Great Bear Rainforest photographer urges a halt on tar sands oil
“The Great Bear Rainforest really stands in the way of Asia’s insatiable demand for oil and gas," says veteran coastal wildlife photographer Ian McAllister.
Spotting a pair of hungry wolves return to the same tidal spot on B.C.'s rainforest coast he's seen them come to for years, photographer Ian McAllister whipped into action: zipping up his dry suit, diving underwater, and submerging just a few metres from them.
“I thought I might have one opportunity to take a picture or two," he said Wednesday of the spring incident.
"Actually they immediately came into the water [to meet me]."
“One of them even grabbed my snorkel,” laughed the long-time wildlife photographer and conservationist.
The astonishing split-image photo – half underwater, half above -- is one of many in his new 200-page book: Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest. He starts a book tour shortly, with a free event in Vancouver on Oct.24.
The book is his eyewitness to the elusive wildlife living where the rain forest meets the Pacific.
He's lived 25 years in the area, and now resides on the remote Denny Island, home to just 70 people, near where the wolves were spotted.
“I was really happy with that [wolf] image because I think it illustrates the connections between the ocean and the rain forest. People think they’re separate worlds – but they really support each other.”
“Wolves eat herring eggs, and herring of course come from the ocean – and there’s just so many relationships like that.”
“Same with black bears, grizzly bears and so many other species.”
McAllister’s book is his attempt to chronicle the great mysteries and biodiversity of the Great Bear Rainforest, and to advocate for the ecosystem's protection from oil sands pipelines and tankers.
“The Great Bear Rainforest really stands in the way of Asia’s insatiable demand for oil and gas, and Canada’s interest in sending it to Asia.”
Shot mostly in winter to avoid visibility problems from underwater plankton, McAllister scuba-dived the Great Bear Sea, as it's known to some, to get up close and personal with creatures in the frigid salt waters.
Take these stellar sea lions for instance. He spotted them in the Camaano Sound in Gitga’at territory -- a proposed tanker route.
Photo by Ian McAllister from Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest, published by Greystone Books.
The giant sea mammals can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, and McAllister was tossed like a “rag doll” around 30 or 40 of them by powerful tidal waves.
“So with the sea swells going back and forth, it was fun because sea lions would go right past me, and then I’d go right past them.”
“The [sea lions] of course are so agile underwater, but we’re relatively clumsy."
Ian McAllister underwater -- photo by Tavish Campbell
The scariest part of the moment? Sea lions are like ‘aquatic grizzlies’ with big teeth.
“If you’ve seen a sea lion skull, it looks just like a grizzly skull.”
“They would sometimes come up right behind you and put their jaws right over your head."
“They’re a carnivore, and in they’re in their element, so you just have to have faith that everything’s going to be okay. The statistical odds of getting hurt weigh favourably for people.”
“The eat mostly small fish. Humans aren’t on the sea lion diet, so we got along pretty well.”
More in Environment
Also under immediate threat from another LNG project is the whole of Howe Sound, extending from the Salish Sea, West Vancouver, Bowen Islands, Lions Bay, to Squamish. Here in Squamish the present vision-less Council wants to undo the years, even decades, of recovery of the once badly contaminated Sound by allowing the establishment of an LNG terminal at the old stinky Wood Fibre site, the parking of gigantic gas tankers at its edge, the trafficking of enormous tankers up and down the Sound, the expansion of gas pipelines through the unique but diminishing Estuary, and the siting of a huge compressor plant (potentially explosive) on key industrial property bordering on three residential areas. Control will be exercised by off-shore agents, whose names keep changing - RGE (Royal Golden Eagle based in Singapore) & owned by an Indonesian billionaire chucked out of Indonesia for a variety of reasons including a $250million tax evasion bill; PETRONAS, a Malaysian company with various controlling interests (perhaps some from China) which threatens dire consequences if the present Lib-Con government doesn't roll over and give them even lower taxes and more subsidies; Pacific Oil & Gas which sounds so-Canadian but whose top management had once been in top management at Mt.Polley (ever hear of that disaster?) and seems to be controlled or owned by that overseas billionaire; Fortis BC that is threatening to start drilling immediately (January) in the Estuary even though the LNG project has not yet been approved or had its environmental assessment report given public scrutiny, and which is demanding from the present gutless Council not just 5 acres of Squamish's limited industrial lands but 12 acres for its compressor plant. Other players seem to come and go and the tax-paying residents are kept in the dark. Meanwhile Howe Sound and the Estuary are badly threatened, along with the returning herring, other small fish, turtles, dolphins, and whales; air shed quality and water quality are threatened; flaring will give Squamish unwanted night light, all night, while discombobulating the myriad flocks of many bird species on the international migratory path; contaminants (such as methane, benzene, chlorine, etc.) will be poured into the waters, affecting the lands and rivers, streams, and fish such as salmon; and Human health will be severely compromised for decades. Insurance liability is vague as is compensation for "incidents". And for what? A few jobs (most of the top jobs will be overseas in Hong Kong, or Singapore, or even Korea), while undermining the burgeoning tourism ( e.g. Gondola), arts (Squamish Valley Music Festival) and film, and innovative high tech industries (many new ones locally), and other businesses of the future. Or some paltry taxes, with the LNG crowd or industry being again subsidized through taxes that are 50% or half what regular residents would pay. Either our present Council has been right royally conned by the Lib-Cons and fallen for the hype, while avoiding any real research and analysis, or they are totally locked into an ideological suit of the long-gone past of industrial glory and contamination. Or do they naively believe that LNG based as it is on fracking is "green energy" and "will save China". It is neither "green", nor a saviour - China is already far out-pacing Canada in its "green energy efforts". Let's leave the gas in the ground until we need it for our people way in the future.
Meanwhile let's look after Howe Sound from top to bottom, and care for its inhabitants, whether human or wildlife. They are precious and unique, and deserve to be protected just like the Great Bear Rain Forest.
Many thanks and much kudos to Ian McAllister for sharing his vision of that remarkable area and its denizens, and for urging the halting of the tar sands destruction. Hopefully other writers like Mychaylo and photographers like Ian will turn their talents on Squamish and the wonderful Howe Sound recovery.
How many trees a year do you guys kill to get paper to print all the articles about how bad the oil industry is? Hypocrites.
Particularly currently, there is zero connection between the so-called Great Bear Rain Forest (a name concocted by radical environmentalists -- none from the region). The so-called Great Bear Sea -- I've read all about the campaigns to "save" this un-threatened area, but this is the first time I've read the words, the Great Bear Sea. It is just another case of the over-romanticization of the virtually uninhabited wilderness area - which does contain a large number of species native to the entire B.C. coast. White black bears are NOT threatened either - they are plentiful and are not unique to the northern region. It is an exceptional place but it is simply NOT threatened by Canada's oil or gas industries. Frankly, it is more threatened by the host of self-dedicated environmentalists and photographers, such as the author, who have no qualms about making money writing and photographing the region. This crap and the deliberate and pejorative use of descriptive words like "tar sands" continue to threaten Canada's economy as a whole and the growth of much needed jobs in northern B.C. and Alberta. The Observer has no sense of perspective and is so continuously Vancouver-centred, while demonstrating an anti-northern development sgtance on a daily basis. Shame.
Four major oil companies, including the world’s largest have demanded a global carbon tax. They have vast reserves of natural gas and if the BC carbon tax would be applied globally the price of thermal coal would go up by 70%, forcing all coal fired power stations to switch to natural gas, which emits only half the amount of CO2. This will lower the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, which creates climate change. The cost of crude would go up by 10%, all contributing to higher energy prices, so eventually green energy will become cheaper than that from fossil fuel. That is the only way to reduce the demand for oil. The rising energy prices will increase the cost of almost everything. That is why, like in BC, all carbon tax money raised from companies and individuals should be returned to them so everybody can afford to pay the higher prices. Those we consume below average fossil fuel will get more money back than they paid and can invest it in other fuel saving devices. The tax has to be global. That will allow us to apply the tax to our exports without unfair competition. It will bring a lot of extra money, which has to be shared with other countries which have no carbon exports but have to live with the rising energy cost.
In Canada quite some people still believe that a carbon tax will hurt the economy and the poor, the opposite is true. It is all explained on my blog neilwilhees. 73% of the 103 studies analysed by the World Bank showed that carbon pricing has a positive impact on employment. Extensive studies for many European countries showed that England broke even while the rest gained from carbon pricing. 10 US states have experienced carbon pricing for years and report dramatic gains.(Post 1). BC experienced a 17% reduction in the use of fossil fuel without loss of GDP while the consumption in the rest of Canada rose by 1 ½ %. The poor don’t suffer. Low income people receive 16 % of all carbon tax collected. In October 2013 Washington and Oregon signed the Pacific Coast Collaborative and will start taxing carbon based on the BC model. Together with carbon pricing in California and Alaska carbon pricing will come to four states and one province which have a combined population of 53 million people, with a gross domestic product of $2.8-trillion.
Give it up already.
Our natural resources are the only thing keeping us alive today and tomorrow.
It can all be mined sustainably.
I guess the photographer has no qualms about conditioning these wild wolves to humans with his close and constant interaction? This became a big problem on Vargas Island near Tofino where wolves got too friendly with campers.
Getting this close wouldn't be allowed in a National Park because of these reasons but since he wants to 'save' them from some threats obviously he feels he can do anything he wants.
Now the next time some hunters come along and the wolves come out to say hi...the story wont end so nicely...for the wolves that is.
It really is just some guy making his living as an eco-campaigner using the wolves to support his wilderness lifestyle...must be nice.
Totally agree with Mr Hewitsons comments, especially the 'Great Bear Sea' crap....just eco-marketing claptrap.
Really; it's that simple. British Columbia has a multitude of industries contributing to our economy; why should they yeild ? Also, If our resources are so incredibly important then why do we sell them at a discount? Then what? Will Albertan's go back to farming? Seriously, who do we think we are giving away our granchildren's resources so our generation can buy more junk?
Special reports
