Everything I've learned about encountering bears in the wild, particularly a mother and her cubs, is unlearned here. Well, to some degree, because I wouldn't willingly reside within 30 metres, nor would I purposely track a grizzly. But now, I have a deeper, clearer understanding of these animals, thanks to Seiler and the protected Kitimat Valley, an environmental classroom providing a crash course in grizzly behaviour and habitat sustainability.

The grizzlies saunter from one food source to another. They seek a varied diet of huckleberries, elderberries, sedge and roots in no particular pattern, meandering from one watershed to another. They revisit favourite feeding grounds in these rainforest valleys, an integral habitat to the grizzly's future.

Seiler, an outdoor enthusiast since youth, wears numerous hats; conservationist, wildlife photographer and eco-tour guide. His company Silvertip Eco Tours has been escorting clients to view bears since 1990, taking no more than four people per outing. "The risk of damage to the area is proportionately high and it's too hard on the environment to bring in larger groups," says Seiler. He is firm on this. Seiler even requests that I not be specific when disclosing bear viewing areas - excess impact jeopardizes the bears' daily routine, the vegetation and ultimately the forest floor.

"Education is the key," he says. "If there is a legal harvest going on, I tolerate it, but I don't necessarily deem it right. We have to find a happy medium and educate the hunters so that people fully understand what they harvest and what it means to the ecosystem as a whole." When the grizzly population is

healthy, so too is the ecosystem. It's imperative to sustain its biodiversity.

In 1994 the government implemented a limited entry hunting system. They allocate five to six bears to be harvested out of an area. "But in reality," says Seiler, "and luckily, it's maybe only two bears." Problems arise when bears become habituated with people, associating us with our garbage or food and daring to trespass where they shouldn't. As a result, these bears usually become aggressive and meet a premature demise. Longevity for a grizzly in the wild is up to thirty years - very few live longer. In the Kitimat Valley, human encounters are infrequent, thereby heightening a grizzly's fear of us. However, if we are careful not to spook or pose a threat to them, they will permit us to observe.

Approximately 25,000 grizzlies reside in Canada, and nearly 200 live in the Kitimat Valley, excluding the Skeena system. The largest grizzlies live on the west coast of British Columbia and Alaska, where adult males may weigh more than 400 kilograms and adult females more than 300 kilograms.

A true wilderness experience among grizzlies is one to be respected, not feared. Society's misunderstanding, misdirected fear and uneducated viewpoint of a grizzly's necessities will further fuel a precarious population and vulnerable habitat. Seller's ultimate concern should easily top the conservation agenda: "We have to save the generations of these animals for our kids, and we have to save generations of them for the preservation of the area." Yes indeed. Gentle Ben would be proud.