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Win Big Prizes and Get NLWS a New Truck!

How would a gorgeous, gigantic acrylic print of one of my grizzly bear photographs look hanging in your house or office? Or perhaps you’d rather win a trip for two to a grizzly bear viewing lodge in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada?

Raise your paw if you’d like to help rehab orphaned grizzly bear cubs AND win some amazing prizes!

That’s right, everyone, it’s FUNDRAISER time! And once again we’re giving away a pile of prizes for donations to my beloved Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter (NLWS) in Smithers, British Columbia (the only grizzly bear rehabilitation facility on the planet — they have successfully rehabbed and released 18 grizzly cubs to date, along with more than 350 black bears!), so that they can continue saving bears from around the province (and beyond, if officials in Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming start cooperating as public pressure mounts to save orphaned grizzly bear cubs).

This time around, the NLWS is in desperate need of a new truck for transporting bear cubs to and from their rescue locations. The old truck is on its final legs (actually, it’s more like it’s on life support at this point) and for the past month, the NLWS has been running an indiegogo campaign to raise $40,000 Canadian dollars for the purchase of a new truck capable of driving long distances and towing bear trailers. While the campaign has been successful to a degree (it has raised $12,050 to this point on August 17th), it remains far short of its ultimate goal.

However, it’s not quite as bleak as it may seem, because rather than having to raise $28,000 more in the final week of the campaign, we only have to raise $13,000 ($10,000 less than what our original NLWS fundraiser raised back in April 2014!). The other $15,000 is going to come courtesy of the amazing British animal charity, Hauser Bears, which has agreed to match the first $15,000 in the campaign dollar-for-dollar, meaning if we can raise another $3,000 in the next five days, Hauser Bears will instantly chip in $15,000 Canadian towards the end goal of raising $40,000!

But we’re not setting our sights on just raising that extra $3,000; rather, we’re aiming for the full $40K, which means we need to raise $13,000 in five days.

And this is where we step in with a slew of prizes so amazing that it will make it even more worth your while to donate to this incredible cause.

How to Donate to Help Orphaned Grizzly Cubs

Here’s how it’s going to work for the donations (and note that because the NLWS is a non-profit charitable organization, ALL Canadian donators will be provided with a tax receipt for their donation):

[Note: All donations will be through Canada Helps rather than via the indiegogo campaign, as the NLWS has to pay 9% on all indiegogo donations and we’d much rather they keep that 9% for the new truck! You can donate to the General campaign for NLWS, or directly to the Going the Extra Mile for Wildlife campaign from the drop-down menu — both will be used for the prize draws]

Donate $50 — automatic entry to win any of prizes below (including any of the Grand Prizes) in a random draw administered by NLWS staff on Monday, August 24th.

Donate $50-$499 — one entry for every $50 you donate  for the Grand Prizes listed below (for instance, donate $250 and get 5 entries into the draw for any of the Grand Prizes listed below), and one entry to win any of the other prizes below.

Donate $500 or more — two entries for every $50 you donate for the Grand Prizes listed below (for instance, donate $750 and get 15 entries into the draw for any of the Grand Prizes listed below), and one entry to win any of the other prizes below.

Highest Donation — win a Day in the Field with me, photographing grizzlies or wolves, or whatever you want to try to find, from dawn till dusk in the Canadian Rockies in 2016 (dates and locations to be arranged between myself and the highest donator). This prize will also be transferrable, if you choose.

So the bottom line is, if you want to win ANY of these amazing prizes, then donating a mere $50 gets you into the game for the Grand Prizes and gets you equal odds for any of the other prizes. And the more you donate, the better your chances are for the Grand Prizes or for the Day in the Field with me.

The Prizes

[Note: these prizes are available to all donators, including those outside the US and Canada]

Grand Prize #1 – a 2-night/3-day All-inclusive Bear Viewing Trip for Two to the Great Bear Chalet in Bella Coola, British Columbia in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. I’ve personally photographed grizzlies in the Bella Coola area five times in the past decade and have to say that this is one of the premier grizzly bear photography and viewing locations in the world. Thanks to the generosity of owner Jefferson Bray, this trip will include airport shuttle to and from the Bella Coola Airport (if required), transportation/fuel costs for all excursions, accommodation (private suite with 3-piece bath), gourmet meals prepared with local, fresh ingredients, and professionally guided bear tours (all Guides are accredited members of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of B.C.).
Value: $2400 Cdn.

The Grand Prize: an all-inclusive Trip for Two to the Great Bear Chalet in Bella Coola, British Columbia

Grand Prize #2 – a 30″x45″ glossy acrylic print of ‘All in the Family’, one of my most popular grizzly bear prints. Ready to hang and shipped right to your door anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (and for those of you outside of Canada or the U.S., we’ll figure out a way to get the print to you, too, though it may be a regular non-acrylic print to make shipping easier).
Value: $1095 Cdn.

Win a 30″x45″ glossy acrylic print of All in the Family by John E. Marriott

Highest Donation: Day in the Field with me, photographing grizzlies or wolves, or whatever you want to try to find, from dawn till dusk in the Canadian Rockies in 2016 (dates and locations to be arranged between myself and the highest donator). This prize will also be transferrable, if you choose.

The Highest Donation wins a Day in the Field with me chasing grizzlies and wolves and whatever else we can find!

All Other Prizes:

One full set of signed and personalized John E. Marriott coffee table books, including Banff & Lake Louise: Images of Banff National Park, Wildlife of the Canadian Rockies: A Glimpse at Life on the Wild Side, and The Canadian Rockies: Banff, Jasper & Beyond. Value: $100 Cdn.

A full set of coffee table books by John E. Marriott

12″x18″ glossy print of Grizz Family Bums by Banff/UK wildlife photographer Cai Priestley (visit Cai’s website or follow him on Facebook or Instagram). Value: $150 Cdn.

12″x18″ Glossy Print of Grizz Family Bums by Cai Priestley

12″x18″ glossy print of Startled Cub by Banff/UK wildlife photographer Cai Priestley (visit Cai’s website or follow him on Facebook or Instagram). Value: $150 Cdn.

12″x18″ Glossy Print of Startled Cub by Cai Priestley

12″x18″ stretched canvas of Tuxedo Cubs by Canmore wildlife photographer Brandon T. Brown (visit Brandon’s website or follow him on Facebook or Instagram). Value: $200 Cdn.

12″x18″ Stretched Canvas of Tuxedo Cubs by Brandon T. Brown

12″x18″ stretched canvas of Mister Mud by Canmore wildlife photographer Brandon T. Brown (visit Brandon’s website or follow him on Facebook or Instagram). Value: $200 Cdn.

12″x18″ Stretched Canvas of Mister Mud by Brandon T. Brown

16″x24″ glossy print of any of my grizzly bear images, your choice! Value: $225 Cdn.

16″x24″ glossy print of any of my grizzly bear images, your choice! Value: $225 Cdn.

24″x36″ glossy print of any of my grizzly bear images, your choice! Value: $450 Cdn.

24″x36″ glossy print of any of my grizzly bear images, your choice! Value: $450 Cdn.

The Thinker by John E. Marriott — 16″x24″ and 24″x36″ prints available to be won

Please consider donating today: the fundraiser ends at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 21st, 2015. All draws will be made by NLWS staff on Monday, August 24th, with winners announced on this blog at that time.

Thank you to everyone involved, particularly to those of who have donated items or money to this worthy cause. And a very special thank you to the wonderful and amazing staff at the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter, we can’t wait to see you riding around in your new truck soon (though we hope it’s not because more cubs have to be rescued)!

[UPDATE on Day 3 — we’re now halfway through the fundraiser and we’ve raised just over half of our goal of $13,000. Please keep those donations coming in, we need another $6,500 in the final two and a half days!]

7 Comments on “Win Big Prizes and Get NLWS a New Truck!

Elizabeth Anne Hin
August 17, 2015 at 7:56 pm

John, Please let us know is Americans as well as Canadians are eligible for this. And deepest regards and gratitude for all you are and do for so many. Always, Beth

Reply
JohnEMarriott
August 17, 2015 at 7:58 pm

You bet, Elizabeth. Anyone is eligible, though only Canadians will actually get the tax receipt for their donation.

Reply
Jen
August 18, 2015 at 5:03 pm

Is this open internationally? Is. Beyond Canada and USA 🙂

Reply
JohnEMarriott
August 18, 2015 at 5:04 pm

Yes it is, Jen.

Reply
Lorne Smallwood
August 18, 2015 at 8:01 pm

Followed up my donation yesterday with a call to NLWS and chatted with Angelika. Canadians really appreciate all your hard work!
regards
p.s. John can you keep us posted on progress with the fund raiser?

Reply
JohnEMarriott
August 18, 2015 at 8:01 pm

You bet I will, Lorne!

Reply
Anonymous
August 19, 2015 at 4:28 pm

Thank you for all you do for the bears!!!

Reply

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