The Khutzeymateen Valley Canada’s Only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary
Alive, the grizzly is a symbol of freedom and understanding, a sign that man can learn to conserve what is left of the earth.
The Khutzeymateen Valley, Canada's only grizzly bear sanctuary located north of Prince Rupert is home to more than 50 grizzlies. We were part of the fight to help save the Khutzeymateen Valley from the very beginning, donating our boat for the good of the valley and ultimately the bears. We have now been authorized by BC Parks to run grizzly bear tours here. In 2002 we were granted a ten-year operating permit. In addition to this park permit we are the first operation to be given an extensive tenure for operating on the BC Coast from the Khutzeymateen southward into the Great Bear Rainforest. We have also signed working protocol agreements with the First Nations people on the coast. Tom is the pioneer grizzly bear guide on the BC Coast with more experience in the Khutzeymateen than anyone else. In the early years Tom worked closely and in collaboration with bear biologist Wayne McCrory and bear naturalist Charlie Russell. He is the initiator of Grizzly and Spirit Bear viewing programs on the coast. Tom has run more bear viewing trips and has taken and educated more people than anyone. Each May, for the past 15 years, the Ocean Light II has headed north to view bears in their natural setting. Much of the viewing is done from the shore as well as from the inflatable and the sailboat. There are numerous opportunities to explore the home of the grizzly bear, from the dense rainforest to the lush sedge meadows and skunk cabbage bogs. We look closely at the bear wallows, the bear mark trails and the bears' day beds. Viewing the individual bears in their everyday world is a fantastic experience. It is a photographer's dream come true.
We use the Ocean Light II as a floating base, eating all our meals, sleeping and relaxing on board. Healthy, hearty food is served including seafood, fresh salads, fruit, home-made soups and fresh baked breads and goodies.
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Only eternal vigilance, valley after valley, generation after generation, will save the Grizzly and all that the Grizzly represents.
We offer four-day tours of the Valley, which supports a robust ancient trilogy of grizzly bears, spawning salmon and mammoth Sitka Spruce trees. We explore the fiord on the Ocean Light II and at high tide we utilize the inflatable to reach the heart of the river valley and its estuary. In four days you get a real picture of the complex ecosystem in which the grizzly thrives. The area also attracts wolves, migrating geese, ducks, seals, beavers, and otters as well as orcas and humpback whales. The watershed boasts over 100 species of birds. Uninhabited by humans, there are no roads, villages or camp sites, making this valley pure wilderness and the perfect habitat for the grizzly bear.