Read the Vancouver Sun article on Pat Carney – a former Conservative senator from BC and a former Minister of Energy with the federal government – and her views on why the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline that will send oil tankers through the spirit bear’s habitat doesn’t make sense.

Please join us on December 1st in Vancouver for an evening of celebration, inspiration, and change making in support of child rights and development.

Spirit Bear Youth Coalition partner International Institute for Child Rights and Development is an unparalleled agent of change in on-the-ground impact for children and development across our planet – a group who has strengthened rights and voices for those who had none.

There are few people, and even fewer NGOs, in our society who truly walk the walk. IICRD, without ego, has quietly gone about innovating the processes that affect real change and, in the doing, have systematically enhanced our community here at home and in all corners of the world.

Please help us support IICRD on December 1st to help enhance their efforts that make it possible for young people the world over to take a stand for the spirit bear and any issue they believe in.

LOCATION:
1630 West 15th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia

EVENT AND TIME:
IICRD cordially invites you to an evening of dinner, speakers and a silent auction at the prestigious Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club – December 1, 2011 at 6:00pm.

SUPPORTING IICRD:
IICRD, an international leader in child rights and development, invites you to the Global Children: Global Change Fundraiser where your support will bring innovation and expertise to locations around the globe where IICRD is working with some of the most vulnerable children in creating positive change in their lives and their communities. Through the words of our Executive Director and children and youth themselves, you will hear stories from IICRD’s work in Colombia – Preventing Violence Against Young Children, work in Thailand and Brazil – Fighting online sexual exploitation through ICT, and work in Canada – Developing the capacity of youth and professionals in better supporting First Nations children.

TICKETS
$175 each / $300 for 2 / $1200 per table / Cash Bar

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW OR DONATE YOUR SUPPORT! SEATING IS LIMITED!

Email: iicrd@uvic.ca
Tel: (250) 472-4762
Fax: (250) 472-4830

We are excited to announce that the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition’s friend, City of Coquitlam Leadership Speakers Series, will be hosting another fantastic evening of inspiration this year. Last year SBYC founder, Simon Jackson delivered the keynote address; this year the event will feature former Vancouver Canucks captain, Trevor Linden.

His keynote will be held on Tuesday, November 22nd at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at the Evergreen Cultural Centre Box Office: 604-927-6555 or www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca

Tickets are limited!

Spirit Bear Youth Coalition founder and chairman Simon Jackson will be delivering the keynote address to this year’s Family Services of Greater Vancouver Annual General Meeting.

Sharing his message of the power of one, Simon will underscore that the campaign to save the spirit bear can be duplicated for any issue facing our world, including family services, with the hope that each organization can learn from each other to become better advocates for the voiceless.

Send your letter to Premier Clark today voicing your support for saving the spirit bear.

Here is our open letter to Premier Clark:

Dear Premier Clark,

I’m writing to ask for your leadership to ensure the final needed steps are taken to create a sanctuary for BC’s spirit bear for BC’s families – and families around the world.

The white Kermode or spirit bear, as you know, is a genetically unique subspecies of the black bear that is unique only to BC’s central coast and numbers fewer than 400. This endangered bear plays a critical role in our world because of its colour, upholding through the nutrient cycle one of the largest land carbon sinks in the world.

Though remarkable progress has been made to ensure the future of the Kermode subspecies, two hurdles remain.

Less than 200 times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the Green-Sheep Passage/Tolmie Operating Area is the final, unprotected third of the spirit bear’s habitat: it must be protected in order to sustain the delicate ecological balance that produces this rare bear.

Additionally, while it is illegal to hunt the white Kermode bear, within 98% of its range, including protected areas, it is legal to hunt the black Kermode bear that carries and produces the unique white gene – a direct threat to the survival of the subspecies. The creation of a trophy hunting sanctuary for all bears is needed in this one area in order to maintain the genetic diversity of the population.

I know it is possible for logging and hunting to occur and the bear to survive; but it is equally possible that logging, combined with trophy hunting in this one area, will set in motion unintended, irreversible consequences that will, over a generation, lead to the extinction of the white bear.

I believe that when speaking of the very last chance to save a bear worth its weight in gold and critical to a globally important ecosystem, we must err on the side of caution, especially when a more viable economic alternative is available.

Conservatively, The Spirit Bear animated movie proposed by the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition is projected to be able to inject tens of millions of dollars into the region to help erase the human resource and infrastructure deficit that is widely believed to be preventing any hope of economic revitalization. The funds would exceed any bank loan, government hand-out, and potential profit from developing the ecosystem and allowing the coastal bear trophy hunt to continue.

The potential investment could build and sustain a viable tourism industry, develop the emerging sea shell aquaculture industry, create long-term conservation-based jobs, and launch a value-added, community-run forestry operation in areas other than this bear’s critical habitat. And then, off course, there is the ability to use the protected forest to offset carbon emissions – a multi-million dollar industry.

The Spirit Bear Youth Coalition has a track record of being positive, cooperative, engaged, and pragmatic; not one of being alarmists or dogmatic ideologues in addressing this issue. The movie has the potential to generate more profit for the affected First Nation community than logging in an area that amounts to .003% of the entire coast’s operating area, but development is money now.

Please work with all stakeholders to establish BC’s first major wildlife sanctuary, as desired by the Coastal First Nations, in order to safeguard all bears on the BC north-central coast from trophy hunting and, in the doing, help protect the Kermode gene pool.

Moreover, I ask that you help facilitate a dialogue with the appropriate stakeholders to identify a financial target for the CGI movie to meet that would, if successful, allow for the protection of the Green-Sheep Passage/Tolmie Operating Area and, thus, the spirit bear.

I know you have committed to creating a new era of civic engagement and consultation – and promised to put BC families first on your agenda. Creating a sanctuary for the spirit bear is a family values issue and supported by more than 85% of British Columbians. By taking the necessary leadership to protect the final unprotected third of the spirit bear habitat and stopping the coastal bear trophy hunt you will uphold the commitments you have made and create a legacy for all families the world over.

My thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

D. Simon Jackson
Founder and Chairman, Spirit Bear Youth Coalition

Want to help save the spirit bear? Simply attend a great night of music in Vancouver Stanley Park.

Vancouver Song Fest and the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition have teamed up to create an early summer event to help raise needed funds to create sanctuary for the endangered white bear of Canada’s west coast.

Come hear some amazing music on June 11 at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park and for every ticket for the evening show purchased, $5 will be donated to the Youth Coalition.

For every ticket purchased for the day show, $2 will go to the Youth Coalition.

Here’s how to have fun and take action:

- Go to www.vancouversongfest.com
- Click the ticketweb.ca logo found in the upper right corner
- Click “Find Tickets” for either the day show ($10) or the evening show ($15)
- Type “BEAR” into the access code box and click “Apply Access Code”
- Select the desired number of tickets from the “Spirit Bear Promo” drop down menu
- Select the desired delivery method and proceed to check out

It’s that easy.

We hope to see you June 11th for a great day of music for a great cause.

Ten years ago today on April 4th, 2001, after years of media coverage, public outcry and determined lobbying, the government of British Columbia announced an historic land-use agreement designed to save the spirit bear and create a framework for sustainability on the BC coast.

And ten years later, despite numerous strides in the right direction, the spirit bear remains threatened.

THE NEGOTIATIONS

It all started in February 2001. Sensing the growing conflict surrounding the fate of their traditional territory, the Kitasoo First Nation set out to develop a land-use agreement that would create protected areas and economic development.

The result was a strong foundation for discussions that engaged all stakeholders involved in the debate surrounding the spirit bear, including the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition.

What had started as a discussion focusing simply on the Kitasoo traditional territory – the Land of the Spirit Bear – spread to envelop the fate of entire BC coast or what has become known as the Great Bear Rainforest.

Simultaneously, inspired by one letter written by one young person – after having received more letters on this issue than any environmental issue in Canadian history – BC’s minister of environment, Ian Waddell, and BC’s premier, Ujjal Dosanjh, decided it was time to do something about the future of the spirit bear.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

The multi-stakeholder agreement – the first of its kind in the world – proved to be just the framework the BC government was looking for to create a resolution to the issue, announcing the deal on April 4th. At the time, it was the largest land protection measure in North American history.

In all, 20 ecologically significant watersheds on the BC coast were recognized by all parties to be in need of immediate protection – 441,256 hectares in total.

The protected areas announced – the Lockhart Gordon, the Ahnuhati, the Upper Klinaklini, Tallheo Hot Springs/K’kwatsta, the Koeye, the Foch/Giltoyees, and the Spirit Bear Conservancy – represented 13% of the Great Bear Rainforest.

In the Land of the Spirit Bear, just over half of the 250,000 hectare wilderness required by the spirit bear for survival was protected, including critical habitat on Princess Royal Island, Pooley Island, and the adjacent mainland watershed, the Khutze.

THE NEXT STEP

While the agreement was significant, it was only a first step in finding a lasting solution for the spirit bear and the entire BC coast.

Agreements were not reached as to the future of many critical areas. As a result, 68 additional watersheds – a total of 533,838 hectares – were deferred from development while discussions continued.

The other half of the spirit bear’s last intact habitat was included in this parcel of land that remained in purgatory.

After the camera lights went dark on the April 4th announcement, the hard work resumed in partnership with a new premier and a new government in BC.

And though negotiations lasted for far longer than anyone imagined, on February 7th, 2006, the BC government unveiled their final land use plan for the BC coast.

THE SPIRIT BEAR REMAINS THREATENED

This plan equally accomplished a great deal for the many coastal stakeholders and increased protection of the spirit bear’s key habitat to two-thirds, but it did not save the spirit bear and, this time, there was no promise of more work to be done on the issue.

Less than 200 times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the Green-Sheep Passage/Tolmie Operating Area is the final, unprotected third of the spirit bears habitat: it must be protected in order to sustain the delicate ecological balance that produces this rare bear.

And while it is illegal to hunt the white Kermode bear, within 98% of its range, including protected areas, it is legal to hunt the black Kermode bear that carries and produces the unique white gene – a direct threat to the survival of the subspecies. The creation of a trophy hunting sanctuary for all bears is needed in this one area in order to maintain the genetic diversity of the population.

Let us be clear: it is possible for logging to occur and the bear to survive; but it is equally possible that logging, combined with trophy hunting in this one area, will set in motion unintended, irreversible consequences that will, over a generation, lead to the extinction of the white bear. It is the belief of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition that, when speaking of the very last chance to save a bear worth its weight in gold and critical to a globally important ecosystem, we must err on the side of caution, especially when a more viable economic alternative is available.

SAVING THE SPIRIT BEAR

Conservatively, The Spirit Bear animated movie is projected to be able to inject tens of millions of dollars into the region to help erase the human resource and infrastructure deficit that is widely believed to be preventing any hope of economic revitalization. The funds would exceed any bank loan, government hand-out, and potential profit from developing the ecosystem and allowing the coastal bear trophy hunt to continue.

The potential investment could build and sustain a viable tourism industry, develop the emerging sea shell aquaculture industry, create long-term conservation-based jobs, and launch a value-added, community-run forestry operation in areas other than this bear’s critical habitat. And then, off course, there is the ability to use the protected forest to offset carbon emissions – a multi-million dollar industry.

The Spirit Bear Youth Coalition feels that our track record is one of being positive, cooperative, engaged, and pragmatic; not one of being alarmists or dogmatic ideologues in addressing this issue.

The movie has the potential to generate more profit for the affected First Nation community than logging in an area that amounts to .003% of the entire coast’s operating area, but development is money now.

If government can help us work with the affected community to create a plan that allows us to put our money where our mouth is, we can create a new paradigm between ecology and economics that will meet everyone’s bottom line, most especially the bears.

On this anniversary of the historic April 4th land-use agreement, please take the time to make your voice heard and help us ensure that the next announcement is the one that truly does save the spirit bear for generation after generation.

FIVE WAYS TO SAVE THE SPIRIT BEAR:

1) Sign the petition to stop the coastal bear trophy hunt

2) SMS text “NOTROPHYHUNT” to 21-21-21

3) Email, fax, write and/or phone BC Premier Christy Clark and your elected representative

4) Consider a donation to the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition to aid our volunteer-run campaign

5) Forward this message to your friends and family and help us spread the word with an urgent call for action!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Case to Save the Spirit Bear

The Vancouver Sun article draws attention to the potential threat to the spirit bear if the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline is approved.