![]() ![]() Each of these ecosystems has its own assemblage of flora and fauna and areas where ecosystems meet (which are often referred to as ecotones) are typically very high in biodiversity. ![]() The Khutzeymateen Valley contains three main ecosystem types: mountain hemlock, coastal western hemlock and alpine tundra. “ Khutzeymateen” is a native word meaning “…a confined space of salmon and bears” and is an apt description for this area! The river mouth estuary provides important spawning grounds for pink, coho, chum and chinook salmon upon which the grizzlies depend. Ocean Light II Adventures has spent every spring since 1987 in the lush, green Khutzeymateen and is currently one of only two commercial operators allowed to take visitors into the estuary. And, we became intimately connected to – and acquainted with – the many bears of the Khutzeymateen. Guided by the mentoring of bear biologist Wayne McCrory, and later Charlie Russell, we learned much about the grizzly bears. Ocean Light II Adventures under the leadership of Tom Ellison joined forces with the Valhalla Society in 1987 and offered the boat as a floating base camp for the many environmentalists and media people who came to help save the valley. Intense lobbying by environmentalists in the 1980’s ultimately led to the creation of the sanctuary in 1992. Two small areas were cut in 19, but the rest of the Khutzeymateen was left untouched. In the early 1970s the threat of logging to the Khutzeymateen was first identified. Here on the coast clear-cutting has devastated much of the grizzly’s habitat and has also caused erosion along streams, thereby destroying one of the primary food sources for grizzlies – the salmon spawning grounds. Even in the remote coastal regions of BC viable grizzly bear habitat has been reduced to small, isolated pockets. Due to human population growth, extensive development, and direct persecution, grizzlies have been extirpated across much of their historic range. The Khutzeymateen lies at the northern end of the The Great Bear Rainforest which is one of the largest contiguous tracts of temperate rainforest in the world.The Khutzeymateen River watershed plus the neighbouring drainages of Larch and Cedar Creek, make up the 44,000 hectares of the sanctuary.Īt one time, grizzlies were widespread and found throughout much of North America. Located on the northwest coast of BC, the Khutzeymateen is a stunning land of dense Sitka spruce rainforest, fjords and high, rugged mountains. The Khutzeymateen Valley is Canada’s only grizzly bear sanctuary and the home of one of British Columbia’s most important coastal populations of grizzly bears. Background Information: The Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary
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