The Great Bear Rainforest
The Great Bear Rainforest is the last remaining widly untouched expanse of natural North American North West rain forest. Located along the Pacific coast of British Columbia Canada, it stretches from Vancouver Island in the South northward along the Sunshine Coast, past the Queen Charlotte Islands, and up to the border between Alaska and British Columbia in the North. The forest, a vastly biodiverse ecosystem, covers an area of approximately 64,000 square Kilometers (24,700 square miles), approximately the size of the US State of West Virginia. The forest florishes with thousands of plant species and hundreds of animal species. Some of the most notable plants are the Wester Red Cedar, which can live to be over 1000 years old, and the enormous Sitka Spruce which can tower over 100 meters (330 feet) into the sky. Included in the vast number of creatures that inhabit these woods are the elusive Kermode bear, often refered to as the spirit bear. The Kermode bear is ironically a member of the black bear bear family and is only found in this area of the world. Kermode bears are not albino animals nor are they any more closely related to polar bears or blonde bears than any other member of the global bear family. Other notable animals found in these woods are cougars, wolves, eagles, and grizzly bears.
The Great Bear Rainforest is under constant threat from people who would exploit it for its natural resources and from game hunters. Although steps have been taken to help preserve this vast geographical area, not enough has yet been done to ensure the perpetual conservation of these fragile lands. I could type on forever about this, but I leave it up to you. If you would like to learn more about this beautiful corner of the Earth please visit some or all of the following links and dive in. At the very least you can spread the word, but those who wish can get more involved by donating and / or volunteering their time to help this cause.
Raincoast Conservation Foundation:
http://www.raincoast.org/
Quote from site: "Raincoast is a team of conservationists and scientists empowered by our research to protect the lands, waters and wildlife of coastal British Columbia."
The Rainforest Solutions Project
http://www.savethegreatbear.org/
Quote from site: "The Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada is the largest intact, coastal temperate rainforest left in the world."
GreenPeace - Great Bear Rainforest
http://archive.greenpeace.org/greatbear/
Commentary by: JasonWardStudios
