The Great Bear Rainforest & the Importance of Sustaining this Incredibly Diverse Ecosystem

23 December 2014Gina B, Mackenzie ‘17; Photo by Ian McAllister

When I attended the Great Bear Rainforest Talk by Ian McAllister, I became an advocate for protecting this incredible ecosystem and diverse world on the northwest coast of British Columbia. In this forest live thousands of species that depend on the rich resource that is the Pacific Ocean. Bears, wolves, birds, fish, and whales are all citizens of this incredible part of the world that is threatened by large oil projects. Mr. McAllister is a seasoned adventurer and photographer of these parts and of all these animals, and wants to protect them. All of these species depend on the ocean as their food source, and if there was a huge tanker driven through their home, it would endanger them. Whales swim peacefully in small inlets, just skimming the surface of the water, and in a small sailboat you must constantly be on the lookout so you do not disturb them. Tankers, however, would not do them such a courtesy, and many whales would be killed. The bears’ main food source before hibernation is salmon, and if any oil were to spill, thousands of salmon would die, thus destroying the bears’ source of food. There are over 20 wolf packs, which McAllister has been tracking for more than 15 years, and thousands of species of birds and fish. The extremely diverse ocean, including seals and sea lions, would be in grave peril if anything were to happen in the Great Bear Sea. The risk is too great. Canada has a huge coastline, the longest in the world, and yet we only protect one percent of it. That is a number that has to be increased. Ian and his wife have an organization called Pacific Wild that protects this great coastline in northern BC. I believe everyone at Brentwood should be an advocate to protect this incredible place in British Columbia. Here is a link to the Pacific Wild Website with Ian McAllister’s photography and how you can get involved: www.pacificwild.org Gina B, Mackenzie ‘17

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