Envisioning 2018: more accomplishments for nature, people, and the places we love
Thank you for empowering our service of nature, people, and place.
As the year closes, I look back on what Raincoast has achieved in 2017. I envision a 2018 comprised of more accomplishments for nature, people, and the places we love.
What a year 2017 was! Our hunting territory buyouts and informed advocacy played central roles in bringing an end to hunting of grizzlies throughout British Columbia. And after another successful field season, we are rounding the corner on a full decade of applied, community-driven research on coastal bears. Also, one of the first graduate students at the Raincoast lab at the University of Victoria, Kyle Artelle, has successfully defended his dissertation. Dr. Artelle, who lives full time in Bella Bella, remains an important part of our team.
At this time of year, we also work hard to find resources that make our work possible. Topping my list is the “float house”, our modest field station in Bella Bella, Heiltsuk Territory, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. While built of cedar and structurally sound, the coastal wind and rain have taken their toll. Uninsulated walls and single pane windows make for uncomfortable nights and a voracious firewood appetite.
A volunteer has offered to insulate the building, replace the windows, and install a rugged aluminium roof. We are fundraising for materials, and looking for an assistant to support him. All told this work will cost just under $15,000. Can you help us make this tangible contribution to our work?
Our vision is that the float house can support Kyle and other Raincoast scientists into the next decade. Our research efforts will focus on informing emerging nation-led policies on commercial salmon fishing that allocate sufficient salmon for bears, and Ecosystem-Based Forest Management, which can safeguard the habitats of bears and other sensitive species.
Before the year closes I also encourage you to take a look at our gorgeous Tracking Raincoast into 2018. You will learn about all that you have helped the Raincoast team accomplish. Please also accept my thanks for empowering our service of nature, people, and place.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
