- Our Grizzly Documentary
- A Volunteer Hero
- Roads and Rails Playing Havoc with Banff Bears
- Colleen Gara - Insider
We are very excited to announce that In the Crosshairs, the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy documentary exploring the fate of Alberta’s grizzly bears, is nearing completion and will be released in July. Launch details and specific dates will be announced shortly. Thanks again to our project partners, The Grizzly Bear Foundation, for their continued support. And of course, thank you to all of you that have helped fund this timely and important documentary.
Co-founder John was in the field with our Creative Director, Lance Andersen, last week filming a final interview for In the Crosshairs, and John had a beautiful encounter with a female grizzly bear on the way back to Banff -- perhaps fitting given that he was busy advocating for Alberta’s grizzlies earlier in the day.
Speaking of grizzly bears, it’s been an incredibly tough last few weeks for grizzly bears in our mountain parks. Grizzly bear #156, the mother of the white grizzly, Nakoda, was hit and killed by a vehicle in Yoho National Park on May 29th, orphaning her two yearling cubs. The cubs now only have about a 30% chance of surviving into adulthood and it’s a critical hit to the Banff-Yoho-Kootenay population as 156 was a rare backcountry bear that avoided humans and was successful at raising cubs. You can read more about her story and death here.
Then, on June 24th, Banff’s beleaguered bears suffered another massive blow, when grizzly bear #130 and one of her yearling cubs were hit and killed by a train just west of the Banff townsite. One yearling cub survived and is now on its own, again with about a 30% chance at surviving to adulthood.
This comes on the heels of Banff losing grizzly bear #143 (another rare backcountry bear) and her two cubs of the year last September, also on the Canadian Pacific train tracks.
In combination, these mortalities are devastating to the Banff-Yoho-Kootenay subpopulation, particularly given that all three adult bears were breeding females. To also already lose at least three of the cubs is equally heart-breaking.
This makes the survival of the white grizzly Nakoda and her female sibling even more important and it’s encouraging to see the efforts Parks Canada is putting into keeping them safe this spring as they forage along the incredibly dangerous Trans-Canada Highway.
Many of our supporters in British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, and Oregon are enduring an unprecedented heat wave right now that is shattering records across the Pacific Northwest. Please be safe, try to stay cool and drink lots of water. We can only imagine how difficult it must be for our fur-bearing mammals as they, too, try to stay cool and get enough foraging in to sustain them through this hot spell. EXPOSED has always had an eye on the climate crisis and as it begins to affect our large carnivores and other wildlife, we’ll be keeping you abreast of any positive action you can take to help fight climate change on behalf of these animals.
Colleen Gara is this month's feature Insider, and has been involved with EWC from our inception.
“I became involved with EWC because of one of its founders - John Marriott. I met John about 7 years ago when we were both photographing grizzly bears in the Rockies. I was new to wildlife photography and John became a mentor to me. He's taught me a lot about wildlife and photography but most importantly about the ethics of wildlife photography and the importance of speaking out about wildlife issues in Canada. I have been researching and writing for EWC for a few years now.
Q: Why is the work EWC does important to you personally?
A: The natural world is so incredibly important and I strongly believe in protecting habitats and the wild animals that live within them. I love that EWC shares information about critical wildlife issues in Canada. The more people become aware of the threats that wildlife and their environments face, the better chance we have at making a difference and preserving them.
Q: If money wasn’t an issue, what would you like to see EWC doing?
A: It would be amazing if money wasn't a concern and EWC could produce videos every month. I know they have a lot more wildlife issues they would like to cover.
Q: On a Saturday morning at 10 a.m., what would we find you doing?
A: I would be out photographing wildlife In the spring/summer months I'm also doing a lot of hiking, camping and kayaking.
Q: What was the last TV show you loved and binged on?
A: My husband and I just finished watching Broadchurch on Netflix - a British detective series. Olivia Colman plays one of the main detectives and I love anything that she's in.
Q: What is your favorite meal?
A: That's a tough one but I'd have to say Thai Yellow Curry with rice.
We’d love to share your stories and/or photographs with all our followers. Let us know why you chose to support the Conservancy and why you love the outdoors! We’d like to feature an Insider every month to tell us more about yourself and hopefully share a photograph with us. Just send an email to insider@exposedwc.org and we’ll make it happen.
One of our most ardent supporters and great friend of Exposed has “stepped up” yet again. Lee Horbachewski, who already donates countless hours for the Conservancy scheduling and moderating our social media channels, has now taken on the additional role of content creation. We really can’t thank Lee enough for her dedication to our wildlife and being such an important member of our team.
The persecution of our apex predators and destruction of their habitat continues to result in a loss of biodiversity here in Canada and beyond, disrupting the ecological systems we depend on for drinkable water, carbon capture and more. Without immediate intervention, it will soon be hard to reverse the damage to our environment. By donating to the EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy, you play an integral role in the protection of our apex predators and the preservation of Canada’s one-of-a-kind ecosystems.
We asked Insider Colleen Gara what she's been reading this month.
“I just started reading "The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild" by Enric Sala. It's about the importance of conservation and protecting nature and I am really enjoying it so far."
- Insider Colleen Gara
Get into your own EXPOSED apparel like a hoodie or a t-shirt, and wear your support of the conservancy! We’ve added EXPOSED hats and toques to the shop for those cooler days out exploring our wild places, so visit the shop now and get fantastic, comfy clothing AND support the Conservancy with much-needed funding for upcoming conservation projects.
P.S. Remember that our EXPOSED Insiders get a 10% discount on all store purchases!
