October 2011

Matthias Breiter, biologist, author and award-winner photographer par excellence, opens a mesmerizing window on the awesome beauty of a natural treasure that is the INSIDE PASSAGE which encompasses 40,000 miles of shoreline from north to south. This protected sea route is a jewel among the natural treasures of the world due to its scenic grandeur and the profusion of life along its shores. As well, it is one of the last frontiers of ecological beauty still left intact by man.

His dreamy and misty landscapes are suffused with a dazzling light. Dreamscapes and sunsets low on the horizon on the snowy mountains, the hills on the water shimmer.

Of course, this last frontier is still inhabited by wondrous sea life such as the humpback whales, orcas and dolphins, and shore animals and birds, bears, wolves, ducks and hummingbirds. Still birds and birds caught in flight, or eating their “lunch.” On page 199, he has taken an amazing picture of a rufous hummingbird resting during a rain storm on a flower stalk of cow parsnip. This is quite a feat as hummingbirds very seldom stay still in one place. He must have a very sophisticated shutter. Lugging such photographic equipment in the wilderness must have been a feat in itself!

From cover to cover there are many photo scenes filled with a great deal of depth and detail that caught my fancy including the Humback whale breaching near Juneau, Harris River, Prince of Wales Island, Tongass National Forest, Anan Creek in Flood where we see high river levels reduce the fishing success of bears, Misty Fjords National Monument that is also called “The Yosemite of the North, Peregrine falcons that are considered the fastest bird on earth and they can reach 200 miles per hour in a hunting dive, bald eagles swooping down to a spawned-out chum salmon along the Chikat River near Haines Alaska and the list goes on and on,  far too many more to mention.

This intimate portrait of one of the most scenic and biological diverse regions on earth is divided into seven sections:

1. Route to the North – Inside Passage
2. In the shadow of Volcanoes
3. In the grip of Tides
4. The Great Bear Rainforest
5. The Heart of the Tongass
6. Between Two Capitals and
7. The Journey’s End.

As well, Matthias Breiter gives us a historical synopsis on who were the inhabitants of these faraway temperate rainforests.

To produce this gem of a coffee table book, he had to take long stretches of time away from his family. He sure was forgiven for his absenteeism when they saw the results of his wanderings.

Matthias Breiter is to be commended on this colorful reminder that we still have ecological treasures North of Canada.

As he so aptly put it, The Inside Passage is more the sum of its features. Above all, it is a gift to all mankind. Let us hope that it will stay this way forever.

Polar Bears:

• With the exception of pregnant females, polar bears do not hibernate in the winter, but roam across the sea ice in search of food.
• Polar bears go into a state of ‘walking hibernation’ during the summer months – they do not enter a den but their metabolic rate is reduced.
• They can switch readily between their active state and walking hibernation based on the availability of food- an ability that is exclusive to the polar bear.

Black Bears and Grizzlies:

• Contrary to popular belief, it is not the cold temperatures that drive black bears and grizzlies into hibernation, it’s the lack of food. Bears in the zoo will not go into hibernation during the winter if they continue to be fed.
• Bear gall bladders are used in traditional Oriental medicine to treat jaundice, abdominal pain and distention, often caused by gallstones. Research has revealed that bear bile contains a substance called ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which will dissolve certain kinds of gallstones without causing substantial side effects. Today UDCA is produced synthetically for use in hospitals and as a prescription drug.

A bedridden person will suffer from muscular atrophy within a short time – weightlessness in space causes the bones of astronauts to weaken – even other mammals show a continuous loss of body protein when fasting – how do bears manage to stay curled up in their dens for months, and yet experience little loss of muscle mass or bone strength?

“…How bears maintain bone density is unknown. It is hormonally related, but how the biochemical processes work has yet to be discovered. Maintenance of muscle mass is accomplished through an almost complete recycling of metabolic waste products into proteins. This also prevents metabolic waste from accumulating and reaching toxic concentrations. we need to drink and urinate to flush nitrogen compounds out of our system. Otherwise, altered pH levels in the cells would cause our metabolism to collapse. The kidneys are in charge of detoxifying the body, and people with kidney disease or kidney failure depend on frequent dialysis to stay alive. If we could understand how bears recycle their metabolic wastes, the lives of many could be improved.

Their physiological feats have made bears popular research subjects for human medicine. The results of this research my provide new medications and treatment for diseases such as osteoporosis and kidney failure. The discovery of the hibernation induction trigger (HIT) may prove to be a milestone in organ transplants. Tissue deterioration results in as many as 20 percent of donor organs to be discarded. However, if the donor organs are perfused with HIT, tissue deterioration is slowed down threefold. There are other possible applications for HIT as well. A monkey injected with HIT fell asleep for six hours, it’s heart rate and body temperature dropped, and its appetite was depressed for almost a week. This suggests that probably all mammals, including humans, are responsive to HIT. If so, the hormone might prove useful in treating various conditions such as obesity and insomnia.”

Bears: A Year in the Life Chapter 10 – The Long Sleep

Matthias is going on tour! This year we have planned a 3 week Christmas tour starting the last week of November. The tour will begin in the north – Fairbanks, Alaska – and work its way south along the west coast all the way to Port Townsend, Washington.

Matthias will be promoting his newest book, Inside Passage, which won gold at this year’s Independent Book Publisher Awards, along with some of his other popular titles – including: Wild Alaska, Bears of Katmai, and [Bears] A Year in the Life.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Matthias Breiter in person and purchase an unforgettable Christmas gift for a loved one!

The following is a tentative itinerary of the tour…if you think your town should be on the list, email us and we’ll do our best to make it happen!

Week 1:

Fairbanks, AK

Talkeetna, AK

Wasilla, AK

Anchorage, AK

Kenai, AK

Homer, AK

Seward, AK

Week 2:

Haines, AK

Juneau, AK

Sitka, AK

Petersburg, AK

Wrangell, AK

Ketchikan, AK

Week 3:

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Victoria, BC, Canada

Sequim, WA

Seattle, WA

Port Townsend, WA

Some facts about the “Spirit Bear”:

• Also called the Kermode Bear
• It is found almost exclusively on Princess Royal Island off the coast of Alaska
• It is not an albino – it is a subspecies of the American Black Bear
• Approximately one in every ten of this particular subspecies is born white
• White mothers can have black cubs and black mothers can have white cubs
• They are better at fishing than their black cousins

The spirit bear owes its existence to a recessive allele, a mutation in a pigmentation gene. It is the same gene that produces the yellow-blonde coat in golden retrievers. Because of small founder populations increasing the chance of inbreeding, and limited exchange of genetic material with the outside world, this gene has become widespread on the islands. Two-thirds of the bears on Princess Royal Island are carriers of the gene. However, a cream-colored cub is born only if both copies of the gene on its chromosomes consist of the recessive allele. Thus, following Mendel’s Law of heredity, if both parents are carriers, the mating of a black female and a black male may result in a mixed litter of both white and dark cubs. And a Kermode female will have exclusively black cubs if her partner is not a carrier.

The indigenous people of the region know these bears as Moksgm’ol and hold them in high esteem. The animals have a prominent place in the mythology of local First Nations.

From Matthias Breiter’s book Inside Passage. Click on the link below to view a short video about the legend of this mysterious bear.

The Legend of the Spirit Bear and the Land and People it came from from Twyla Roscovich on Vimeo.

In their absence, their food sources, including sea urchins, exploded with dire consequence to kelp forests. This had an impact on the reproduction of small feed fish, which are important to salmon and whales. Due to an unnaturally high abundance of prey, sea otters tend to overharvest an area and move on when little is left, leaving a depleted seabed behind. This pattern of extremes will continue for quite some time until a balance is reached again. The longterm health and productivity of these marine ecosystems benefits greatly from the presence of these playful and endearing creatures.

To read more check out Matthias Breiter’s award-winning book Inside Passage with stunning Alaskan wildlife photography.

From Matthias’s book on bears and Alaskan wildlife – Wild Alaska. View images from the book.

<Previous next>

If you’d like to purchase one of Matthais Breiter’s photos as a print please fill out the form below. We will reply to your request with options for sizing and printing.

Email us with the image TITLE and the ALBUM it’s in.
[contact-form]

<Previous next>

If you’d like to purchase one of Matthais Breiter’s photos as a print please fill out the form below. We will reply to your request with options for sizing and printing.

Email us with the image TITLE and the ALBUM it’s in.
[contact-form]