Bear Story

There is a story that is woven into the song of the stream that gurgles through the old growth forest. Like threads in a tapestry each living thing has its story and is part of the interconnectedness of life.

In the sun dappled shadows of the stream a living river of salmon move and swim against a gentle current. Sunlight catches their tails and backs, their energy spent at the end of spawning, the end of life.

This is a time of plenty in the old forest, animals and birds come to the stream to share the bounty of the salmon.

A bear stands poised on a fallen tree, his dark eyes shining intent on the movement of the salmon. He lunges into the stream, the struggle is brief. He carries his catch into the forest.

The journey for the salmon continues, it gives the gift of life to the bear, and to the forest its remains seep nutrients back into the earth.

The forest also has a gift to give, it provides a safe habitat and food for the wildlife that live in its secret places. As great old trees fall they nurture new life as a nursery log or decomposing into the stream feeding countless organisms.

The stream has a story too, woven into the eddies and quiet places, where newly hatched salmon will feed and grow before they join the stream as it journeys down the valley seeking the sea.

The old growth forest is full of diversity gained by the years it has existed on the earth.

Our taking sets us apart from this story of interconnectedness.

Where will we be if the forests disappear? When there is no whisper of wind in the trees, and the salmon no longer come to spawn the next generation. Everything will be still and lifeless, for longer than we can imagine.

Marilyn Hailbronner