The Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust
The Great Bear Rainforest educational website is a resource for teachers, students and the general public. We are pleased to offer a rich gallery of photographs, a wealth of curated teacher’s guides and videos, and Activity Plans designed for use with students in grades 7 to 12.
This website honours the commitment of the Province of British Columbia to promote education and awareness about the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world—one of the richest areas of biodiversity on the planet—and home to the Spirit Bear, found nowhere else on Earth.
The site is designed to:
- Employ an exploratory approach, based on an inquiry model of learning
- Engage learners through a variety of learning objects, including video, images, text, and interactive media
- Allow opportunity for a personalized learning experience
The teacher support materials:
- Make direct connections to BC’s New Curriculum
- Provide flexibility for use in diverse learning environments
- Make explicit connections to First Peoples Principles of Learning
On Monday, September 26, 2016, the Office of the Premier of British Columbia Announced the Great Bear Rainforest legacy: a $1-million trust established to commemorate the visit of Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and to celebrate the endorsement of the Great Bear Rainforest under the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative.
The Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust is registered as a charitable organization effective January 1, 2018.
The goal of the new Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust is to foster a deeper public recognition and appreciation of the unique nature of the Great Bear Rainforest and how the Government of BC, First Nations, industry and environmental organizations developed a world-class and innovative approach to managing both the natural environment and human activities.
Trust funds will be used to support various activities, including:
- Developing learning resources centered on the Great Bear Rainforest that are aligned to BC’s new K-12 education curriculum.
- Raising public awareness of the Great Bear Rainforest and the people who have lived on BC’s Central and North Coast for more than 12,000 years.
- Resource management practices and supporting ongoing research.
- Investing in and supporting broader resource management-based education, awareness and understanding in the Great Bear Rainforest area.
Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust Advisory Board
An advisory board—with representatives from various sectors including government, and First Nations—will oversee fund disbursements.
- Jordan Benner, Regional Forestry Advisor, Nanwakolas Council, Campbell River
- Amber Mattock, Director, Legislation and Destination BC Governance, Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training
- Katherine McIntosh, Superintendent of Schools, Coast Mountain Board of Education (SD 82)
- Nick Poeschek, Director, Curriculum and Classroom Assessment
- Eric van Soeren (Chair, Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust Fund)
- Charles Short – Executive Director, Regional Operations, Coast, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development