The viewing platform used by Grizzly Bear Lodge on the Glendale River has the natural river on one side and end and the holding pool to the salmon spawning channel on the other side. This photo shows the river in the background and the entrance to the holding pool. This is also the easiest access for the grizzlies as they walk up river. In this case the juvenile grizzly on the log had just moved quickly from the gravel bar to the log and then into the bush. A few minutes later after the larger adult male had moved into the pool it came back out to see if it was safe to come and fish. It was and it did.
Sea Otter Sightings
The last 3 years we have been starting to view sea otters in our area more regularly. They are still often a distance away, but the sightings are increasing with some “rafts” of them developing in areas near the western portion of our whale watching trips. These animals were hunted heavily for their fur and were completely wiped out of British Columbia waters. Re-introduction occurred from Alaskan otters in the 1960’s. They have long been protected and their numbers have been steadily increasing along the exposed BC coast and are now moving back into inside waters. They are unique in that they don’t have the insulating blubber that other marine mammals use to keep warm. As a result they have dense (over 1 million hairs per square inch) fur and feed heavily. They are important in balancing the eco-system. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which eat a lot of kelp. Kelp is extremely important as it provides cover for juvenile fish and is where the herring spawn in the early spring. With the increase in these otters we are seeing a greater abundance and healthier kelp forests.
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