A group of people standing in front of a building with totems painted on it.

Gvukva’áus Haíɫzaqv. House of the Haíɫzaqv, it’s always been here

The Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) community of Waglisla (Bella Bella) who have been our friends, supporters and partners for over a generation, were about to celebrate the historic opening of the stunning new Gvukva’áus Haíɫzaqv (house of the Haíɫzaqv) with a five day potlatch celebration. Over 3000 people were expected. Knowing that accommodations were limited in the…

A black bear on the left is standing on large mossy rocks. There is a stream with a small water fall the right, and a salmon is jumping out of the water in the direction of the bear. The bear has its left paw extended. It looks like a sunny day, although the sky is not in the photo.

Diversity of salmon species a necessary metric to understanding how bears feed

Salmon biomass is a measure of the total kilograms of spawning salmon. Many who are in the role of implementing conservation strategies and policies think that when it comes to bears, or terrestrial wildlife, more salmon biomass simply means more eating. However, our recent research published…

Kate Field and the bear research squad prepare for the imminent field season.

Notes from the (pre) field: “Caution – bear research in progress”

With spring comes organized chaos as graduate students and research associates transition from laboratory work, data analysis and writing, to a flurry of preparation for an upcoming season of monitoring bears on the central coast of British Columbia. We are headed to Gitga’at, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv Territories to join…