Page 7 - My FlipBook
P. 7
Introduction
N THE NORTHWEST CORNER of British Columbia, between
Alaska and the northern tip of Vancouver Island, lies a land of forest Estuaries provide critical food for coastal grizzly bears.
Igreen and sparkling blue. From the vast schools of silver herring to
the massive grizzly bears, this place is home to an immense array of
wildlife.
This is the Great Bear Rainforest: misty, lush, wild, abundant. It rains
most of the time in this coastal paradise; the falling water washes clean
the trees and plants and mosses, soaks the roots deep in the dark soil and
makes the forest fresh for each new day.
Life abounds here.
Measuring 6.4 million hectares—about the size of Ireland or Nova
Scotia—the Great Bear Rainforest is one of the wildest places on Earth. It
supports the largest tract of intact temperate rainforest left on the planet.
Only about 18,000 people live in the Great Bear today. Some twenty-six
First Nations have called this coast home for well over 10,000 years. The
forest’s human residents live in small towns like Bella Bella, Kitimat,
Klemtu and Hartley Bay.
Getting from one place to another in the Great Bear Rainforest isn’t as
easy as hopping in a car. In fact, most of the towns and villages are acces-
sible only by boat or float plane. This makes it a difficult place for people
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