Let me set the scene:
It's September 2020, and a group of 6 intrepid travellers have undertaken a Grizzly Bear Photo Safari to the Chilcotin region in B.C. It’s a pandemic year (therefore the face masks) and that has not deterred us from enjoying our days on the river, looking for Grizzlies.
We have returned from another fruitful excursion and I have sat down with Josh, the head guide at our wilderness lodge to ask a few questions.
C.B. Thank you for sitting down with me, Josh. What started your career as a wilderness guide?
J.R. Well, I guess the reason I started guiding was that I found it to be a venue where I can make a real difference in an area. Here I have a better, a stronger voice and can help keep things pristine and natural.
As an outfitter we follow the rules and regulations of the CBA, the Canadian Bear Viewing Association in British Columbia. I am one of five guide instructors in BC and been training guides for the past 17 years to be certified in bear viewing. The courses and the training we do is considerable. Trainee guides will learn about the river and the wildlife. We practice for weeks upon weeks upon weeks before actually getting on to the river and to the bears. The new guides learn bear behaviours, they learn what to look for when the bear looks comfortable, and the warning signs when it feels uncomfortable or threatened, and how to approach casually without being intrusive.
Our philosophy in guiding is that we are part of nature, that we live with the land. We don’t consider ourselves as being at the apex of a pyramid, but we are part of the circle of life. We are a part of the river, part of nature. Even though we are observing it, we’re still part of it. We’re not a black spot shall we say, that is obtrusive and creates problems. That is what we really drill into our guides.
C.B. What is it about the Grizzly Bears, that fascinated you?
What fascinates me about the Grizzlies is their behaviour. I don’t want to say it is like human behaviour, but when you see the playfulness of the cubs, it’s like a small child playing, bouncing around, having fun, exploring things. And then you see the lovingness of the mother and how careful she is with her cubs. You watch the boars – just a magnificent animal, how proud they are, and how gracefully they move, looking at their eyes and at their expressions. It’s just a sheer pleasure to watch the bears in their own environment, doing what they do, living life, enjoying it. But you do have to step out of your comfort zone, to be willing to get out there, to be part of nature and to explore it.
Watching the bears come down to the river, taking the salmon, eating some of it and leaving the rest for the crows, the ravens, the Bald Eagles and the Osprey, you can see the every animals plays an important role and is a part of a larger system. Realizing that I am part of that too is just humbling!
My passion it to share this with our guests. When you see someone, who may have never been in the Canadian wilderness before, truly recognize the situation – whether it be the first time they see a grizzly bear, or the view from the top of the mountain, and realize the power behind it out here in this vast, pristine area – I like to call that the AHA moment. That is just something! It’s hard to put into words, but when you get it, then you’ll know what I mean.
Being in the wilderness allows you let that go of your troubles, to go inside and then really think within yourself, and to live within that moment and to even extend that moment.
C.B. Why did you choose the Chilcotin region?
J.R. It is hard to explain from a picture, it is hard to explain from someone’s words. You just have to see for yourself when you get out here, and you see the mountains, you smell the fresh air, you look down at the crystal-clear river. You see the fish swim in the water, you see deer on the banks, you see bears up on the hillsides eating berries or down in the river, catching fish. This is just a place that I fell in love with. It enters you and you’ll never let it go. I feel obligated to protect this place that is so pure, I just want to keep it pristine, because there are so few spots like it left in the world.
C.B. Don’t you want to guide elsewhere?
J.R. I have been here 17 years and people always ask – don’t you get bored? Obviously, the answer is NO. There’s just something special about this area. When you start looking at the natural beauty, at all the small things, all the details, you’ll notice that every day is different. And, as the saying goes “a person never dips their toe into the same river twice, because the person is changed, and the river has changed.”
The river always changes. Every day you can experience something special, every day you appreciate that you are able to be here. It is a privilege, not a right. And I want to share that with people in a way that doesn’t harm the environment we are in.
C.B. What can we do to protect and conserve of our Canadian wildlife?
J.R. I think the biggest thing is to understand that these are wild animals. They are not here to pose for an Instagram photo, they are not here for our entertainment. And so, when you visit wild areas and you visit the beautiful parks in BC and across Canada, realize that these animals are wild. They are protective of themselves and their offspring, and our presence has a huge impact on them when we interact with them or try to get the best photograph of them.
I think the biggest thing is to recognize that they are beautiful creatures that deserve our respect. They are not here for our enjoyment, so when you are out there in nature be careful what you’re doing. You have entered their environment. They do not want to be near us. They try to get away from humans. Take precautions, keep yourself at a distance, be respectful of what they are trying to do and how they are living. When we encroach on their space, that is when the trouble starts and, unfortunately it often ends badly for the animals.
Even breaking a branch or cutting a tree down for no real reason has a cascading effect, and we don’t always know what we’re doing. When you are walking and you kick over a rock, you’ve just disrupted the entire environment of the bugs that live beneath that rock. Leaving garbage out that animals can get wrapped around them or choked on or disrupt their whole digestive system, letting balloons fly into the sky that will land somewhere and potentially harm an animal that tries to eat it, because they don’t know it’s not food. If we can be conscious of our every action, that will help the environment.
C.B. Any last words?
J.R. I am passionate about protecting this area for future generations, to keep it wild and to keep it free. I believe that is a good goal for many areas in British Columbia, realizing that some things are not so important that we have to destroy the beauty of nature that you and I live in.
C.B. We are all so grateful to have you and your guiding colleagues at the vanguard of wildlife conservation in B.C. Thank you for sharing your world with us!
