The Last Zodiac Trip

Since Don and Micky were not feeling well, I took the last Zodiac ride of the day. We visited some beautiful falls, we learned about fish traps, and we went to a rock where a famous picture had been taken by John Muir (I am still looking for it). It was a beautiful Zodiac ride . . . another great day in nature.

Another Hike

If the last hike was like plowing one’s way through 24” of snow, this hike was more akin to a pleasant walk in a 2” snow - no falling, no dropping to our knees, no mud. Despite the constant drizzle, we were able to bushwhack through the backcountry with little trouble. The forest floor was very wet - and slippery in places - and the green surrounded us. We did not see any wildlife, though we did see fairly recent - but not steaming - evidence of a bear. We came upon a Forest Service cabin that had been disassembled in 1986 and brought to the area for use by the Forest Service and the Fisheries Departments, but other than that, there was no sign other humans had been in the area. We had no real destination other than to be at the beach to catch the Zodiac, so it was truly, just a day in the woods - and a beautiful one at that.

Bighouses

Because no one on our tour had Covid, we were allowed to Zodiac to the Kitasoo village of Klemtu to visit their Bighouse. Originally, the Bighouse was a place for gathering, for holding potlatches, and for living in extreme weather. The original Bighouse in Klemtu was replaced in 2003, and because no more carvers lived in the area, they had to go outside the community to get their totems carved. Because it is so expensive to rent, it is only used two or three times year. It does have a fire ring in the center, and because of its infrequent use, it did not smell smoky. Painted on the outside of the Bighouse is a mural of all four clan animals, and on the doors were carvings of them: the Raven, the Wolf, the Eagle, and the double-finned Orca. A welcome totem stood in front of the Big House, though it used to be a watch totem to protect the village. The native population used to be over 100,000, but when the Europeans arrived with their diseases, they nearly wiped out the entire group of people. Two tribes came together (with two different languages), and now the population is about 800. Because the town has good jobs in timber and fish farming - they even have to import people to handle the number of jobs available now - most of the young people stay in the community or return to it.

From what I could tell, much of the culture of those who live in Klemtu has disappeared. When asked about arts, he said a few people paint but no one weaves, makes baskets, or creates pottery. Very few speak the native languages, but someone has recorded about 200 hours of an elder speaking both languages, and the researcher is transcribing them so that a record of them exists. Interestingly, time is a relative thing in many cultures. In the First Nations, recent time is measured by First Contact - the first contact with the Europeans. It was then their culture began to shift, mostly in bad ways. The Europeans introduced disease into the area, sometimes intentionally in infected blankets, nearly wiping out their culture, and in the 1930s the First Nations began to realize that in order to survive they had to assimilate in some ways to western ways. After seeing how the people live, it makes me sad to think that they had to change so drastically to survive.

Whale Watching

Whale watching on a Lindblad tour in a channel near British Columbia, where the boat is still, only 75 total people are on the ship, and no one is throwing up, is the way to go. Outside Hartley Bay, where the staff picked up gas for the Zodiacs, we saw one large male Orca (the guy with the BIG dorsal fin) and a variety of smaller pods. The staff saw some Dall’s Porpoises, and they believe that the whales began to hunt them. Although we cannot know for sure, since we did not see the male again, one staff member believes they actually caught one of the porpoises, despite the fact that porpoises can swim 35 mph (30mph for the Orca). We also saw a pod of humpback whales that was lazily making its way through the channel. Without the swells of the ocean, taking pictures was much easier, and the opportunity to watch the whales for an extensive time, without time pressure to be somewhere else, helped us to observe the whales’ behavior as a scientist rather than a tourist.

While we were in our Zodiac on Friday, suddenly a whale rose right in front of the little boat. We were able to watch the whale for about 30 minutes, as it would spout, come up, go down, swim a ways, spout, come up, go down, and perhaps show its fluke. We even were treated to a short “bubbling.” Humpbacks blow bubbles around themselves, creating an area that confuses the fish in the area, making it easier for the whales to feed. Usually the whales bubble in pods, so to see it done with just one whale was quite the treat. Having never been so close, we were invigorated by the sight of these awesome creatures.

Then again on Saturday, we were treated to another Zodiac ride to be close to a Humpback. Shawn guessed that the one we were watching was about 40 feet long (the size of a school bus) and weighed 40 tons. It seemed like a gentle giant, however, as it went up and down, up and down. Don got a video of it diving and showing its fluke, and at times it would just lay there - called logging - to rest. We were within 50 yards of the one today, and yesterday’s Humpback came up within about 20 yards of us - so exciting.

The Spirit Bear

Just after lunch on Friday, we received an announcement over the loudspeaker: Attention, we have spotted a Great Spirit Bear on the shore at the starboard side of the ship. Not a second had passed before the entire population of the ship was scrambling for the door. We were among them. We looked and we looked and we looked. We went down to our room to our balcony, and we looked and we looked and we looked. Where was that Spirit Bear? Fortunately, Micky came down to our room to make sure we had seen it - considerably further up the shoreline, a white spot on a black rock. Put those binoculars on it, however, and sure enough it was a white Spirit Bear.

What a thrill! We were not expecting to see a bear, and to watch him for nearly an hour was beyond our expectations. As the ship moved along the shoreline, we drew closer and closer to him (or her). While we watched, he ate barnacles, he stood up to find berries, he climbed rocks, he walked ledges . . . it was beyond awesome. This was not just a drive-by sighting - it was a true learning experience that we were skeptical we would have the opportunity to see. On Saturday again we saw a Spirit Bear. This time we watched him as he crunched on barnacles and caught a salmon. A black bear joined the Spirit Bear on the shore, and it too found a salmon and disappeared into the woods. It is conjectured that when a black Kermode bear and a Spirit Bear are in the same area, the Kermode bear defers to the Black Bear - apparently discrimination occurs in the wild, too.

Visiting The Great Bear Rainforest

In 2006, the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement preserved 5,000,000 acres of rainforest for future years. It included making sure that 85% of the area would not be logged and 70% of the Old Growth forest would be protected. The bigger effect, however, allows those who live in the rainforest to remain, including the people who live there. Including the entire ecosystem ensures the protection of all species, and utilizing the knowledge of the First Nation people who live there, the ecological practices may look different from what have been traditionally used. The trees are primarily cedar, hemlock and silver spruce. When trees die in the rainforest, they quickly become a place for other plants to grow. They logs are called nurse logs, and as they decay they provide nutrients not only for the plants growing on them but also for the ground. The orange fungus, Chicken of the Woods, is a highly sought-after fungus for cooking. It took every bit of strength Shawn, our guide, had not to take some back with him for the chef.

The protected areas are governed by the First Nations tribes by democratically elected chiefs and councils. Hence, they can decide with whom they work, who is allowed on their land, and what subjects are researched. The relationships formed are important to all concerned, and those involved in the relationships are careful to protect them. Canada has been very progressive in returning governance of some areas to the First Nations people. What researchers are finding is that the First Nations methods of protecting the land are beneficial and sometimes superior to western methods. Trusting them to manage the Great Bear Rainforest is a big step. And what it means is that they can restrict people from coming onto their land, they can make their own rules, and they can decide what management practices they use. This has complicated the life for cruises and visitors, as it is not nearly as easy to gain access to some areas, but by allowing them to govern their land, the Rainforest will be protected in a much better fashion.

Bears - research and more

Genetic testing is relatively new in wildlife, and therefore, not all species have been tested. One place where it has been performed, however, is in the Great Bear Rain Forest. For example, to survey the grizzly bear populations in the Great Bear Rainforest without using invasive procedures, researchers captured hair that collected on barbed wire and used it to study various genetic information from the bears. They found that there are three specific genetic differences in the grizzly bears that align with the three language groups of the natives. The changes in the environment apparently affect bears just as they do people; hence over time, the groups’ genetics changed to match the environment. Researchers have speculated that some animals become geographically isolated, causing them to eventually mutate, creating a difference between them and the other species. Kermode bears are one of those geographically isolated black bear species. They have a variety of genetic differences from other black bears, but their most notable recessive gene is that, when combined with another recessive gene from another Kermode bear, the cub is born white. Two Kermode bears can have white cubs, a white cub and a black cub, or two black cubs. But all are Kermode bears. The Kermode bear is considered an umbrella species. The Great Bear Rainforest is a protected area due to the presence of the Kermode Bear, and because of its protection, all of the plants and other animals benefit. Comparisons between black bears and grizzlies are myriad. Both are omnivores, both are quite protective of their cubs, and both eat lots of salmon. Black bears are more adaptable than grizzlies, and they go into human settlements, sometimes to escape predators such as the grizzlies but sometimes because they are just curious. Black bears eat 40% less salmon when in the presence of grizzlies, and diversity of salmon species tripled the proportion of salmon consumed by black bears. The First Nation in Canada has dispensed with the practice of trophy hunting because it harms already harmed populations. Raincoast and the Coastal First Nation have purchased most of the trophy hunt tenures, and then they take empty rifles and cameras and “shoot” their trophies. The collaboration has raised enough money to purchase most of the tenures, and they are currently raising money to purchase some of those that remain. I was thrilled to hear about this initiative, as trophy hunting has always seemed a horrible thing.