Figure 4—Polar bear swimming in Arctic Ocean, Canada. Photo © by Matthias Breiter.
North American First Nation oral traditions to the Grimm Brothers and J.R.R. Tolkien. Star constellations are named after the animal. The threads of
history interweave into the fabric onto which we embroider the patterns of culture. Societies unravel as individual links with the past are severed. Ignoring
our own traditions destabilizes the foundation on which we build the present. Without the bear we lose more than simply a magnificent animal, we irreversibly and irretrievably lose a part of who we are. “Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization” (Leopold 1966, p. 264). In general, our society is orphaned from nature. Yet, our most creative minds draw inspiration from the natural environment. Cultural diversity is humankind’s greatest treasure and asset. Plurality is the spice of life, fostering inspiration and encouraging us to reevaluate old paths and explore new ones. To what degree do we stifle ourselves and our development as people by allowing wilderness to be paved over, tilled into pastures, and
Figure 5—Brown bear fishing for salmon, grizzly, Ursus arctos horribilis, Alaska. Photo © by Matthias Breiter.
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International Journal of Wilderness
DECEMBER 2010 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 3