50 Places, 50 Stories
The Great Bear Rainforest is a vast temperate rainforest on the Pacific coast. It stretches from just above Bute Inlet to the bottom of the Alaska Panhandle. There are deep and complex connections between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of this region that extend to the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. One of the world’s largest remaining tracts of intact temperate rainforest, this area is home to salmon, sea wolves, cougars, eagles and grizzlies—including the famed Kermode or “Spirit” bear, which is covered in white fur. You can explore the plants and animals of this region on Sierra Club BC’s Ecomap. From time immemorial, more than two dozen distinct Indigenous Nations have stewarded and occupied these lands and waters. Today they continue to conserve and protect their territories from threats such as oil tanker spills, industrial development and climate change impacts.
Read stories from the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii
Sierra Club BC’s 50 Places Project
The 50 Places Project celebrates 50 stories of conservation across BC.
As Sierra Club BC marks fifty years of conservation work, we raise our hands to the longtime Indigenous stewards of fifty special places in BC. In many cases, Sierra Club BC and our partners have also played a role in helping protect these places.
Through Indigenous Guardian programs and sharing of deep and specialized knowledge between generations, Indigenous peoples continue to lead the way in conservation.
We invite you to celebrate these stories with us and find out how you can help create more lasting solutions for conservation now and into the future.