Today, guests on board National Geographic Venture awoke in the pristine waters of the Great Bear Rainforest. We learned about this rich and diverse island from an expert on these lands: Marven Robinson. Marven and his son Nelson are true locals from a First Nations People. They offered us a unique experience on a platform that Marven built with his own two hands. This platform was designed to view the incredibly rare white color morph black bear – the Spirit Bear! To reach the platform, we went on a half-mile hike through a dense alder forest along an old logging road. Although we did not see a Spirit Bear today, we did spend the day with Marven and Nelson, who shared a wealth of knowledge about their culture and how all people are connected to the beautiful salmon stream to which we hiked today.
9/24/2023
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National Geographic Venture
Union Passage
This is Erin and Alison (Grosvenor Teacher Fellows) taking over the daily expedition report one last time before we head home. Today on National Geographic Venture , we cruised an inlet along the coastal shores of British Columbia. The morning was spent on Zodiacs. We explored the islands and took a nice, casual walk along the coastal beach. With informative talks by our naturalist throughout our journey, we were excited to implement our new learning in this ecosystem. On Zodiacs, we stopped by one coast and spotted a nurse tree with a Sitka spruce growing from it. A kingfisher perched on top of the spruce and then flew past us with its unique musical call. A harbor seal popped over to say hi as well. As we hiked the shoreline, we found ourselves stepping over fallen driftwood. Taking a closer look, we discovered turkey tail fungus and slime mold growing on the fallen trees. Barnacles and remnants of bull kelp were scattered along the shore. Continuing to walk along the beach, we observed interesting rock formations. We are enthusiastic about science and nature. During our time aboard National Geographic Venture , we found ourselves more informed, more engaged, and more passionate about this beautiful ecosystem. We loved the discoveries we made while immersed in this space, and we incorporated the information provided by naturalists who shared their passion and work with us. We know that visiting this land is a special gift, and we look forward to sharing our newfound knowledge, experience, and connections with our school communities. Text and photographs by Grosvenor Teacher Fellows, Alison Katzko and Erin Schmidt
