around day and night, I was able to catch this shot.

Bears, wolves and other similar species are sometimes referred to collectively as “wide ranging carnivores.” In order to properly conserve populations of these species, large, intact, cores of wilderness are required, but so to are scientifically identified corridors or “linkage zones” that enable individuals to move between core areas, as well as between seasonally important habitat areas.

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		:: UPDATE Historic Accord Protects B.C. Forests First Nations are gaining more control over their traditional lands while considerations of sustainability are becoming central to forestry planning.
		:: SIGN OF LIFE Rainforest Logging Shutdown in BC The British Columbia logging company MacMillan Bloedel announced January 8, 1997, that it is shutting down its logging operations in the Clayoquot Sound rainforest, BC.

Photographer Tim Ennis is Director of Land Stewardship, BC Region, for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a non-profit group that protects biodiversity in Canada through various mechanisms, most notably including direct land purchases. Several of the images here are taken of NCC lands.

Communicating the beauty of this region and raising awareness are Tim's main goals with his photographs: "I hope to motivate people to help in whatever way they can to join in the preservation of biodiversity (and cultural diversity) here in British Columbia, or where ever home may be for you!"

See more of Tim's photos of the Great Bear Rainforest, and the rest of his amazing work on Flickr, and at the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

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