For those of you who can’t go on one of Chuck Jonkel’s polar bear viewing trips to Churchill, Manitoba, here’s an alternative . . .
Here’s a chance to learn about an animal few people get to see in the wild.
Frank Tyro’s seen hundreds of them there.
Tyro, a professor and director of the Salish Kootenai College Media Center, will present a program on polar bears Friday, Feb. 7, on the SKC campus.
The talk takes place at noon at the Johnny Arlee/Victor Charlo Theatre.
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.
As many of you know, July 31st was Chuck Jonkel Night …er, uh… the NFPA Annual Meeting at Sondreson Hall. We had a great pot luck dinner and, following the business meeting and elections and such, hosted an excellent talk by Charles Jonkel, one the world’s preeminent bear researchers (more about him here).
Chuck, as usual, drew a big crowd. We also presented him with a surprise birthday cake to celebrate his recent 80th birthday . . .
Chuck is on the right; John Frederick, NFPA President, is on the left. It was excellent cake!
Dr. Charles Jonkel, President and co-founder of the Great Bear Foundation was named the 2005 Conservationist of the year. The award honored his work in establishing the International Wildlife Film Festival in 1977, 30 plus years pioneering ways to improve the quality of wildlife television and, not least, for his 45 (now 50 years) of conducting bear research around the world. Also recognized were Jonkel’s roles in developing the methodology of bear research, establishing the first concepts of modern bear management and his election as President of the International Bear Biology Association.
Jonkel’s bear research efforts started in 1959 with the commercial availability of the dart gun. He has been around for an exceptionally long time and has much yet to accomplish.
Dr. Jonkel will be speaking at the annual meeting of the North Fork Preservation Association at 7:30 pm at the Sondreson Community Hall at Whale Creek, preceded by a potluck at 5pm and business meeting at 6:30 pm.
Chuck’s birthday is July 16. Join NFPA at the annual meeting and celebrate his 80th birthday.