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photo by Joe Sebille
Last October, Joe Sebille was hiking in the North Cascades, and shot some cell phone photos of a bear. The next May he opened his cell phone to ask a park ranger what he thought of the pictures, and from there the news spread that this photograph is of a grizzly bear, the first confirmed photo in that region in 50 years.
The North Cascades grizzly population has been perilously endangered for decades, so the sighting of this bear gives hope to those of us who care about this animal and the environment it needs to survive.
Why does the grizzly matter so much? According to the CNW website, “grizzly bears are a strong surrogate for the conservation of the dozens of other plants and animals that make our region biologically and culturally diverse and vibrant. Protecting the habitats that allow the bear the freedom to roam and thrive will benefit mule deer, wolverines, elk and mountain goats, and many more wildlife. Protecting the roadless watersheds that nurture the grizzly bear also helps ensure clean water, solitude, and recreational opportunities for everyone.”
And it gets personal for me. From my earliest memory I have loved bears and all they stand for. Inevitably I was given and loved teddy bears as a child, but an older relative recalled that when asked as a little girl whether I cared more for teddy bears or real bears, I said real bears of course.
Little me and my brother; I had a bear with me as always
I still care most about real bears
Which brings me to this: For the past several years I have devoted a portion of my December earnings to Conservation Northwest, which has advocated not only for the grizzly, but for all wildlife and ecosystems in the region. All year I follow the work of this organization with awe.
Conservation Northwest gives me hope for the grizzly, and so much more. Once again this December I'm devoting 25% of the proceeds from all the shops at denisebrain.com to this great group.
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