When California’s now-iconic bear flag was introduced in the mid-1800s, there were an estimated 10,000 grizzlies statewide. When that flag was officially adopted in 1911, grizzly bears were functionally extinct across the state. The mid-1920s marked the last credible sightings of California grizzlies in the wild. Today, there’s an exploratory effort to bring them back.
A grizzly bear comeback in California is not impossible, according to UC Santa Barbara environmental historian Peter Alagona, who is featured in a new documentary short film screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).
“The Bear Beneath” covers the untold story of the extinction of California grizzlies due to overhunting and habitat loss, and the feasibility of their managed recovery at three wilderness locations, including the remote backcountry of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
From idea to big screen, the 12-minute film was produced by a trio of students in the Carsey-Wolf Center’s 10-week intensive GreenScreen environmental filmmaking program. Fourth-year film and media studies major Olivia Hille directed the film. Jorge Rodal Llano, an exchange student from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, served as producer. The director of photography was Los Angeles-based filmmaker Tatum Davis.
The film was inspired by Alagona, who has written two books on the subject, including “After the Grizzly: Endangered Species and the Politics of Place in California” (UC Press, 2020). “His knowledge and passion on the subject was so clear from our first crew meeting with him,” Hille said. “I knew he had a story worth telling.”