Tag Archives: conservation

Ray Mears and the Path of Grey Owl

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“The question is not what we get out of nature, but what can we give back to nature.”

The Path of Grey Owl is a new film by Goh Iromoto, shot on location in Ontario, Canada. It follows Ray Mears through the wilderness of the Temagami region, as he explores the path of acclaimed author and conservationist Grey Owl (also known as Archibald Belaney). While reflecting on the landscape that shaped Grey Owl into the person that he was, Ray further delves into Grey Owl’s message about protecting our wilderness, and explains why this is still so relevant and important in our present day.

For more information on Grey Owl, please click here.

For your chance to win a trip to Ontario with Ray Mears as your guide, please click here.

Ray Mears on the Legend of Grey Owl

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In 2015, Ray journeyed deep into the remote backcountry of the Temagami region of Ontario, Canada. Here he found himself immersed in Canada’s canoe culture, and the captivating legend of Archibald Belaney, better known as Grey Owl.

Grey Owl Portrait

Archibald Belaney, better known as Grey Owl

Born in the British seaside town of Hastings in 1888, Belaney would eventually become one of the most powerful spokespersons for the preservation of a pristine wilderness and a strong Native identity in Canada. From childhood he held a fascination for the Native peoples of North America, and at the age of seventeen Belaney left England for Canada. However, it was not until he was in his forties that Belaney began his career as the conservationist for which he is best known today. Continue reading →

Watch ‘Emptying the Skies’ Online

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In 2014 Ray Mears was invited to a private UK screening of the independent film Emptying the Skies. The documentary highlights the great threat that is currently faced by migrating songbirds, which are being killed in vast numbers as they fly across southern Europe. Due to their status as a French culinary delicacy, millions of small birds are being poached each year, fetching large sums of money on the black market.

Based on a widely republished article for The New Yorker by best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies aims to raise awareness of this devastating environmental tragedy and the journey of those risking their lives to stop it. This squad of pan-European bird-lovers are waging a secret war against the poachers, disrupting illegal trapping to free as many birds as possible. Continue reading →

Ray Mears Reviews Virunga, the Movie

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The following post was written by Woodlore’s founder, Ray Mears. You can now watch Virunga online, via Netflix.

This week I was privileged to attend the London premiere of a new feature-length documentary. Surrounded by a packed house, the Curzon cinema on the Kings Road was the venue for what can best be described as a phenomenon. I sat enthralled as the audience around me laughed, gasped and cried; two ladies beside me were so moved that they sobbed uncontrollably in floods of tears. At the end of the screening the titles rolled to cheers and rapturous applause. The film is Virunga.

“It is a true story; a story happening now; a story that all who care about nature should take an interest in. I urge you to watch it.”

Continue reading →