The Geat Bear Foundation is putting together a documentary about the life and work of their founder, Dr. Charles Jonkel. Chuck Jonkel is a major figure in bear research and has been associated with the North Fork for over 30 years. Here’s the GBF announcement, which includes a link to the film preview on YouTube . . .

As many of you know, the Great Bear Foundation and Salish Kootenai College Media/KSKC Public TV have been hard at work on a film project documenting the life and work of GBF President and pioneer of bear biology, Chuck Jonkel.

Walking Bear Comes Home combines archival film footage of Jonkel’s historic polar bear research in the Canadian Arctic with interviews with Jonkel, his colleagues, friends, and family, to tell the story of one of the most interesting characters in wildlife conservation, and the co-founder and President of GBF.

Chuck Jonkel’s legacy in wildlife biology and conservation is varied and far-reaching. Just to list a few of his many accomplishments, Jonkel developed the first capture-and-handling procedures for polar bears and black bears, developed the first database on Canada’s polar bears and their habitat requirements, co-drafted and signed the International Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears, directed the Border Grizzly Project, the most comprehensive field study on the habitat requirements of the grizzly bear in the Lower 48 States, co-founded the Great Bear Foundation and the International Wildlife Film Festival, along with many, many more achievements that have helped to protect wildlife and habitat in North America and beyond.  Jonkel’s big heart, generous nature, and unique character may have made as big an impact as his research and advocacy work.

We’d like to thank all of you who have helped out with this project, whether you contributed money, photographs, film footage, stories, interviews, advice, or moral support.  We’ve been overwhelmed by your generosity and support!  We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of this project.

We screened a preview of this film-in-progress for the first time publicly on February 2, 2013 at the FLIC Cinemafest in Polson, Montana.

You can watch the latest preview here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeYPSEuQbss

For more information, or to donate to the project, please visit our website: http://greatbear.org/projects/#docfilm

This project is sponsored by the Great Bear Foundation, Salish Kootenai College Media, The Cinnabar Foundation, Humanities Montana, and numerous private donations.