The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada's Forgotten Coast [Hardcover]

Ian McAllister (Author), Karen McAllister (Author), I. McAllister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

Between Vancouver Island and Alaska, the mainland British Columbia coast winds through 250 miles of forested islands and inlets that remain a wild ecosystem with more than 230 bird species, more than 60 mammals, and thousands of insect and plant species. It is home to as many as 3,000 grizzly bears, one of the largest concentrations in North America, as well as the rare white spirit bear. But now, clearcut logging threatens this last remaining coastal rainforest.

Ian and Karen McAllister spent seven years photographing and mapping this forgotten coast in an effort to focus attention on its preservation. In The Great Bear Rain, rest, 150 remarkable color photographs, including some of the most extraordinary images of wild bears ever published, are matched with an informative and personal text by the McAllisters and environmentalist Cameron Young to present a complete picture of this unique place.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-Magnificent photographs and crisp prose make a powerful statement about the need to protect the largest tract of intact temperate rainforest on Earth. Until the authors embarked on their sailing odyssey from the northern border of the United States to the panhandle of Alaska, no one had undertaken an environmental inventory of the western Canadian coastline. This area is the home of the coastal grizzly bear and teems with wildlife and old-growth trees. The grizzly's dwindling numbers indicate the historic decline of natural wilderness throughout a sizable portion of the northwestern hemisphere. The authors make the case that only by protecting very large tracts of this coastline from logging and mining can the character of this environment be preserved. At first glance, this work might appear to be another coffee-table book, but its main purpose is to inform and motivate. The panoramic views, intimate shots of flora and fauna, chronicle of the social history of the area, and generous maps make this title beautiful as well as timely. It is unfortunate that the index merely lists references to locations noted in the text rather than to biological information, which would have made it more useful for research.
Cynthia J. Rieben, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

On Canada's west coast between the north end of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border, a wilderness region the size of two Switzerlands winds through 250 miles of forested islands and inlets. It is the largest tract of intact temperate rainforest left on earth. Now becoming known as the Great Bear Rainforest, this vast wilderness is laced with some eighty pristine river systems whose abundant runs of Pacific salmon support dense concentrations of rainforest wildlife, including Canada's largest grizzly bears and the rare all-white spirit bear. Only recently, the threat of devastation by clearcut logging has brought this last great stand of endangered rainforest to international notice.

The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada's Forgotten Coast, by Ian McAllister and Karen McAllister with Cameron Young, offers the world its first in-depth view of this remarkable but long overlooked area. Combining an authoritative but readable text with over 150 breathtaking full-colour photographs of wild bears and never-before-seen landscapes, the book takes the reader on an unforgettable tour of one of the world's most amazing wilderness areas. After exploring the northern BC raincoast on these pages, no one will remain indifferent to the fate of this irreplaceable natural wonder.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578050111
• ISBN-13: 978-1578050116
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,601,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Ecosystems > Tropical

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Journey AND A Desperate Plea, December 26, 2000

By 

Dr Lawrence Hauser (NYC, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada's Forgotten Coast (Hardcover)

This book is written as a journal of a sailing voyage. Although the authors had previously visited the remarkable areas they photograph and describe six times before, the seventh visit is chronicled in these pages. Thus there is a great depth of knowledge and experience inherent to this work which transforms a simple if elegant journal into a powerful, somewhat doleful, environmental monograph.

This is a beautifully done book with many fascinating photographs of rainforest topography and the diverse life forms which abide therein. The accompanying text is well-written and consistently informative and interesting. But the overarching theme here is that pristine environments which are critical to the survival of untold species of flora and fauna are in jeopardy. Grave jeopardy. Moreover, the McAllisters take great pains to point out that the small islands of preserved and protected ecosystem created in compromise between commercial interests and environmentalists are insufficent to protect wildlife (bears, for example) that depend upon an interlinked vastness of unspoiled terrain in which to flourish.

So this book is as much an alarm and a plea for action as it is a wondrous presentation of its picturesque subject matter. As such, it is urgent reading for those of us concerned about the ravages unleashed when a society values short-term economic advantage (as when untouched river valleys are clear-cut by logging companies) over the work nature takes eons to complete.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must of bear lovers, intersting facts, great photos, May 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada's Forgotten Coast (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for both nature and bear lovers alike. It is packed with beautiful color photos. Many interesting facts about the wildlife & plants of the area are detailed in the captions.

The landscape photos feature vibrant wildflowers, ancient forests, & mountains. There are also many remarkable pictures of several bear types. I loved the close-up shot of a bear eating a fish & another of a sprit bear on a log.

Stunning photos of some other animals include a puffin close-up, a bald eagle mother with baby, & an elephant seal gathering. If you can tear yourself away from the pictures, the text is equally impressive.

The authors tell of their experiences while exploring the rainforest. They also discusses the environmental concerns of the area. Journal entries from the trip are scatted throughout the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. An amazing book about an amazing place., July 18, 2005

By 

Alexiel (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada's Forgotten Coast (Hardcover)

For years, I had always heard snippets here and there about the Great Bear Rainforest of Northwestern British Columbia, supposedly even more beautiful, wild, untamed, and much larger than other gorgeous temperate rainforest locales like Olympic National Park in Washington. But I didn't really know much about it. Where exactly was it? What does it look like? Is any of it protected in province or federal park land? And many more questions.

Then, years later, I stumbled upon this book. WOW. That about sums it up. This is an amazing book about a place of transcendent, almost ethereal beauty. This book is an enchanting mix of imminently readable and interesting text and absolutely stunning photographs. It almost makes you feel like you are there, immersed in this incredible rain drenched emerald cathedral of trees.

The Great Bear Rainforest is located on the British Columbia coast. It starts a few miles north of Lund and extends all the way north in Canada to the BC's northernmost limit, around Port Rupert, and extends only a few miles inland. It is home to the largest remaining contiguous temperate rain forest anywhere in the world. You probably already know this, but a temperate rain forest is much different than a tropical rain forest because of climate. Temperate rain forests are cool and moist, whereas tropical ones are hot and moist. Anyway, enough of the obvious.

What I really like about this book is that it isn't a condescending piece of fluff, and it gave me *exactly* what I wanted from it. Even though it's no easily readable, it is no fluff piece that waxes prettily poetic but doesn't really tell you anything. It takes you on an incredibly detailed tour of nearly every major rain forest valley in the Great Bear Rainforest. And it doesn't just name-drop valleys that have no meaning to you, it provides you with maps that show exactly where it is that they are talking about. I think this is the greatest feature of the book, I've read too many books about geographical places that tell you the names of certain interesting areas, but you don't quite know where they are. Not so with this book.

Not only that, the book covers a wide range of topics concerning The Great Bear Rainforest. Ecology, economic pressures, animal and plant life, geography, even a lot of interesting history and contemporary issues concerning the First Nation (who we in the U.S. refer to as Native American) tribes who traditionally lived (and still live) in and around the Great Bear Rainforest. I found the parts about the Haida tribe to be particularly edifying. All of these facts and themes are woven into the narrative of the authors' journey through the Great Bear Rainforest (which spans many years) incredibly seamlessly - you might think it's difficult to talk about the flora and fauna of the area while giving a history lesson on the Tlinglit people, but like I said, this point interweaves all points flawlessly. It also does social justice by presenting an unflinching look at the environmental horrors that await the Great Bear Rainforest through resource extraction and recreation at the hands of an apathetic public if current trends remain unchecked.

And then there are the photos. Gorgeous. Vast stands of huge, majestic trees, so much green it's almost blinding; a spirit bear chowing down on salmon in an unbelievable action shot; stunning shots of a coastline where fjord and mountain come together; and of course, the grand British Columbia ocean itself.

This book is a real gem. It's crime more people haven't had a chance to go through it. Read it. Take your time, don't just skim through it and goggle over the pictures. Trust me, the time will be worth it, you'll be glad you did. A must-have for anyone who considers themselves an environmentalist, a nature lover, and especially for people who have stood in awe in a temperate rain forest and said "I need to know more."