The Human Impact
Nikolai Senin illustrates for Backpacker Magazine on a piece discussing hikers' impact on the grizzly bear population.
The article written by hiker and author Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan talks about how we as humans may fear the grizzly bear, but to them 'people are the real bogeymen." She continues, "A variety of studies conducted over the last decade on wildlife suggests that any human presence—be that on skis, snowmobile, ATV, or even on foot—can change the way animals travel, forage, and live in their home ranges. As more people venture into the wilds, animals are subjected to stress and must expend additional energy to flee from recreating humans, which in turn affects reproduction rates and individual survival." Nikolai's earthy artwork takes a conceptual approach to the illustration as the hiker literally pulls the land from under the bears' feet. Alongside a map showing The Pacific Northwest Trail discussed in the article, Nikolai's pieces appear in the Fall issue of the magazine, read it here.