Field Notes: January 19 Location: Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Encounter Summary: It’s rare to find something in these woods that wants to be found. Usually, the wildlife here is elusive, hiding in the mist. But today, my field partner, Elias, showed me that the forest has a playful side. We stopped by an old, moss-covered log where a cluster of Gemmula tactilis, or "Tickle-Buds," were resting. These specimens look like perfectly sculpted, pink magnolia buds, tig

Is this the rarest bear in the world? It’s not a polar bear. It’s not an albino. This is a spirit bear — a white-furred black bear, born this way because of a rare genetic trait, not albinism. They exist in only one place on Earth. Deep in the ancient coastal rainforests of the Great Bear Rainforest. Recent estimates suggest fewer than 100 spirit bears may remain in the wild. For Indigenous Nations, they are sacred. For the rest of us, they’re a reminder of how fragile and extraordinary this wor

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