Since time immemorial, the Sk_wx_wú7mesh Úxumixw (Squamish) and Li’lwat7úl (Lil’wat) people have revered and coexisted with the grizzly bear on their shared and unceded ancestral lands, that we settlers call Whistler, Squamish, and Pemberton.
Indigenous knowledge documents that where grizzlies roam, they indicate health for the land and their people. Our Western knowledge system—science—understands this as well. Grizzlies are keystone species in the ecosystems they roam. They play an integral part in seeding mountainside berry patches, cultivating alpine glacier lily fields, and carrying nitrogen-rich salmon as fertilizer into the magnificent forests of the West Coast.
Following centuries of persecution and habitat loss by European settlers, the grizzly bear was extirpated from much of its historic North American range. Now that the Yellowstone grizzly population is on the road to recovery, Southwest B.C. is considered North America’s most threatened grizzly bear corridor.
Grizzly bears are one of the slowest-reproducing land mammals in North America. The recent decision to end the hunt across B.C. has not caused the increase in recent sightings here in Whistler. The great bear’s return is a testament to decades of conservation efforts along the Sea to Sky by the B.C. government, First Nations and conservation organizations, including Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative. The next big step in grizzly recovery is our challenge of learning to live with these magnificent creatures.
At the Grizzly Bear Foundation, we work with communities across B.C., Alberta and the Yukon on conservation and coexistence, and we recognize that Whistler is prepared more than most communities to coexist with grizzlies. Whistler was one of the first communities in B.C. to achieve the Bear Smart Community designation, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has an active Bear Advisory Committee, and the Association for Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) is doing exceptional education and community engagement work. In 2019, the Grizzly Bear Foundation, in partnership with Coast to Cascades, funded a review of the Mount Sproatt and Rainbow Mountain trail network expansion, leading the RMOW to consider grizzly bear habitat use in its plans.
The grizzly bear is back, and Whistler is on track to be a model of coexistence for communities across North America. There are great examples of people living with grizzlies, both modern and traditional. Reach out to the groups mentioned above or visit our website for more information.
Enjoying the benefits of nature comes with the responsibility to take care of her and learn to coexist with all her wild creatures. Our ecosystems flourish when the great bear roams the mountains and valley bottoms we share. The return of the grizzly to Whistler is a hopeful story of healing our relationship with nature.
The Grizzly Bear Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to the welfare of the grizzly bear across North America. Guided by science and Indigenous knowledge, we work collaboratively to support the conservation of grizzly bears through research, public education, and advocacy. To learn more about people sharing a common home with grizzlies and witness unique stories of communities coexisting with grizzly bears, follow our Living With Grizzlies short film series at grizzlybearfoundation.com.
