whitebear_blog

Spirit of Christmas

Conservationist and Photographer Steve Williamson has just released a "Spirit of Christmas" gallery of prints that feature his favorite Spirit Bear images.  He has spent much of the past year working with Pacific Wild and other charities in the Great Bear Rainforest.  The images will be on display at the Comox Center Mall on Vancouver Island Dec. 2-6 and are also available on Steve's website.

Emeralds at the Edge

A gorgeous new picture book of the Great Bear Rainforest has just been released by wildlife photographer Andrew Wright.  The publication features personal experiences and stunning images of the Spirit Bear's habitat.

Come to the book launch in Victoria on November 20th at the Maritime Museum and hear Andrew speak about Emeralds at the Edge: Observations of an Accidental Activist. Join us there and have your copy signed by the author!  Profits from the sale of this book support the Sierra Club BC's work, please contact the Sierra Club BC for more information. 

Cornucopia: What you desire

White Bear is delighted to participate in a celebration of food and wine at our first Cornucopia experience this weekend at Whistler.

Interestingly, the history behind the extravaganza is much more extensive than the 13 short years it's been in Whistler, and dates back to the 5th Century BC.  Originating in Greek mythology, there are varying stories on its begining, one theory claims that Zeus while playing with the goat Amalthea accidently broke one of her horns.  In atonement, he bestowed magical powers on it, promising to give the horn's possessor whatever she desired. The story magically evolved from there into Copia the Goddess of Plenty, with original depictions of a horn filled with fruit and flowers. 

Modern day depictions have come to associate Cornucopia with Thanksgiving, harvest and wine.  And appropriately this weekend, there will be a plethora of winemaker's dinners, seminars, parties and of course the large Crush for consumers at the Trade & Convention Center.  One of the more interesting seminars offered is the annual Chef's Trip to the Farm with a visit to nearby Pemberton to discuss the harvest of fresh organic produce with the farmer and dine on homestyle cooking by a local chef in their country kitchen.

Buon Appetito!

White Bear with Salmon

According to a recent BBC story, the Spirit Bear is apparently excellent at fishing and is able to catch salmon (their primary diet) at a 30% more efficient rate than their black bear counterparts.  They cite a study from the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, by University of Victoria biology professor Tom Reimchen and graduate student Dan Klinkawhich, which found that the whiteness is a benefit for fishing during the daylight, making the bears "invisible" to the fish.

Two coastal islands, Gribell and Princess Royal Islands in BC approximately 500 km north of Vancouver are home to the rare white bears, which comprise 20-30% of the bear population there.   Moreso than black bears, Spirit bears are heavily dependent on salmon as a food source and to fatten up for the winter they feed extensively each autumn as the salmon migrate to their spawning grounds.  See enclosed video for a cute example of a young Spirit Bear fishing for the first time.

The White Bear Sauvignon Blanc is a lovely wine pairing with poached salmon.  I recommend wine, water, dill, parsley, shallots, cracked black pepper and a bit of lemon for poaching and then plating it on a bed of baby spinach.