MONARCH OF THE NORTH

Renewal is many things to many artists. Getting out into the wild is a priority for wildlife artists. This is in Alaska's Mt. McKinley country. The sockeye salmon make their annual migration at that time and they bring out bears in great numbers. Among them was this impressive grizzly. A true monarch, the grizzly can grow to 800 pounds or more. This particular one exhibits lighter brown fur, which is characteristic of the northern version. In spite of its impressive size and strength, the grizzly is threatened - by man's continuing encroachment into the last wild places. Unless man puts more value on protecting these animals - by respecting their need for wilderness -these may be portraits of extinct species instead of merely threatened species.