Hakai Magazine

Brian Payton

Contributing Writer

Author bio

writer Brian Payton

Brian Payton is the award-winning author of Shadow of the Bear, The Ice Passage, and the national bestselling novel The Wind Is Not a River. His nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Canadian Geographic. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Brian Payton’s Contributions:

Michelle Bigg, integrated responses planning program head for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, records data at an intertidal site on Goose Island, British Columbia

Marine Protected Areas: May or May Not Include Actual Protection

Awesome in theory, often messy in practice.

Jan 7, 2020 | 3,200 words, about 16 minutes

aerial photo of cruise ships in Ketchikan, Alaska

Leviathans in the Harbor

More and bigger cruise ships are crowding coastal destinations. When is enough, enough? Who gets to decide?

Aug 27, 2019 | 5,500 words, about 27 minutes

Father Charles Brandt at his hermitage

The Oracle of Oyster River

On Vancouver Island, a hermit-priest has spent a lifetime contemplating the natural world. At 95, he has come to believe there is a way we can save it.

Sep 11, 2018 | 2,800 words, about 14 minutes

axes in salvaged logs in Gibsons, BC

The Trees That Sail to Sea

In one of nature’s remarkable second acts, dead trees become driftwood and embark on transformative journeys.

Feb 6, 2018 | 3,500 words, about 18 minutes