Outside Voices at the ADK-GVC Chapter Meeting
The Adirondack Mountain Club-Genesee Valley Chapter's free and open to the public meeting at the RMSC Eisenhart Auditorium includes:
6:30pm Workshop: Outdoorsy Book Talks
Our members will give quick talks on some of their favorite books! It is a great way to learn about outdoor themed writings reading suggestions!
7:30 Presentation: White Bears by Jerry Miller
In North America, there are two distinctly different populations of white bears.
The far northern regions of Canada and the US, are home to the Polar Bear. Polar bears are the largest bear species in the world. Male polar bears stand 10 ft tall and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds or more, and some have weighed over 2,200 pounds. Polar bears are considered marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on sea ice and depend on the ocean for food, primarily seals. They are amazing swimmers. The longest recorded polar bear swim was 426 miles by a female polar bear in the Beaufort Sea in just over nine days. The bear undertook this epic journey due to shrinking sea ice, losing 22% of her body fat during the swim. In late October and early November, polar bears in western Hudson Bay tend to congregate around the town of Churchill, Manitoba waiting for the ice to form. Having spent nearly 5 months on land with little to eat, they are anxious to get back out on the ice to hunt and feed.
On the west coast of British Columbia, in the region known as the Great Bear Rainforest, lives a rare sub-species of the American Black bear, the Spirit Bear. Spirit bears ( Kermode bears) are white furred black bears. They are not albinos. Their white coat is caused by a recessive gene that must be present in both parents. Recent studies suggest that the recessive gene is more rare than first thought. Spirit Bears only live in the Great Bear Rainforest. Population estimates range from 100- 400 bears within the 15 million acres of the forest. Spirit bears are sacred to the First Nation Peoples who live in this region. Spirit bear mythology is rooted in the legends of Indigenous peoples, particularly the Gitga’at and Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations, who consider the bear sacred and a creature with supernatural powers. A central belief is that the Creator, or Raven, made every tenth black bear white as a reminder of the last Ice Age, a time of hardship and white ice and snow. These legends describe the spirit bear as a guide and protector, capable of leading people to magical places or helping lost children.
In November of 2024, Wildlife Photographer, Jerry Miller had the opportunity to spend a week photographing polar bears along the shores of western Hudson Bay. In September of 2025, He had the good fortune to spend two weeks in the Great Bear Rainforest, primarily to search for and photograph Spirit Bears.
Jerry will be speaking about his travels to photograph both these amazing creatures, showing photos of the bears and their environment and some of the challenges they face.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3392798-0
