Best of the Best
Best of the Best
Young Critters
Young Critters
Wild Behaviour
Wild Behaviour
Unique Encounters
Unique Encounters
Magic Light
Magic Light
Unique Perspective
Unique Perspective
Joy and Whimsy
Joy and Whimsy
Frozen in Motion
Frozen in Motion
Animals in the Landscape
Animals in the Landscape
Family Time
Family Time
Winter Wildlife
Winter Wildlife
  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Nature Labs
  • Images and Stories
    • Stories from the Field
    • Featured Galleries
  • Make a Difference | Shop
  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Nature Labs
  • Images and Stories
    • Stories from the Field
    • Featured Galleries
  • Make a Difference | Shop
0
The Inspiration for Ghost Bear Institute
March 14, 2018 By  Ghost Bear With  0 Comment
In  Projects  /  Simon Jackson

For two decades, Simon ran the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition – a non-profit organization that underscored the power of one person to learn, to listen and to act.

Six million young people from every corner of the globe and from every walk of life chose to learn about the plight of an endangered bear – Canada’s white Kermode, also known as the spirit or ghost bear.

The lessons they learned dared them to listen to diverse, divergent perspectives ensuring that their collective voices did more than shine a light on a problem, but offered up solutions of their own.

Their solutions were imperfect, just like the movement, but when all was said and done, they helped create the conditions that saved the bear.

Ghost Bear in Great Bear Rainforest

Why?

It was a campaign that never sought to create enemies. By working to heal the wounds that divide, this movement was able to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to create a lasting solution that could make every Canadian proud.

With the spirit bear saved, the Youth Coalition was able to put itself out of business, for it completed its mission, but its legacy remains. When we learn, listen and act, anything is possible.

It’s this enduring belief that inspired us to spend nearly a decade immersed in the Canadian landscape, documenting the remarkable stories of the nation’s biodiversity.

Throughout our journey, we’ve travelled to small town Saskatchewan and big city Toronto and everywhere in-between to share our tales and listen to what Canadians think about the environment.

The takeaway?

Nature unites us all. By making the seemingly irrelevant relevant, it’s possible to showcase that nothing is black and white and, through better education, a more thoughtful and engaged citizenry is possible – one that intrinsically knows that nature matters.

It’s this journey that transformed a side-of-the-desk passion project into our life’s work and it’s this ideal that has helped inform the next chapter of our journey: the Ghost Bear Institute, a federally incorporated non-profit that, like the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, seeks to inspire, educate and spark a new generation to foster a better balance between people and nature.

HELP US BUILD A CANADA WHERE MILLIONS SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY IN THE CLASSROOM AND MILLIONS ACT WITH A FOUNDATION OF NATURE LITERACY.

Whether it’s $10 or $1000, every dollar counts.

Federally registered non-profit #1063793-9

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related




You might also like


A new home for our stories
November 29, 2020
A Voice for the Spirit Bears
May 1, 2019
2018 Annual Report
February 15, 2019



  • Simon & Jill


    It’s this enduring belief that inspired Jill Cooper – an accomplished educator – and Simon Jackson – an award-winning storyteller – to spend nearly a decade immersed in nature, documenting remarkable stories that showcase the fragility and the resilience of our biodiversity.
  • Follow us on Instagram!


  • Gifts with Meaning


    • Gift Certificate $100.00 – $500.00
    • Donate $25.00 – $1,000.00
    • Package of 10 Greeting Cards $50.00
    • Paws | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Reflective Clouds | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Bison at Sunset | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Moose Silhouette | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Stone Sheep Ram | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Lynx | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
    • Boop | Fine Art Print $75.00 – $500.00
  • Search






  • Facebook


    Facebook
  • Instagram


    “There are an awful lot of scientists today who believe that before very long we shall have unraveled all the secrets of the universe. There will be no puzzles anymore. To me, it’d be really, really tragic because I think one of the most exciting things is this feeling of mystery, feeling of awe, the feeling of looking at a little live thing and being amazed by it and how it has emerged through these hundreds of years of evolution and there it is and it is perfect and why.”⁠
    Wrestle-mania on now in a nature retreat near you.⁠
    ⁠
    We had a great blizzard of a morning with this bighorn ram. Bighorn sheep usually travel to south facing slopes during the winter months. The snow fall is lighter and allows them to more easily reach the forbs and minerals that make up their diet.⁠
    DYK - Up to 70% of the mountain caribou diet is lichen? They also can be found dining on sedges, grasses and leaves.⁠
    Happy #FoxyFriday! ⁠

  • Click here to support the development of Nature Labs by becoming a patron. It’s Nature Labs. Or, for you, our (hopefully) faithful Patreon subscribers, it’s a window into the stories we’ll tell and the adventure that is bringing Nature Labs to life. Sometimes serious and often ridiculous, we invite you to join us on a journey unlike any other…
  • Our Tweets


    My Tweets

[email protected] | © Ghost Bear Institute 2021