Chris Darimont is the director of science at Raincoast, and the lead scientist at the Raincoast Applied Conservation Science Lab at the University of Victoria. His work is in biology, evolution and ecology. You can find him on the coast, and sometimes in the waves, somewhere between San Diego and Haida Gwaii.
I know I promised the picture of the momma bear and cubs I wrote about yesterday, but the satellite internet being what it is up here, that will have to wait. In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to this year’s crew: From left to right: Me, Howard Humchitt, Collin Reid, Kyle Artelle, Heather…
I promised you a story about bears…it’s coming. First I want to share with you one of the less mammalian experiences that treat our team up at the field station each year. Almost daily we observe Harold the (Great Blue) Heron, who includes our dock in his territory. Great fish habitat for this piscivore (fish…
We promised a picture of Doug’s birthday Orcas…here they are! One male and one female. Photo ID records helped us identify them as known individuals in the transient (marine mammal-eating) population. They stuck around the field station for about half an hour before zooming down Lama Pass towards Hunter Island. Wolfman Doug and crew was…
Our first ‘real’ blog post from the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest! Perhaps you are expecting tales of bears, wolves, or salmon. Well, after three days of fieldwork, we have not yet seen any charismatic wildlife (except a nice spike buck in velvet). And we have heard that locals have been catching some salmon,…
More notes, more ideas, more reflections. More action. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation has been at the fore front of science and research on the coast of British Columbia for a number of years. We publish peer reviewed papers, we develop reports, we host conferences. We also have a talent for getting press, we produce a…
Our spring field season has arrived and is led by Dr. Chris Darimont, Raincoast Director of Science by Chris Darimont Possessing only a rudimentary knowledge of gravity, delicate little claws for braking, and pure trust in their momma, brand new grizzly cubs are slip-sliding their way down snowfields this month as they emerge from their…
By Chris Darimont Research Scientist, Rainforest Wolf Program Tanzania, December 2008 Guttural roars and the cracking of bone drown out any sound of the river, which by this time of year has slowed to a mere trickle. On its banks, blood-soaked muzzles plunge into fallen prey as if it were their final meal.
I needed a renewal. Spring had sprung some time ago and I was envious of the plants outside my office window that seemed a lot more active than I. After a long winter of computer work, it was time again to visit the wolves and the forests that had changed my life forever.
This spring has sprung the 4th full season for the Rainforest Wolf Project and an opportunity for reflection. I think back on our early days – only Bella Bella’s Chester Starr (“The Lone Wolf”) and I were out in a tiny Raincoast boat exploring for wolves, guided by local knowledge, topographic maps, and a bit…
In our last dispatch we had not yet learned of the locations of the 2002 “home sites”, where wolves give birth and care for their young. Wolves are habitual creatures but our early spring searches had failed to locate the sites in areas they had been the previous year. By mid August, however, we found…
After a long winter analyzing last year’s samples and data, our team is happy to be back in the footsteps of rainforest wolves. This spring was good to us – the “wolfiest ” session to date. We saw 17 different wolves from five different packs, and many of them several times. Each day we come…
Herein, we present the most comprehensive scientific report to date about the wolves of mainland coastal British Columbia. The report is intended for scientists and informed non-scientists alike, although most readers will have no difficulty understanding the content. We offer scientific information, our perspectives, and recommendations to First Nations, government, industry, conservation planners, and the…