For all intents and purposes, the Great Bear Rainforest is safe … for now. The sad truth is that it is only a matter of time before someone else goes after the forest’s resources for profit. The spirit bear still needs our help. All the creatures of the rainforest need our help. The forest itself needs our help. They probably always will. What we must not forget is that we need the forest’s help, too. Some would argue that our future depends on it.
Well, it’s time to get some sleep. We set off for the whale research station at first light where we’ll continue to do our part.
Goodnight, Great Bear, and goodnight old “spirit” of the Great Bear Rainforest.
TRAVELS WITH GANNON & WYATT’S
“FIVE LAWS OF EXPLORATION”
* * *
LAW #1
Know your destination.
LAW #2
Always maintain a healthy curiosity.
LAW #3
Make certain you are properly equipped before
embarking on an adventure.
LAW #4
Document all findings.
Law #5
Live to explore another day.
GANNON & WYATT’S TRAVEL MAP
AUTHORS’ NOTE
For tens of thousands of years, human beings existed in relative harmony with nature. It is only recently—the past few centuries—that human consumption has had a significant impact on the environment.
Though estimates vary, some researchers say that approximately 50,000 square miles of forest is lost each year. We are clear-cutting massive tracks of woodlands to make room for more development. We are consuming forests to produce building materials and consumer goods. Because of the high demand for these things, the earth’s forests are at risk.
Forests give us oxygen and regulate the earth’s atmosphere. Forests provide homes to over 70 percent of the world’s animal and plant species. Forests allow for recreation and strengthen our connection with nature. To continue consuming the earth’s forests at this rate would not just be irresponsible, it would put the future of the entire planet at risk.
Of course, we cannot expect human consumption of natural resources to stop completely. The world’s population continues grow. In the year 1900 there were 1.6 billion people on the planet. Today there are seven billion. Given this reality, we need to be conscious of how we live, what we buy, the things we consume, and the impact our habits have on Mother Nature. With this in mind, we must work to reduce and ultimately offset our consumption by replenishing the forests that are so critical to our well-being.
The first and most important step is awareness. If the world’s young people are aware, they will make the right choices. They will ensure that irreplaceable wilderness areas are properly managed—areas such as British Columbia’s pristine Great Bear Rainforest. By considering the future, the tide will turn, and the health of the planet will be changed for the better.
Gannon and Wyatt searching for the spirit bear in the Great Bear Rainforest
MEET THE “REAL-LIFE” GANNON AND WYATT
Have you ever imagined traveling the world over? Fifteen-year-old twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt have done just that. With a flight attendant for a mom and an international businessman for a dad, the spirit of adventure has been nurtured in them since they were very young. When they got older, the globetrotting brothers had an idea—why not share with other kids all of the amazing things they’ve learned during their travels? The result is the book series, Travels with Gannon & Wyatt, a video web series, blog, photographs from all over the world, and much more. Furthering their mission, the brothers also founded the Youth Exploration Society (Y.E.S.), an organization of young people who are passionate about making the world a better place. Each Travels with Gannon & Wyatt book is loosely based on real-life travels. Gannon and Wyatt have actually been to Botswana and tracked rhinos on foot. They have traveled to the Great Bear Rainforest in search of the mythical spirit bear and explored the ancient tombs of Egypt. During these “research missions,” the authors, along with Gannon and Wyatt, often sit around the campfire collaborating on an adventure tale that sets two young explorers on a quest for the kind of knowledge you can’t get from a textbook. We hope you enjoy the novels that were inspired by these fireside chats. As Gannon and Wyatt like to say, “The world is our classroom, and we’re bringing you along.”
HAPPY TRAVELS!
Want to become a member of the
Youth Exploration Society
just like Gannon and Wyatt?
Check out our website. That’s where you’ll learn how to become a member of the Youth Exploration Society, an organization of young people, like yourself, who love to travel and are interested in world geography, cultures, and wildlife.
The website also includes:
Information about the Great Bear Rainforest, amazing photos of the spirit bear, and complete episodes of our award-winning web series shot on location with Gannon and Wyatt!
BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!
WWW.GANNONANDWYATT.COM
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to offer sincere thanks to the following people for introducing us to the Great Bear Rainforest: the exceptional captain and crew of the Pacific Yellowfin, Captain Colin Griffinson, Jack, Jen, Milan, and Liam; our incredibly knowledgeable bear guide, Norm Hann; whale researchers, Janie and Hermann of Cetacea Lab; the kind and generous people of Hartley Bay, British Columbia; and Aspen Country Day and Aspen High School for continually supporting our adventures. We would also like to give a special thanks to Catherine Frank for her brilliant editorial guidance, as well as our brave travel companions Javier Kogan, Auntie Corrine, and our trusty bush pilot, Brad. Without your support, this project would not be possible. And, of course, thanks to Gannon and Wyatt for your curiosity and humor during the many hours we spent sitting in the cold and drizzly forest waiting for a spirit bear to appear.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
PATTI WHEELER, producer of the web series Travels with Gannon & Wyatt: Off the Beaten Path, began traveling at a young age and has nurtured the spirit of adventure in her family ever since. For years it has been her goal to create children’s books that instill the spirit of adventure in young people. The Youth Exploration Society and Travels with Gannon & Wyatt are the realization of her dream.
KEITH HEMSTREET is a writer, producer, and cofounder of the Youth Exploration Society. He attended Florida State University and completed his graduate studies at Appalachian State University. He lives in Aspen, Colorado, with his wife and three daughters.
Look for upcoming books and video from these and other exciting locations:
Egypt
Greenland
Iceland
Tanzania
Ireland
The American West
If you enjoyed Gannon and Wyatt’s adventure in the Great Bear Rainforest, make sure to read the book that started it all …
Nautilus Award Silver Medal Winner
Winner of Five Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Silver Medalist
Colorado Book Award Finalist
“Botswana has rarely had a portrayal that so accurately captures the physical and emotional spirit of Africa … This is a brilliant first of what I hope will be many books in a travel-novel series.”
—Sacramento Book Review
“Kids with a taste for adventure will love this book, especially as told by such engaging kids of their own age. Adults will love it too, both for the educational nature of the story—and to fuel our own love of travel. I know I did!”
—Tracy Aiello, author, Miracle Dogs of Portugal
“This book is the first in what will surely become a wildly popular series that will first fulfill and then exceed the authors’ goal of instilling a spirit of exploration in young people. Teachers and parents, alike, will love having kids reading these books because they will help spark a love of reading in children as Gannon’s and Wyatt’s venturesome accounts will k
eep readers on the edge of their seats!”
—Mark Zeiler, middle school language arts teacher, Orlando, Florida
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