Making powerful connections

Vital Ground is the organization founded by Doug and Lynne Seus and Bart the Bear to preserve wild land for the grizzly, which in turn preserves the land for all living things.

Operating as a land trust, the mission of The Vital Ground Foundation is to protect and restore North America's grizzly bear populations by conserving wildlife habitat. While preserving the areas where grizzlies roam is the focus of Vital Ground, the positive impact of our work goes well beyond saving a single species. Because the grizzly's range covers several hundred square miles−from alpine meadows to valley bottoms−protecting grizzly habitat benefits entire plant and animal communities in the wildest, most scenic places left on the continent. -Vital Ground

For more information check out their website and/or the video below.

You can support Vital Ground through Donations and promoting awareness. Remember talking about "Growing up Grizzly"? You can buy that book through the Vital Ground website to support their foundation. Also, one of the authors of that book, Douglas H. Chadwick, can be seen in the above video.

Obsessing on Grizzlies

Photo: Doug Seus and Bart the Bear (from Vital Ground)

After watching Growing Up Grizzly I and II on Animal Planet years ago (and sobbing from start to finish of both episodes)... I've had a growing fondness of grizzly bears and also of Doug and Lynne Seus. To say that Doug and Lynne raise and train grizzlies just doesn't paint the most accurate picture of this amazing couple and their family. I don't think I can explain the intense relationship, commitment, and pure love they have for their animals. They do train bears and other animals for film. They do it in a consistent, patient, positive, and genuine manner that is remarkable. I find them to be incredibly inspiring. Not only because of their devotion to their animals and their cause (we'll talk about that tomorrow), but because of the intense focus and presence they have when working with their animals. It is a focus and a presence that I'm ashamed to say I don't always have with Fischer. They talk about the fact that when they are with a grizzly bear, they have to be completely there and not have their mind on anything else. They spend hours playing with and teaching the bears everyday. They are truly building a significant relationship.
They are the "parents" of Bart the bear - remember him from Legends of the Fall, The Bear, The great Outdoors, etc? Bart Passed away about 5 years ago from Cancer. They have three other bears that they are raising and whom have been in the movies and on TV also (Bart 2, Honey Bump, and Tank). Here is a little clip:

I found Growing Up Grizzly 1 on EBay (on VHS), and I'm going to pick up the second. There is just something about Doug and the bears that I cannot get enough of! I'd give anything to go to their home and observe him with his grizzlies. I'd expect it to be the kind of awesome experience that inspires you to move mountains.

Book of the Day

I have been dying to tell you about Growing Up Grizzly: The True Story of Baylee and Her Cubs by Amy Shapira and Douglas H. Chadwick. I am absolutely in love with this book. I had to wait till our swap partners received it before I could talk about it.

The photographs are fabulous and the story is true. The authors witnessed this story unfold and we are so lucky to get to experience it in a book! It is about goofy looking 2 year-old bear named Emmett who wanders into an area of land inhabited by other grizzly bears. He notices a mother bear and her three cubs and is immediately drawn to them. The mother does a good job of keeping him away from her cubs, until one day, he sneaks over to them while she is fishing. When she returns she sees this big old bear sitting with her tiny cubs and seems to realize that he needs her. He becomes one of her cubs. She feeds him and teaches him and keeps him close to her as if she has 4 cubs now. They hibernate together and ... well, they seem to be one big happy family. Then when her little cubs are 2 and it is time for them to be on their own... well, Emmett is ready too! It is as if he was kicked out of the den at two but just really needed two more years to be ready... I am tearing up just thinking about it! You can think of it as a bear adoption story or a bear with special needs or a beautiful mommy story or whatever you want... I just thought it was touching and the photographs are fabulous. Did I mention it was true??? So sweet.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

I've been wanting to talk about a few things since our swap package arrived in the UK last week. I'll be doing a series of posts this week about bears. Grizzly bears have been on my mind for awhile and I have a few good things to tell you about.

Today, I'd just like to say again..."Thank you" to Life with Nature Girl for hosting this swap and "Thank you" to Craft Matters for being such good swap partners. Out of all the books in the world to choose from... we both chose to theme our packages around BEARS!! So funny.

Anyway, you already know about the fabulous book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" that we received... but I wanted to let you know about Michael Rosen (the author) reciting the story on You Tube. T and D's mum told us about it... it is great!! Fischer is in love with the book now and really enjoyed ALL of the You Tube videos on it... I really liked Michael's.