Everett man goes to Arctic to photograph polar bears up close

Published 1:30 am Sunday, June 4, 2017

He wanted to see the polar bears. Perhaps before it’s too late.

So Dan Clements, of Everett, joined a polar bear photo shoot in northern Canada. His hope is to spread awareness through his photographs about how climate change is threatening polar bear populations.

Clements, 68, is showing his polar bear photography at Red Cup Cafe through June. The Mukilteo cafe up the hill from the ferry hosts a monthly rotation of art exhibits.

“The ability to share that is really important now, when so many people don’t think that climate change is real or is happening, and then when you see it, it’s just pretty impressive,” he said. “Hopefully, people will have a better appreciation of the situation they’re in.”

In November, Clements was one of eight photographers to stay at a wilderness lodge near Hudson Bay in Churchill, Manitoba, to observe and photograph polar bears in the wild.

Churchill is nicknamed the Polar Bear Capital of the World because of the many polar bears that make Hudson Bay home. November is a prime time for photos because that’s when the bears move back to the ice freezing on the bay so they can hunt for seals.

“The Arctic is incredible,” Clements said. “There were bears all around us. We were there to (photograph) them, but it’s also nice to put the camera away and just watch them. It was amazing.

“Everybody wants to go back.”

There are an estimated 30,000 polar bears on the planet living in 19 different groups — 13 of them in Canada. None is as accessible as Churchill’s group, which draws an estimated 10,000 tourists each year.

Polar bears have become the poster child for global warming. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists polar bears as “vulnerable” because they are losing their icy habitat in the Arctic through climate change.

While the melting ice is a threat to polar bears, the Western Hudson Bay population seen near Churchill is one of the more stable in the world, with an estimated 1,100 bears.

Clements saw and photographed 10 to 15 polar bears each day on 5- to 10-mile group hikes through snow and ice. Some days it was 30 below zero.

In addition to polar bears, Clements also photographed a snowy owl, wolves, caribou, a fox and a ptarmigan, known as a snow chicken in the U.S. Wolves came within 3 feet of the group; caribou 20 yards.

He also photographed the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

“It’s absolutely stunning to see the Aurora,” he said. “I’ve seen the Aurora before, but never like this. The sky was just dancing. It’s really amazing.”

Clements is an adventurer and photographer specializing in underwater and nature photography. He is the founder and publisher of Pacific Northwest Diver, the Pacific Northwest Underwater Photographic Society’s magazine.

He is the author of the book “Critters, Creatures &Kelp” (2009) and is working on a second book, “Marine Species of the Salish Sea,” a comprehensive list and description of all marine species of the Salish Sea.

Throughout his travels, Clements has climbed, hiked, skied, sailed and scuba dived around the world. He’s swum with great white sharks, trekked through Amazonian jungles, sailed in the Mediterranean and climbed mountains in Africa and Europe.

His next adventure? Photographing grizzly bears, black bears and — with luck — a spirit bear in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest.

“I get to see stuff that most people will never see,” Clements said. “Sharing that is really neat. What I’m hoping is that I can get people to be more responsible stewards of this planet.

“If you’re out diving and you see a seal that has plastic wrapped up on it, you want to encourage people not to use plastic. Or if you see trash up in the Arctic, it’s like, ‘How did it get there?’ It’s such a pristine environment.”

Marianne Brown, owner of the Red Cup Cafe, was excited to book Clements’ photography for a June exhibit.

“I’ve seen some of his underwater photos — and those were amazing — so I’m really excited to see some of the polar bear ones that he’s done,” she said. “It’s cool to see someone’s pictures from underwater, but I personally like to look at bears more.”

On a recent day, Clements shared an unforgettable moment while photographing polar bears:

While on a group hike, Clements saw three polar bears behind some rocks in the distance. One of the bears saw him, too. He notified the guides.

Then the bear in the middle started to approach. The two other bears, which were flanking the photographers, stood up. The guides told them to be quiet and not move.

“I thought, ‘Well, this is going to be interesting.’ It’s like the old adage of you don’t have to run faster than the bear, just the slowest person,” Clements said.

Then one of the guides stepped toward the bear. It was just 15 yards away.

The guide told the bear: “Lift up your head! Lift up your head!”

The bear stopped and lifted his head.

Then the guide ordered: “Put your ears back! Put your ears back!”

The bear put his ears back.

Then the guide reached into his pocket and pulled out two rocks. He banged them together and gave one last order: “Now go away!”

The bear left.

Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046; sbruestle@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @sarabruestle.

If you go

See photography of polar bears by Dan Clements on display at the Red Cup Cafe, 619 Fourth St., Mukilteo. The cafe is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more, visit www.e-clements.com.