Media
Culturally prized mountain goats may be vanishing from Indigenous land in Canada
Science News Article
For thousands of years, members of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation in Canada have prized the mountain goats that roam the craggy peaks of British Columbia’s central coast… click full article to read more.
Reprinted by: Press News Agency
March 8, 2022B.C. mountain goat population in decline: study
The Canadian Press Article
British Columbia’s central coast is losing an animal of significant cultural value to the region’s Indigenous people as fewer mountain goats are seen in its craggy peaks… click to read full article.
Reprinted by: National Post, Chek News, Richmond Sentinel, Nanaimo News Bulletin
March 9, 2022Science and Indigenous history team up to help spirit bears
Newsela Science
Indigenous people in what is now the Great Bear Rainforest of western Canada tell a story about the bears there… click to read full article.
Where Now Grizzly Bear?
Hakai Magazine Feature
After centuries of persecution, brown bears are showing up in some unexpected places… click to read full article.
Long kept secret, Canada’s ghostly spirit bears are even rarer than thought
Guardian Article
Adept at catching salmon because they blend into the daylight, the white bears are small in number – yet First Nations are stepping in to help… click to read the full article.
The Rare, Elusive Spirit Bears of British Columbia
NPR interview
Audio interview with Doug Neasloss and Christina Service about the quest to protect and preserve the Great Bear Rainforest. Click to listen.
COVID-19 gives B.C. First Nation rare chance to examine tourism’s impact on grizzly bears
Campbell River Mirror Article
With 40 infrared cameras deployed in Kitasoo-Xai’Xais territory, research will help develop tourism plan with least impact on bears. Click to read the full article.
Canada’s incredible ‘spirit bears’ are rarer than previously thought
Lonely Planet article
The white ‘spirit bears’ (also known as kermodes) of British Columbia, Canada are known for their unique beauty and rareness, especially amongst First Nations communities. They are a long celebrated icon of the area, being added as the official mammal of the province back in 2006. Now, a new study has suggested that the animals are under threat due to environmental and ecological disruption, with groups in Canada calling for measures to be put in place to protect the beloved creatures. Click to read full article.
B.C.’s revered spirit bear is rarer than anyone thought, says First Nations-led study
CBC article
A genetic variance produces the rare white-coated Kermode bear.. click to read the full article.
New study reveals Spirit bears are rarer than previously thought
Northern Centenial Article
The gene responsible for Spirit bears is up to 50 per cent rarer than previously estimated. Click to read full article.
Hair From Ghostly Bears Reveals New Genetic Secrets
The New York Times Article
First Nations peoples along British Columbia’s Central Coast led research to help preserve the area’s white-furred Spirit bears. Click to read the full article.
Salmon diversity crucial to thriving coastal bear populations, B.C. study finds
Globe and Mail article
Coastal black bears thrive on a variety of salmon species, not just an abundance of one, say researchers who note their findings should prompt federal authorities to think more broadly about fish conservation.
Their study, published last week in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that it is healthier for bears to eat a number of salmon species – coho, chum, Chinook, pink, sockeye and steelhead (which is actually a sea-run trout) – because their migration runs are spread out over the year. A given amount of biomass spread across four salmon species allowed black bears to consume roughly three times more fish each year than the same biomass from one large run of a single species… click to read the full article here.
January 15, 2019Travel Restrictions Offer Rare Research Opportunity on the Central Coast
With a COVID-19 lockdown on borders around the globe, the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation has seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study the impacts of reduced ecotourism traffic on bears in its territory.
The Kitasoo Bear Ecotourism Study will provide the rigorous data needed to create management plans that will protect grizzly, black and white Spirit bears. Through the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement, the Nation has set aside 85 per cent of its lands in protected areas, with more than 50 per cent dedicated to conservancies…
Click to read the full article.
June 10, 2020Spotlight on Youth Leadership: Mercedes Robinson
Mercedes Robinson has grown up sharing her home territory of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation with the grizzlies, black bears and white Spirit bears of the Central Coast.
At the age of 18, the University of Victoria student has already worked as a tour guide for the world-renowned Spirit Bear Lodge, interned with the Spirit Bear Research Foundation and participated in a Great Bear Rainforest IMAX movie viewed by audiences around the world…
Click to read the full article.
June 4, 2020B.C. First Nation takes travel restrictions as opportunity to study tourism impacts on bears
CBC News
Remote cameras will record bear activity when no tourists are visiting the forest… click to read the full article.
Jun 20, 2020TROPHY
Trophy
Each year, trophy hunters in British Columbia kill hundreds of grizzly bears for their heads, paws and hides. Those that support this slaughter claim it’s necessary to maintain balance in nature and provide economic advantages, yet conservationists and activists say otherwise.
Presented by Lush Cosmetics, Trophy challenges this controversial “sport” that exists across North America and asks: can we truly justify killing these animals for entertainment?
Download and share Trophy for free at www.trophyfilm.com and sign the petition at www.trophyfilm.com/take-action to speak up for grizzlies.
Lush Cosmetics makes fresh, handmade cosmetics including bath bombs, bubble bars, dry shampoo, shower gels, shower smoothies, luxury bath oils and more for all your bath, haircare and skincare needs. We’re also proud to support charities who work tirelessly to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment through our Charity Pot program. Learn more about the organizations we work with at www.lushusa.com/charitypot.
November 1, 2016Go west, young bear
A wave of swimming grizzlies are ‘colonizing’ new B.C. islands
Two bears, a brother and sister, had “island hopped” to Alert Bay from the mainland. SBRF’s Christina Service explains this behavior in the context of grizzly bears moving to islands up and down British Columbia’s coast and discusses possible reasons for the new phenomena.
Cormorant Island visit for two grizzly bears comes to an end
September 22, 2016The Rarest Bear
Researchers and First Nations team up to help cream-colored black bears
This issue of Scholastic shares our research in a way that children will understand. We are thrilled that so many kids are going to learn about the Great Bear Rainforest, DNA and recessive genes, the cultural importance of bears to the Kitasoo/Xai’xais, and the importance of protecting habitat for wildlife. There are even Punnet squares!
SEAS (Supporting Emerging Aboriginal Stewards) Community Initiative
SEAS Community Initiative is helping First Nations students in the Great Bear Rainforest take an active role in learning about the lands and waters of their traditional territory.
Spirit Bear Research Foundation is proud to work with the Klemtu SEAS program. Watch this video to learn more about SEAS and SBRF’s involvement.
To learn more: emergingstewards.org
February, 2016
Spirits of the Forest
Canada’s forests are home to ghostly bears that have a key advantage over their darker cousins, but incoming grizzly bears pose a new threat.
The ‘Grizzly Invasion’ section of this feature article by BBC Wildlife showcases our research on grizzly bear movement to islands.
The Rare, White Bear May Be the Key to Saving a Canadian Rainforest
The white Kermode bear of BC is galvanizing First Nations people fighting to protect their homeland
This in depth article published in Smithsonian Magazine that features Spirit Bear Research Foundation’s research program and directors, Douglas Neasloss and Kriss Duncan.
Grizzly bear swims to Quadra Island
SBRF Director, Christina Service, speaks on behalf of this wandering grizzly bear @ 6 min 10 seconds. Christina reminds us that bears are intelligent animals and “as long as we respect their space, they tend to respect our as well”.
June 25, 2015Great Bear Sea Documentary
Spirit Bear Research Foundation in Great Bear Sea Documentary
This documentary explores how 18 First Nations and the Province of British Columbia (Marine Planning Partnership) have crafted marine plans for the Great Bear Sea to protect marine ecosystems and build sustainable coastal economies.
May 201516×9 – FULL STORY: Bear Tracks
In the Great Bear Rainforest
In the Great Bear Rainforest – on the central and north coast of British Columbia — 36 remote cameras have been rolling for two years now – capturing bears — as you’ve never seen them before. And what it’s telling us about how these animals migrate, and why could have far reaching implications. For more info, please go to www.global16x9.com.
Great Bear
A Coastal First Nations led collaboration with researchers from leading academic universities provides remarkable insights into the importance of bears and other keystone species to the ecosystems of the Great Bear Rainforest. Or jump to the Spirit Bear Research Foundation clip from this video at www.vimeo.com/117965101
Bear Witness
A film by BC's Coastal First Nations
When ‘Cheeky’ the bear is ambushed and decapitated in front of a lone witness, a chain of events is set in motion up and down the coast. You’re the next link. For more info, please go to www.bearsforever.ca/
The Austrian Tribune
Study Shows Expansion in Range of Grizzly Bears on B.C.’s central Coast
July 24, 2014CFAX 1070
Grizzly bears expanding their range to central coast islands.
10:00am, starts @ 8min. 25sec.
July 24, 2014Nature
Canadian grizzly bears face expanded hunt.
Researchers protest that hunting quotas are not science-based
Vancouver Sun
BC Grizzly Hunt fails test of science, say experts
Government misrepresents the science it uses to justify decisions
March 23, 2014