Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Food Shortage
We have experienced our first shortage. I could not find milk yesterday in any form. I even was able to check the Naknek grocery store as I had to run there to pick up bear spray for Brooks Camp yesterday. None. No powder, no drug filled shelf milk or real milk in the dairy case. I couldn't buy any dairy products yesterday. The salmon fishermen have emptied our dairy case. I guess I can understand being out of milk as I could not tell you where the nearest dairy cow is.
When I got back home I looked through the mail and my invoice for Span Alaska was there. I had odered quite a bit of stuff from them and was excited to see that it had been shipped finally. What I was surprised by is that the case of hotdogs I ordered was not going to be shipped as the manufactor was out. How can you be out of hot dogs. They are made with the left over byproducts of all the other meats. There wasn't anything left over to make even a few hotdogs. I can understand no milk but I can't understand no hot dogs.
When I got back home I looked through the mail and my invoice for Span Alaska was there. I had odered quite a bit of stuff from them and was excited to see that it had been shipped finally. What I was surprised by is that the case of hotdogs I ordered was not going to be shipped as the manufactor was out. How can you be out of hot dogs. They are made with the left over byproducts of all the other meats. There wasn't anything left over to make even a few hotdogs. I can understand no milk but I can't understand no hot dogs.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Wildlife Shortage
Since we moved in the only wildlife we have seen in the yard is a bunch of hares. Before we moved we saw pictures of moose in peoples yards, read about how wolves and bears traveled through the yards, and stuff like that. Though I have gotten to see alot of things out in the bush, Craig has hardly seen anything in the housing area. He was complaining that he thought there would be more to see around the area than he had so far.
Everyday he goes for a hike. He has seen lots of tracks. He has seen bear, wolf, lynx, and moose tracks but never the animals. He was telling me what a disappointment it was when a long skinny animal ran in front of us and crossed the road. He looked at me and asked me what the heck that was. That I told him was a weasel. Though I told him he could stop complaining he had seen wildlife he wasn't impressed. Guess it wasn't big enough for him.
Everyday he goes for a hike. He has seen lots of tracks. He has seen bear, wolf, lynx, and moose tracks but never the animals. He was telling me what a disappointment it was when a long skinny animal ran in front of us and crossed the road. He looked at me and asked me what the heck that was. That I told him was a weasel. Though I told him he could stop complaining he had seen wildlife he wasn't impressed. Guess it wasn't big enough for him.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
King Salmon Traffic
Back in King Salmon and things here have changed, just a little. The lodges here in town have filled with waiting fishermen. The boats that have been setting in dry dock are now being polished, stocked and ready to launch. As we flew in for a landing one of the salmon boats was out on the river. This excess of people has made changes in the town. For instance, the summer restaurants are now in full swing. The grocery store shelves have been emptied. That includes the $11 a gallon jugs of milk that we need. They have been empty for a few days. When the next shipment will arise is a guessing game. There are men talking in groups in front of the grocery store. Men in sleep pants and sweatshirts head to Eddies for breakfast. But the funniest thing is happening to the regular people of King Salmon. Today at lunch I asked our office administrator if I could catch a ride to the post office as I knew my husband had sent five boxes of food to be picked up that day. She gladly said I could come along with her. On our way out the parking lot, she had to wait for three cars to pass before she could turn on the main road. Her reply to this small wait was " Dumb summer people I just hate the traffic they cause." Life in King Salmon, it is all a matter of perspective.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Ramp Dogs
When a visitor flys in to Brooks Camp chances are he or she is flying on Katmai Air. They have a number of flights that go back and forth from King Salmon to Brooks Camp. They bring people out for the day or to stay at the lodge. There is a great team of guys that are in charge of unloading and loading passengers and gear from each flight. They are known as the ramp dogs. They wear casual clothes and waders while they grab and secure the float planes. They welcome the visitors with large smiles and friendly handshakes. They send the visitors up to the visitor center for their bear training and then unload luggage, packs, and supplies for the lodge off the plane. All this gets loaded onto a gator that pulls a trailor.
Their schedule is about to get just as hectic as ours as the numbers of visitors and bears increase. They have the hard job of getting planes unloaded and reloaded while at the same time making room for the bears that travel up and down the beach. Two days ago when the bears were chasing each other down the beach I watched as the ramp dogs jumped into the plane to get out of the way of the passing bears. The gator at the time was full of food and gear, which is something the bear team tries to keep away from bears so that they don't realize an easy meal lies inside the plane. Bears are lazy creatures and easy meals in gators would make trouble for the bear team. Luckily that day the bears were too busy running from one another to realize that food was just inches away.
Once the bears had passed, the ramp dogs jumped out and went back to work. With in minutes the plane was loaded with the guests that were leaving and back into the air. In a weeks time there could 14 planes at any one time parked on the beach. Not all the planes are unloaded by the ramp dogs but quite a few. Each one of them has a smile on their face and treat everyone like a special dignitaries. So if your coming to Brooks Camp be sure to treat the ramp dogs great. They have a tough job.
Their schedule is about to get just as hectic as ours as the numbers of visitors and bears increase. They have the hard job of getting planes unloaded and reloaded while at the same time making room for the bears that travel up and down the beach. Two days ago when the bears were chasing each other down the beach I watched as the ramp dogs jumped into the plane to get out of the way of the passing bears. The gator at the time was full of food and gear, which is something the bear team tries to keep away from bears so that they don't realize an easy meal lies inside the plane. Bears are lazy creatures and easy meals in gators would make trouble for the bear team. Luckily that day the bears were too busy running from one another to realize that food was just inches away.
Once the bears had passed, the ramp dogs jumped out and went back to work. With in minutes the plane was loaded with the guests that were leaving and back into the air. In a weeks time there could 14 planes at any one time parked on the beach. Not all the planes are unloaded by the ramp dogs but quite a few. Each one of them has a smile on their face and treat everyone like a special dignitaries. So if your coming to Brooks Camp be sure to treat the ramp dogs great. They have a tough job.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Salmon Have Arrived
The rumors have been flying around that salmon had been spotted in the Naknek Lake which is where the salmon would first arrive. Though the rumors were going around none of the staff had acxtually seen a salmon. They are not hard to define, they have a red body and a green head. They jump out of the water but then so do the rainbow trout that we have in both the river and the lake.
In the morning one of the interpreters called the Alaska Game and Fish Department to see what the latest report on the salmon. He was told that the salmon had been spotted in the Naknek Drainage. So it was possible that they could be here.
As the day went on calls came in the ranger station that salmon were being spotted. Then I actually saw one jump just near the floating bridge. It was brief but identafiable. This changed the attitude of the camp. The reason being that now that the salmon are here things will get hectic. During the next month 72 different bears will arrive to begin to feed on all the fish that will try to swim upstream to spawn. Bears will be trying to cut through camp to get to their favorite spot on the river. And while the bear numbers are increasing so will the number of visitors to see the increasing number of bears. It will make everyones job more intense and stressful. Talking to a long time lodge employee, he said that now after spending a month of training people we get to see who freaks and quits and who can handle the job. I hope I am one of the second people.
In the morning one of the interpreters called the Alaska Game and Fish Department to see what the latest report on the salmon. He was told that the salmon had been spotted in the Naknek Drainage. So it was possible that they could be here.
As the day went on calls came in the ranger station that salmon were being spotted. Then I actually saw one jump just near the floating bridge. It was brief but identafiable. This changed the attitude of the camp. The reason being that now that the salmon are here things will get hectic. During the next month 72 different bears will arrive to begin to feed on all the fish that will try to swim upstream to spawn. Bears will be trying to cut through camp to get to their favorite spot on the river. And while the bear numbers are increasing so will the number of visitors to see the increasing number of bears. It will make everyones job more intense and stressful. Talking to a long time lodge employee, he said that now after spending a month of training people we get to see who freaks and quits and who can handle the job. I hope I am one of the second people.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Dive bombing Eagles
Today was my day to work on my own project away from the bears. It is my last day at Brooks Camp, this afternoon I fly back to King Salmon for a few days off and a couple days in the office. I decided that I would try to look for some of the eagle nests that we saw from the air and see if any eaglets had appeared.
According to the maps drawn up after the first run of eagle surveys, there should be four active nests on the borders of Lake Brooks, the lake my cabin is on. So before lunch I decided to walk the southern part of the beach and look for the nest in that direction and after lunch I would head up the northern part of the beach and see what I could see there.
The walk on the beach was great. The sun was shining and it was a welcome sight as the last couple of days were rain filled. I saw a set of large bear tracks heading in the opposite direction. The bear had to pass by the cabin shortly before I had begun my hike. I also saw tracks from a river otter on the shore. I had hiked more than a mile when I finallly spotted the first nest. I saw the male sitting on a tree next to the nest tree keeping his beady eyes upon me. I also saw the female peek over the top of the nest. I stopped where I was as I didn't want to get to close to the nest to scare away the parents. I watched the nest for a few minutes to see if an eaglet would poke his head out but I saw no signs of one. With that nest found I headed back to the cabin.
After lunch I started hiking north. I had hiked quite a ways with no signs of an eagles nest. Up ahead I started to hear the sounds of an upset magpie. As I got closer I wondered if I was the problem or if there was someting else near the magpie that was causing the distress. I slowly moved clser keeping my eyes peeled for anything to be moving. A second magpie appeared and both birds were wildly chirping away at me. I figured that I had come across their nest and they were letting me know that I was not welcomed. I stopped in front of the first magpie looking for their nest in hopes I would get to see some chicks. Unfortuately, I could find no nest. The magpies, suddenly hopped into the woods. They did not fly off, just hopped and disappeared. I did not here another sound from them. This highly unusual behavior for magpies. Then I heard what sounded like wierd footsteps coming through the trees. Only it wasn't footsteps but the sound of flapping wings coming thru the trees straight at me. It was a male eagle. He broke though the trees and passed just inches above my head and then soared into the sky and back into the woods. I realized that I was very close to the nest and it was time for me to leave. I walked back the way I had come and let the eagle family have their peace. I am not sure what happened to the magpies.
According to the maps drawn up after the first run of eagle surveys, there should be four active nests on the borders of Lake Brooks, the lake my cabin is on. So before lunch I decided to walk the southern part of the beach and look for the nest in that direction and after lunch I would head up the northern part of the beach and see what I could see there.
The walk on the beach was great. The sun was shining and it was a welcome sight as the last couple of days were rain filled. I saw a set of large bear tracks heading in the opposite direction. The bear had to pass by the cabin shortly before I had begun my hike. I also saw tracks from a river otter on the shore. I had hiked more than a mile when I finallly spotted the first nest. I saw the male sitting on a tree next to the nest tree keeping his beady eyes upon me. I also saw the female peek over the top of the nest. I stopped where I was as I didn't want to get to close to the nest to scare away the parents. I watched the nest for a few minutes to see if an eaglet would poke his head out but I saw no signs of one. With that nest found I headed back to the cabin.
After lunch I started hiking north. I had hiked quite a ways with no signs of an eagles nest. Up ahead I started to hear the sounds of an upset magpie. As I got closer I wondered if I was the problem or if there was someting else near the magpie that was causing the distress. I slowly moved clser keeping my eyes peeled for anything to be moving. A second magpie appeared and both birds were wildly chirping away at me. I figured that I had come across their nest and they were letting me know that I was not welcomed. I stopped in front of the first magpie looking for their nest in hopes I would get to see some chicks. Unfortuately, I could find no nest. The magpies, suddenly hopped into the woods. They did not fly off, just hopped and disappeared. I did not here another sound from them. This highly unusual behavior for magpies. Then I heard what sounded like wierd footsteps coming through the trees. Only it wasn't footsteps but the sound of flapping wings coming thru the trees straight at me. It was a male eagle. He broke though the trees and passed just inches above my head and then soared into the sky and back into the woods. I realized that I was very close to the nest and it was time for me to leave. I walked back the way I had come and let the eagle family have their peace. I am not sure what happened to the magpies.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Popeye
Most of all the bears I have come in contact with have been subadults. These teenage acting bears are at the age where exploration into new worlds is common and at this age they try to interact with the human world more than adults or cubs. Their curosity gets the better of them. I have been wondering if I would be able to keep a full adult out of camp if the need would arise. As they are bigger and stronger than subadults. I found that out today.
We got a report that a bear was trying to enter camp by the visitor center. My partner and I walked down to see who was trying to invade camp. Both of us were thinking that Tundra was making another appearance but this bear was not Tundra. This bear was a very big boy. He had dark brown fur and a very determined look about him. I was told that this was Popeye. I didn't have to be told why he was given that name. You all know the story of Popeye, the sailor who when ate a can of spinach had arms that swelled in size, full of muscle to take out the bad guys. The bear Popeye had the features of Popeye's swollen arms in all four of his legs. His legs looked to be the size of tree trunks.
This huge bear was off the beach and in the woods but not into camp yet. We shadowed him on the boundry of the camp with me hoping he stayed where he was because I was not sure he would listen to me. Unfortunately, he was determined to cut through camp to get to the marsh on the other side. As he made his way towards the camp both my partner and I kicked dirt towards the bear and yelled no at him. Sounds kind of dumb I know but this time the movement kept Popeye from entering camp. But I have to tell you I had to look up to this big guy and I am 5'2" tall. He was on all fours. We stopped shadowing him when he had reached the end of our boundry and we watched him stalk into the marsh. He gave us one last look then moved along his way. All I can say is that he was a very big bear!
We got a report that a bear was trying to enter camp by the visitor center. My partner and I walked down to see who was trying to invade camp. Both of us were thinking that Tundra was making another appearance but this bear was not Tundra. This bear was a very big boy. He had dark brown fur and a very determined look about him. I was told that this was Popeye. I didn't have to be told why he was given that name. You all know the story of Popeye, the sailor who when ate a can of spinach had arms that swelled in size, full of muscle to take out the bad guys. The bear Popeye had the features of Popeye's swollen arms in all four of his legs. His legs looked to be the size of tree trunks.
This huge bear was off the beach and in the woods but not into camp yet. We shadowed him on the boundry of the camp with me hoping he stayed where he was because I was not sure he would listen to me. Unfortunately, he was determined to cut through camp to get to the marsh on the other side. As he made his way towards the camp both my partner and I kicked dirt towards the bear and yelled no at him. Sounds kind of dumb I know but this time the movement kept Popeye from entering camp. But I have to tell you I had to look up to this big guy and I am 5'2" tall. He was on all fours. We stopped shadowing him when he had reached the end of our boundry and we watched him stalk into the marsh. He gave us one last look then moved along his way. All I can say is that he was a very big bear!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tundra's Near Escape
If you have been following the blog then you have heard about Tundra. She is a four and a half subadult that has quickly become one of my favorite bears. She has been trying to find herself in the bear world and that includes finding a mate. There is a handsome subadult now that is been following her around for a few days. The day started out by watching the two of them trying to figure out the mating process. The male was quite pushy but Tundra was holding her ground. Then the two of them would play and chase each other. Then back to figuring out the sex, Tundra layed down on her back with all four legs in the air. The male stood over her and you could tell that he knew something wasn't right. But Tundra grabbed him and pulled him down and the two of them rolled around on the ground. Then they growled and nipped at each other. Tundra got up and ran a short distance away then stopped and waited for her friend. They tried again. This time they got the position right but Tundra was impatient and swatted the male off with her big front paws. This went on most of the morning in various places around camp.
Later that day I happened to be on the beach when I noticed two bears running towards me but at a fair distance away with a third and bigger bear following behind them. The first bear running was Tundra with her new found mate close behind. I notified my partner about the activities and she was located farther down the beach then I was. Both of us were keeping eyes on the three bears. The beach was their domain but we didn't want them to get chased through camp. Tundra tried to enter the camp between me and my partner. Together we got her back down on the beach but her mate had ran behind my partner and was wondering around the restroom area of camp. The two of us split up, I followed Tundra and she worked on getting her mate through camp. Both of us hoping that the third bear was not going to follow them into camp.
I finally got Tundra around the camp and into the marsh by the river. My partner had chased the other subadult out of camp only to have him circle around and enter camp another direction. Again she chased him into the woods. The third bear walked down the beach and headed up river straight to poor Tundra who made a quick dash back towards camp. The third bear was not paying any attention to Tundra and she finally realized that and slowed down. She waddled around the edge of camp and made her way to the beach. By this time the third bear was out of sight up the river. Tundra was sniffing around trying to find her mate.
What she found was a dead carcass of a fish. She carried the fish to a place in the grass and started to feast on the fish. Her mate had some how managed to get himself back to the beach. He was searching for Tundra. If Tundra knew he was there she was not making any attempt to join him until the fish was devoured. Once her belly was full of dead fish she stood up and our two love bears met up once again and headed on thier way into the woods.
It is unusual for a bear as young as Tundra to mate. The chances of her having success raising cubs at this age is fairly slim. But we won't know anything until next spring when she comes out of her den.
Later that day I happened to be on the beach when I noticed two bears running towards me but at a fair distance away with a third and bigger bear following behind them. The first bear running was Tundra with her new found mate close behind. I notified my partner about the activities and she was located farther down the beach then I was. Both of us were keeping eyes on the three bears. The beach was their domain but we didn't want them to get chased through camp. Tundra tried to enter the camp between me and my partner. Together we got her back down on the beach but her mate had ran behind my partner and was wondering around the restroom area of camp. The two of us split up, I followed Tundra and she worked on getting her mate through camp. Both of us hoping that the third bear was not going to follow them into camp.
I finally got Tundra around the camp and into the marsh by the river. My partner had chased the other subadult out of camp only to have him circle around and enter camp another direction. Again she chased him into the woods. The third bear walked down the beach and headed up river straight to poor Tundra who made a quick dash back towards camp. The third bear was not paying any attention to Tundra and she finally realized that and slowed down. She waddled around the edge of camp and made her way to the beach. By this time the third bear was out of sight up the river. Tundra was sniffing around trying to find her mate.
What she found was a dead carcass of a fish. She carried the fish to a place in the grass and started to feast on the fish. Her mate had some how managed to get himself back to the beach. He was searching for Tundra. If Tundra knew he was there she was not making any attempt to join him until the fish was devoured. Once her belly was full of dead fish she stood up and our two love bears met up once again and headed on thier way into the woods.
It is unusual for a bear as young as Tundra to mate. The chances of her having success raising cubs at this age is fairly slim. But we won't know anything until next spring when she comes out of her den.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Big Day at Brooks Camp
Today was a great day. Right away in the morning we got a bear call. So I hurried down to the river. This time we found a large Sow, or female bear, with two yearlings. A yearling is spending their second summer with mom. Cub mortality is high so everyone was excited to see the mom return with both of the cubs. They were adorable but mom was in a irratable state. She could not see us yet but something was definately disturbing her as you could she was aggitated by the way she was yawning and shaking her head. She quickly huffed at the cubs and started them down the beach. I shadowed them down the beach and watched as the thresome moved down the beach. It was an amazing sight to watch. The little family continued down the beach and around the corner. We never saw what had caused he to be so stressed.
A Long Day Where Almost Nothing Happened
Yesterday I was the lone bear manager. It is hard to be a bear manager with out bears to manage. Every few hours I walked around camp talking to people. About a 1/2 mile from camp is the mouth of the Brooks River. There is a floating bridge you can cross to get to the other side as long as there is not a bear within 50 yards of the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a large platform where you can safely view the bears. There is a ranger stationed at the entrance of the brdige and another ranger on the platform. They keep visitors safe from the roaming bears. So every couple of hours I went on patrol and stopped to visit with the rangers. As the salmon are not running yet and the bears haven't returned in their huge numbers, they were just as bored as I was. They have to stand at their post for two hours when they are relieved and replaced with a new ranger. Each ranger has a different way to pass the day. The first ranger I talked with said she was bird watching and said she figured out why mergansers have the tuff of feathers behind their head. It was so that the male had something to hang on to while he mated with the female who was pushed her under the water numerous times. Ranger two told me she had sung every scottish tune she had learned as a kid. Ranger three and the ranger on the platform played hide and seek with their binoculars. The Last Ranger I talked to said he had learned the rules of fishing in the river by an angry angler who had his space violated by another fisherman. Such was the excitement of the day.
On the walk home after my shift the most exciting thing I saw was two three-toed woodpeckers fighting with each other on the ground. Feathers were flying and the woodpeckers were rolling around on the ground. After dinner I decided to go for a walk to the falls to see if their was any action there. I spent about an hour and just enjoyed the scenery but no wildlife. On the walk back I saw the largest wolf I had ever seen. It was a tan and white male and it was huge. It was 25 yards away from me. He was bigger than anything I had ever seen so I wasn't focused on taking a picture. He looked at me for about 30 seconds than moved across the road and into the woods on the other side. Alaska has not let me down yet.
On the walk home after my shift the most exciting thing I saw was two three-toed woodpeckers fighting with each other on the ground. Feathers were flying and the woodpeckers were rolling around on the ground. After dinner I decided to go for a walk to the falls to see if their was any action there. I spent about an hour and just enjoyed the scenery but no wildlife. On the walk back I saw the largest wolf I had ever seen. It was a tan and white male and it was huge. It was 25 yards away from me. He was bigger than anything I had ever seen so I wasn't focused on taking a picture. He looked at me for about 30 seconds than moved across the road and into the woods on the other side. Alaska has not let me down yet.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Move Out of the Way!!!!!!
Today was my first full day at Brooks Camp, my job was to meet up with a veteran of the bear squad and learn how we keep bears from entering camp. The veteran has been here for ten years. He gave me my bear training. Me, I am a rookie at this stuff. So we started our shift by walking around the camp so I could learn where the bears are most likely to enter camp. What we call camp is actually a bunch of cabins in a central location about a half a mile from the river. We also have a campground,where the tenters stay. The campground is surrounded with electric fence.
Two hours later we got our first bear call. We had a bear walking down the beach heading to camp. Our job was to keep ahead of it and watch to make sure it did not leave the beach and come into the camp. The bear behaved fine and just walked down the beach and out of site. Our last of job of the day is to go around and check all the electrical fences and make sure everything is running properly. Our last stop was the campground. On the way back we had a little excitement.
We were walking back to the ranger station, the veteran was in front and I was close behind. As we were walking I heard a twig snap and turned around thinking a red squirrel was crossing the path. Only it wasn't a squirrel it was a brown bear running full speed right towards us. I reached out for the veteran and called his name to say a bear was coming and I turned around and the veteran was running away. I was in shock I thought we were suppose to stay still and not only was he running but he left me, the rookie, behind. I quickly moved a few feet out of the running bears path just as it ran by me. I could have reached out and pulled hair off of the bear. He literally was inches away from me. If I hadn't move it would have ran right over me. The veteran ran down the path a little ways and then turned up into the woods and stopped. When he stopped the bear stopped just a few feet away from him. The two of them stared at each other, then the veteran stomped a foot and yelled and the bear turned and ran into the woods and kept running.
I quickly ran to catch up with the veteran and said "what the heck". But the veteran kept saying that there was another bear. There had to be another bear chasing it. So he looked one way and I walked down 6 feet to the beach and sure enough another bear was heading our way. The two of us moved down the path and stopped to watch where this bear was going. It came up on the path about 25 yards away and stopped and looked at us. We both yelled at the bear. The bear raised his head up and sniffed. He had caught the scent of the other bear and headed through the woods after it.
When I saw the bear I wasn't scared even as it ran past me. What scared me was that the veteran turned and ran and just left me. I couldn't believe it. I did however feel my heart in my throat when it was all over then I couldn't help laughing. It was just too funny that the veteran ran. Needless to say he is having a hard time living that one down. He keeps telling people he wasn't running just quickly getting out of the way.
About 15 minutes later the bear that had been chased showed up in camp right outside the ranger station. I think she felt that it was saver for her in the camp then out where other bears can chase her. The veteran and I chased her down to the beach and followed her. Every so often she tried to get back into camp. Then when she reached the river she turned around and headed back the way she came. I watched her chew on the visitor sign, chase a magpie,inspect a boat on the beach,and eat some grass. She was in no hurry to leave the camp vicinity. Then finally when she reached the camp boundaries and tried one more time to come up into camp. The veteran stomped his feet and kicked up a little dirt and the bear grabbed one more bite of grass and took off.
The bear who was being chased was a cub from last year who is spending its first summer without mom. The bear chasing her was a four year old subadult. I have not see an older, larger bear, only subadults. I can't believe how big they are and the big bears have not arrived yet. I feel good about today. I actually think everything that happened was great even the close call. It is another thing I never thought I could do and I am surviving.
Two hours later we got our first bear call. We had a bear walking down the beach heading to camp. Our job was to keep ahead of it and watch to make sure it did not leave the beach and come into the camp. The bear behaved fine and just walked down the beach and out of site. Our last of job of the day is to go around and check all the electrical fences and make sure everything is running properly. Our last stop was the campground. On the way back we had a little excitement.
We were walking back to the ranger station, the veteran was in front and I was close behind. As we were walking I heard a twig snap and turned around thinking a red squirrel was crossing the path. Only it wasn't a squirrel it was a brown bear running full speed right towards us. I reached out for the veteran and called his name to say a bear was coming and I turned around and the veteran was running away. I was in shock I thought we were suppose to stay still and not only was he running but he left me, the rookie, behind. I quickly moved a few feet out of the running bears path just as it ran by me. I could have reached out and pulled hair off of the bear. He literally was inches away from me. If I hadn't move it would have ran right over me. The veteran ran down the path a little ways and then turned up into the woods and stopped. When he stopped the bear stopped just a few feet away from him. The two of them stared at each other, then the veteran stomped a foot and yelled and the bear turned and ran into the woods and kept running.
I quickly ran to catch up with the veteran and said "what the heck". But the veteran kept saying that there was another bear. There had to be another bear chasing it. So he looked one way and I walked down 6 feet to the beach and sure enough another bear was heading our way. The two of us moved down the path and stopped to watch where this bear was going. It came up on the path about 25 yards away and stopped and looked at us. We both yelled at the bear. The bear raised his head up and sniffed. He had caught the scent of the other bear and headed through the woods after it.
When I saw the bear I wasn't scared even as it ran past me. What scared me was that the veteran turned and ran and just left me. I couldn't believe it. I did however feel my heart in my throat when it was all over then I couldn't help laughing. It was just too funny that the veteran ran. Needless to say he is having a hard time living that one down. He keeps telling people he wasn't running just quickly getting out of the way.
About 15 minutes later the bear that had been chased showed up in camp right outside the ranger station. I think she felt that it was saver for her in the camp then out where other bears can chase her. The veteran and I chased her down to the beach and followed her. Every so often she tried to get back into camp. Then when she reached the river she turned around and headed back the way she came. I watched her chew on the visitor sign, chase a magpie,inspect a boat on the beach,and eat some grass. She was in no hurry to leave the camp vicinity. Then finally when she reached the camp boundaries and tried one more time to come up into camp. The veteran stomped his feet and kicked up a little dirt and the bear grabbed one more bite of grass and took off.
The bear who was being chased was a cub from last year who is spending its first summer without mom. The bear chasing her was a four year old subadult. I have not see an older, larger bear, only subadults. I can't believe how big they are and the big bears have not arrived yet. I feel good about today. I actually think everything that happened was great even the close call. It is another thing I never thought I could do and I am surviving.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I Found a Reason to Hate Alaska
My first full day at Brooks camp. The sun is shining, there are no clouds, the water is perfectly calm. It is a gorgeous morning. I get ready to hike to the ranger office where I am to report this morning and I step outside. The air is so fresh and wonderful, its excelerating. I started hiking to the river and I felt a mosquito bite me. Killed it and kept walking. With in minutes I was being swarmed by the things. There was a dark cloud swirling around my head as it was the place that was the least covered. They were biting my ears, under my glasses, getting caught in my hair, they were even trying to bite through my scalp. Every time I would slap an area I would kill not one or two but four or five. Many Mosquitoes died this morning on the two mile hike to the ranger station. Even applying bug spray only partially relieved the constant drone around my ears. My face felt like it had been attacked. I don't itch, thank goodness. But it is not pleasant.
My boss ordered each of us a bug baffler suit. I haven't even taken it out of the package yet because the bugs haven't been that bad. On the way to the office I say fishermen with their faces cover in green screen. I guess I may have to relent and either drown in deet or wear the bug suit. Once I reached the ranger office I was told two things that didn't make me happy. 1. It gets worse. I am not sure how it could get worse but supposedly it will. Lovely! 2. When on duty in the Brooks Camp area we are not allowed to wear the bug nets because it distracts from our relating to the visitors. We can wear them on our off time. So I get to spend every other week covered in deet to stay bug bite proof.
Good news came shortly later. The wind picked up and it is suppose to get worse for the next few days. The only problem with that is that its blowing in cold glacier air, Hmmmmm
Mosquitoes or be cold?
My boss ordered each of us a bug baffler suit. I haven't even taken it out of the package yet because the bugs haven't been that bad. On the way to the office I say fishermen with their faces cover in green screen. I guess I may have to relent and either drown in deet or wear the bug suit. Once I reached the ranger office I was told two things that didn't make me happy. 1. It gets worse. I am not sure how it could get worse but supposedly it will. Lovely! 2. When on duty in the Brooks Camp area we are not allowed to wear the bug nets because it distracts from our relating to the visitors. We can wear them on our off time. So I get to spend every other week covered in deet to stay bug bite proof.
Good news came shortly later. The wind picked up and it is suppose to get worse for the next few days. The only problem with that is that its blowing in cold glacier air, Hmmmmm
Mosquitoes or be cold?
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What Came Up the River
My first day back from Katmai Bay brought some interesting news in our little village. Something big had been washed up on the shore when the tide went out. A Walrus carcass had been sighted on the tidal flats. I didn't have a chance or my muck boots with me to go see this site when I first heard about it. Then when I could go explore, high tide had come back in so the carcass was under water. The next day I was told that someone had cut the head off the walrus during the night. It is illegal to hunt walrus. It is illegal to buy or sell the ivory from the tusks. If you find a dead walrus you can report it to the game and fish and you will be given permission to keep the tusks. You get a certification of ownership but you are never allowed to sell or trade them. No one had heard whether or not a claim had been made on the tusks or not.
Yesterday, I caught a flight out to Brooks Camp for a week of duty out there, and as I was getting on the float plane I saw the carcass under the water. It was amazing how big it was but spooky looking at something with no head. Hopefully this winter I will get to see a live one. The trouble now with the carcass is that the bears are going to start to smell it and it will bring the bears into town. I don't think the current is strong enough to pull the body back out into the river.
We still haven't seen a bear at the house or on walks in the area but I did see fresh tracks of one on the hiking trail to work. So they are nearby.
Yesterday, I caught a flight out to Brooks Camp for a week of duty out there, and as I was getting on the float plane I saw the carcass under the water. It was amazing how big it was but spooky looking at something with no head. Hopefully this winter I will get to see a live one. The trouble now with the carcass is that the bears are going to start to smell it and it will bring the bears into town. I don't think the current is strong enough to pull the body back out into the river.
We still haven't seen a bear at the house or on walks in the area but I did see fresh tracks of one on the hiking trail to work. So they are nearby.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Rain, Rain Go Away!
Day four and the weather is still crappy. We were to call in at noon to give weather reports to see if they could come and get us. As of 8 am we had low cielings, low visibility and rain. But at least the wind had died down. By this time all the clothes I had brought were wet. My tent was wet and my sleeping bag was wet. It didn't matter anymore if we were inside or outside. You were just wet. The intern decided after breakfast that he would sit in his tent and just read. The two of us biologist decided we would sit outside on the cold damp ground in the rain and wish it to go away. We thought about doing some kind of sun dance but since neither of us knew one and we were afraid to dance in case our moves brought more rain.
Then out in the distance a patch of blue sky appeared. It was heaven sent to us but a long ways away. Then you could see that the sun was finally trying to break free of the dark rain clouds. We decided to leave the enclosure with the electric fence that didn't work all week and climb to the top of the hill and watch the battle between the sun and the rain. As we passed the solar paneled battery for the fence my partner gave it a quick kick and said "Piece of shit".
We stood at the top of the hill willing the sun to come out. We were tired of being wet. If the weather did not clear up the next pick-up day was two days away. I wasn't sure I could last another two days of rain. We were watching the rays of sunshine try to peek free from the dark clouds. We could see on the horizon clear skys. The hope inside of us grew. Then for a brief moment we could see the sun. It was an awe inspiring moment that lasted only seconds as the rain god closed ranks and let one last torrid of water fall upon us. We were determined that the sun would come out and we were going home. Standing at the top of hill with rain pouring in buckets upon us we watched for the return of the sun. It took about a half an hour but the sun finally won out and shone through the dark clouds.
My partner could finally see her shadow and did what she called the shadow dance. We walked back to the camp site. We shook water off the tents and layed clothes out to dry. We watched as visibility cleared and the ceiling of clouds rose high enough for a plane to fly. All was good. We talked to the pilot at noon and he siad he would have to make two trips, one person and gear the first trip and the other two people and emergency gear the second. So we had to go through and decided what was going on the first run and what would be needed if the last two had to stay. The other biologist was the team leader on this mission and she said that I would be the one to fly back with the gear. We divided the food and supplies. Then we broke camp and moved everything to the beach, staging two piles of junk. Sitiing on the beach we noticed that the winds had begun to pick up and the cieling had dropped some. We kept dispatch updated with wind speeds and weather changes. Finally we saw the plane. It circled around a few times looking for a place with enough water to land as high tide was just starting and the water levels weren't that high yet.
The plane landed about a mile away from us. The three of us grabbed all the stuff going on the first flight and hiked as fast as we could to the plane. Within minutes we had the plane loaded and we were inside. The last thing the pilot said was that if the winds pick up anymore he probably won't be able to pick them up. I f conditions stayed the same it would be two hours before he would be back. With that we were on our way.
To get to Katmai Bay we flew over the valley of ten thousands smokes. We got to see the volcano crater. It was a very interesting trip, but we could not fly back that way as the pass was clouded shut. We flew south and crossed the mountains on a different pass. The ride was bumpy and rough. Good thing the dramamine worked. I did see a very large bear from the plane and numerous waterfalls in the mountains. We landed on the river and within ten minutes we had the plane unloaded on the dock and refueled, and the pilot was on his way. It felt good to be home. I am a horrible person though. I took care of all the equiment, stopped at Eddies for a cheeseburger and then home for a hot shower and my warm bed. I didn't go back to the dock to see if they had made it back. I was out like a light in my bed. The rest of the team did however, make it back and did the same thing I did.
Then out in the distance a patch of blue sky appeared. It was heaven sent to us but a long ways away. Then you could see that the sun was finally trying to break free of the dark rain clouds. We decided to leave the enclosure with the electric fence that didn't work all week and climb to the top of the hill and watch the battle between the sun and the rain. As we passed the solar paneled battery for the fence my partner gave it a quick kick and said "Piece of shit".
We stood at the top of the hill willing the sun to come out. We were tired of being wet. If the weather did not clear up the next pick-up day was two days away. I wasn't sure I could last another two days of rain. We were watching the rays of sunshine try to peek free from the dark clouds. We could see on the horizon clear skys. The hope inside of us grew. Then for a brief moment we could see the sun. It was an awe inspiring moment that lasted only seconds as the rain god closed ranks and let one last torrid of water fall upon us. We were determined that the sun would come out and we were going home. Standing at the top of hill with rain pouring in buckets upon us we watched for the return of the sun. It took about a half an hour but the sun finally won out and shone through the dark clouds.
My partner could finally see her shadow and did what she called the shadow dance. We walked back to the camp site. We shook water off the tents and layed clothes out to dry. We watched as visibility cleared and the ceiling of clouds rose high enough for a plane to fly. All was good. We talked to the pilot at noon and he siad he would have to make two trips, one person and gear the first trip and the other two people and emergency gear the second. So we had to go through and decided what was going on the first run and what would be needed if the last two had to stay. The other biologist was the team leader on this mission and she said that I would be the one to fly back with the gear. We divided the food and supplies. Then we broke camp and moved everything to the beach, staging two piles of junk. Sitiing on the beach we noticed that the winds had begun to pick up and the cieling had dropped some. We kept dispatch updated with wind speeds and weather changes. Finally we saw the plane. It circled around a few times looking for a place with enough water to land as high tide was just starting and the water levels weren't that high yet.
The plane landed about a mile away from us. The three of us grabbed all the stuff going on the first flight and hiked as fast as we could to the plane. Within minutes we had the plane loaded and we were inside. The last thing the pilot said was that if the winds pick up anymore he probably won't be able to pick them up. I f conditions stayed the same it would be two hours before he would be back. With that we were on our way.
To get to Katmai Bay we flew over the valley of ten thousands smokes. We got to see the volcano crater. It was a very interesting trip, but we could not fly back that way as the pass was clouded shut. We flew south and crossed the mountains on a different pass. The ride was bumpy and rough. Good thing the dramamine worked. I did see a very large bear from the plane and numerous waterfalls in the mountains. We landed on the river and within ten minutes we had the plane unloaded on the dock and refueled, and the pilot was on his way. It felt good to be home. I am a horrible person though. I took care of all the equiment, stopped at Eddies for a cheeseburger and then home for a hot shower and my warm bed. I didn't go back to the dock to see if they had made it back. I was out like a light in my bed. The rest of the team did however, make it back and did the same thing I did.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Low Tide Hikes
When the tide is high most of the sedge meadow and the sandbars are under water. There is very little beach to walk on. At low tide it is a whole different place. At low tide you can walk on the beach away from the bay. Here you will find the shoreline lined with rocky cliffs. I am no Geologist so I can't tell you what they are made of but I can describe it. The cliffs are made of thin layer after thin layer of a black shale like rock with ash layers found every so often. These layers of rock were just beautiful. And on the last night at Katmai Bay we walked for hours exploring as far as we could go before the water started to rise again.
In the layers of rock, you could find fossil imprints. We find fossils of plants, clams, and shell creatures. My partner, the other biologist was looking for dinosaur prints. They had been found on this beach before. Katmai Park I was told had once held the record for the largest set of fossilized dino tracks in Alaska, that is, until Kenai Fjords found bigger ones. My partner was determined to get the record back. Though we didn't find dino tracks it was fun looking.
Every so often there would be a waterfall coming down from the mountains. Each was beautiful. Flowers were blooming on the sides of the stream. Purple, yellow and white blossoms that made the area colorful and smell terrific. At one part of our walk we came across some natural arches that the water had carved into the rock. They were also amazing. When the ocean would not let us go any farther we headed back to camp. We didn't mind the rain at all.
The sad thing about our walk was all the trash we found washed up that when the tide comes back in will again be taken out to sea. We found a shampoo bottle with shampoo in it. We found empty plastic bottles, buoys that had broken loose, and we even found what was left of a childs shoe. We found nets lost by fishermen, pieces of metal all rusted, and pieces of rope. It makes you wish we took better care of our planet.
In the layers of rock, you could find fossil imprints. We find fossils of plants, clams, and shell creatures. My partner, the other biologist was looking for dinosaur prints. They had been found on this beach before. Katmai Park I was told had once held the record for the largest set of fossilized dino tracks in Alaska, that is, until Kenai Fjords found bigger ones. My partner was determined to get the record back. Though we didn't find dino tracks it was fun looking.
Every so often there would be a waterfall coming down from the mountains. Each was beautiful. Flowers were blooming on the sides of the stream. Purple, yellow and white blossoms that made the area colorful and smell terrific. At one part of our walk we came across some natural arches that the water had carved into the rock. They were also amazing. When the ocean would not let us go any farther we headed back to camp. We didn't mind the rain at all.
The sad thing about our walk was all the trash we found washed up that when the tide comes back in will again be taken out to sea. We found a shampoo bottle with shampoo in it. We found empty plastic bottles, buoys that had broken loose, and we even found what was left of a childs shoe. We found nets lost by fishermen, pieces of metal all rusted, and pieces of rope. It makes you wish we took better care of our planet.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
More Camp Company
Day 3 at Katmai started out out like day 2 rain, rain and more rain. We had gotten up to eat breakfast but because the rain was coming down so hard we decided to stay in our tents till after lunch hoping that the rain would ease up some. So I spent the morning inside my tent reading and watching drops of rain come in from the seams. Not all government equipment is the best. I was hoping the tents had been waterproofed and sealed for the season but I was finding out that was not the case. At 11:00 we got out to fix lunch. The rain was down to a mist so we decided to eat.
We cooked refried beans for soft shell tacos. I had made mine and was eating and watching out over the bay when up the hill came more company. I said "well hello there" . Coming up the hill to check out the refried bean smell was a large, male wolf. He was gray and brown colored with a white stoamch and large white tail. He came almost to the electric fence. He was the most beautiful creature. The intern stomped his foot and the wolf jumped and started to move away. I was tempted to let him have what was left of my taco. He was just looking out for an easy meal. I wasn't afraid at all just in awe of how beautiful he was. A few more seconds of checking us out and he moved on his way. It was the best part of day 3. After he left it was back to work, back to the cliff to see if the cameras were doing their job.
We cooked refried beans for soft shell tacos. I had made mine and was eating and watching out over the bay when up the hill came more company. I said "well hello there" . Coming up the hill to check out the refried bean smell was a large, male wolf. He was gray and brown colored with a white stoamch and large white tail. He came almost to the electric fence. He was the most beautiful creature. The intern stomped his foot and the wolf jumped and started to move away. I was tempted to let him have what was left of my taco. He was just looking out for an easy meal. I wasn't afraid at all just in awe of how beautiful he was. A few more seconds of checking us out and he moved on his way. It was the best part of day 3. After he left it was back to work, back to the cliff to see if the cameras were doing their job.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Road Less Traveled
The reason I went to Katmai Bay with my partners was to place cameras on the top of a hill overlooking a sedge meadow that is in the area. Sedge meadows are one of brown bears favorite food next to salmon. Katmai Bay is our control area. Here no one but us biologist come. It does not get tourist to bear watch or people to hunt or fish. The bay is a long distance from anywhere. It took us an hour to fly there. So we take pictures of the bear behavior without human interaction and compare that to pictures taken at other areas of the park where there is high people interaction, like at Brooks Camp or the bays of the northern coast. The camera take pictures every 30 minutes and every three weeks once we put the cameras up one of us biologist will fly in and change the SD card. During the winter we will go through and study all the photos taken and do comparisons.
On the 2nd Day there after our bear encounter we packed up all the gear and headed to the camera site. The camera site was about a mile from our camp site. We could have taken two ways to get there. We could have walked the ridge that was heavy in Alder tree growth or walk down to the bottom of the hill and cross the sedge meadow then climb up. If bears have bedrooms they would be in the heavy Alder trees. Not a safe way to go. So we packed up all the gear and headed down into the sedge meadow.
A little ways away from us was a female bear having breakfast. We began to say our "hay bears" and just like they said in training the female moved away from us. Good thing too as none of us were ready for another close encounter. When we got to the area where the camera was to go I looked up and said you have got to be kidding. The area that the cameras were suppose to go was no longer on a hill but a cliff. A very tall cliff with what looked like no way up. The other biologist had been here the previous year and said there was a little path that would take us up there.
The little path up the cliff was quite narrow and was made of dirt and lose rocks. The intern started up. All of us were wearing heavy packs and had items in both hands and I was carrying the shotgun over my shoulder. As the intern climbed rocks and dirt rolled down on to us. I let him get about half way up then I began to climb. I moved the solar panels that I was carrying up then pulled my body up. Once the intern made it to the top he dropped his gear and came back down for the solar panels and the gun. I was almost to the top and was crawling under a tree branch when my pack got stuck. The intern had to come down again and help me get unstuck. It was not a pleasant hike and it was raining the whole time. Once I was up the intern went down to grab things from the other biologist and I helped her up as she took her last few steps. Then the three of us dropped to the ground and rested with the rain falling down but none of us cared.
It took about 2 hours to get everything set up and the cameras in the right position to take pitures. Electric fencing went around the cameras and then we camalflouge the cameras to make them seem part of the surroundings. Personally I don't think it worked but it wasn't my study or my plan. Then it was time to go back down. Down is always easier and this time even more so as we hardly carried any wieght. But now the path was even more slippery because of all the more rain that had fallen. My choice of decent was on my butt that way I had more of me on the ground to keep from falling. Though you had to look at the bottom and how dangerous it would be if you fell. The intern fell the last couple feet on his way down but us too females made it a slow and muddy slide down both on our backsides. The intern was all right but just as muddy as the two of us.By the time we got back to camp we were exhausted and decided to take a nap before we did anymore work.
On the 2nd Day there after our bear encounter we packed up all the gear and headed to the camera site. The camera site was about a mile from our camp site. We could have taken two ways to get there. We could have walked the ridge that was heavy in Alder tree growth or walk down to the bottom of the hill and cross the sedge meadow then climb up. If bears have bedrooms they would be in the heavy Alder trees. Not a safe way to go. So we packed up all the gear and headed down into the sedge meadow.
A little ways away from us was a female bear having breakfast. We began to say our "hay bears" and just like they said in training the female moved away from us. Good thing too as none of us were ready for another close encounter. When we got to the area where the camera was to go I looked up and said you have got to be kidding. The area that the cameras were suppose to go was no longer on a hill but a cliff. A very tall cliff with what looked like no way up. The other biologist had been here the previous year and said there was a little path that would take us up there.
The little path up the cliff was quite narrow and was made of dirt and lose rocks. The intern started up. All of us were wearing heavy packs and had items in both hands and I was carrying the shotgun over my shoulder. As the intern climbed rocks and dirt rolled down on to us. I let him get about half way up then I began to climb. I moved the solar panels that I was carrying up then pulled my body up. Once the intern made it to the top he dropped his gear and came back down for the solar panels and the gun. I was almost to the top and was crawling under a tree branch when my pack got stuck. The intern had to come down again and help me get unstuck. It was not a pleasant hike and it was raining the whole time. Once I was up the intern went down to grab things from the other biologist and I helped her up as she took her last few steps. Then the three of us dropped to the ground and rested with the rain falling down but none of us cared.
It took about 2 hours to get everything set up and the cameras in the right position to take pitures. Electric fencing went around the cameras and then we camalflouge the cameras to make them seem part of the surroundings. Personally I don't think it worked but it wasn't my study or my plan. Then it was time to go back down. Down is always easier and this time even more so as we hardly carried any wieght. But now the path was even more slippery because of all the more rain that had fallen. My choice of decent was on my butt that way I had more of me on the ground to keep from falling. Though you had to look at the bottom and how dangerous it would be if you fell. The intern fell the last couple feet on his way down but us too females made it a slow and muddy slide down both on our backsides. The intern was all right but just as muddy as the two of us.By the time we got back to camp we were exhausted and decided to take a nap before we did anymore work.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Close Encounters of the Bear Kind
Before I tell my story tonight there are a few facts you should know.
1. A bear that is 0 - 2 years old is called a cub and stays with his mother. A bear that is 3 - 5 is called a subadult, basically they are teenagers who are trying to find their way in the world after leaving mom. Over the age of five they are adults, maybe not full grown but adults.
2. When a bear is aggressive he will first yawn, then froth at the mouth and make popping sounds. If it feels threatened it will fake charge you. these are signs that you might be in trouble.
Now that you understand those facts the story will make more sense to you. We had arrived at Katmai Bay the day before the bear encounter takes place. We made camp on a plateau of a hillside looking out across the bay. We are surrounded by about 6 ft hill on three sides which we thought would protect our tents from the wind which was blowing at 20 mph. There were three of us in the group and each of us had our own tents. The tents were placed near the back of the plateau, our gear tent was placed in the middle of this area and we had bear barrels full of food stored at the opposite end of the area. Around all of this we strung an electrical fence and hooked the charger to solar powered batteries.
Day 2 at Katmai Bay. We wake up to rain. We cook breakfast and were just finishing eating when we notice a bear across the bay. Katmai Bay is very shallow and when the tide is low there are long sandbars that appear in the water. The bear we see is on one of these sandbars but a distance from us. As we are watching he starts to make his way through the water coming to the shore directly at the bottom of the hill from our camp sight. As he reaches the shore he looks directly up at us. So the three of us did what we were trained to do. We stood close together and waved our arms and yelled yah bear. We talked to it saying things like not up here and go away, follow the beach.
The bear however decided we needed to be checked out. He started to climb the hill. Needless to say we yelled a little louder and waved our arms a little more frantically. Still the bear came. He walked up the hillside on the left side of our camp and stopped. He was 10 feet away from us on the bear barrel side of the enclosure. We noticed that the bear was frothing at the mouth. Not a good thing. We continued to yell. We grabbed pots and pans and banged them together. We used anything that would make noice. All the things told to us in bear training would discourage a bear.
Not this bear. He walked straight ahead but farther down our enclosure then turned and headed towards us. He was heading directly towards my tent. We moved over to the other side of the enclosure and yelled some more. Now remember that the winds are 20 mph and it is raining.
The bear is now 4 feet from us. One of my partners had their bear spray ready but because of the wind we didn't want to use it. The reason being two fold. One, because of the wind we might get sprayed instead of the bear- not good. Two- after about 30 minutes bear spray becomes an attractant to bears because it begins to smell like food so we would have had to move our camp.
I had a safety flare on me so I ignited it. Red flames shot out of the end of the flare. I held it out for the bear to see. It moved a couple of steps closer. I took a step forward and was waving my arms in wide arcs yelling at the top of my lungs. The bear stopped. I kept waving my arms, my partners were stomping their feet and yelling with me. The bear kept staring at us. The only thing between us and the bear besides the three feet of space was our electric fence. The electric fence run by solar power. It was raining. I hope you understand.
Finally, the bear turned back up the hill. He walked around the top of the hill around our enclosure then disappeared down the back side. We kept up our yelling for about five minutes, then one of my partners climbed up the hill to see where the bear went. He was a distance from us heading away.
The other biologist in the group looked at me and said I didn't like that bear. Our intern was pretty shaken up. He was from Detroit and it was his first bear encounter of any kind. Me, I burned my hand from the drippings of the flare and didn't even realize it. My bear spray and my knife were always in arms reach the rest of the trip.
The two of us biologist knew the bear was a subadult. The intern from Detroit said he couldn't believe it was just a subadult it was the biggest bear he had ever seen. My partner and I just told him it was a teenager trying to show us he was something to reckon with. I am not sure that comforted the intern. The other biologist went over to the solar panels and gave it a kick and and said "piece of shit." Then we laughed.
1. A bear that is 0 - 2 years old is called a cub and stays with his mother. A bear that is 3 - 5 is called a subadult, basically they are teenagers who are trying to find their way in the world after leaving mom. Over the age of five they are adults, maybe not full grown but adults.
2. When a bear is aggressive he will first yawn, then froth at the mouth and make popping sounds. If it feels threatened it will fake charge you. these are signs that you might be in trouble.
Now that you understand those facts the story will make more sense to you. We had arrived at Katmai Bay the day before the bear encounter takes place. We made camp on a plateau of a hillside looking out across the bay. We are surrounded by about 6 ft hill on three sides which we thought would protect our tents from the wind which was blowing at 20 mph. There were three of us in the group and each of us had our own tents. The tents were placed near the back of the plateau, our gear tent was placed in the middle of this area and we had bear barrels full of food stored at the opposite end of the area. Around all of this we strung an electrical fence and hooked the charger to solar powered batteries.
Day 2 at Katmai Bay. We wake up to rain. We cook breakfast and were just finishing eating when we notice a bear across the bay. Katmai Bay is very shallow and when the tide is low there are long sandbars that appear in the water. The bear we see is on one of these sandbars but a distance from us. As we are watching he starts to make his way through the water coming to the shore directly at the bottom of the hill from our camp sight. As he reaches the shore he looks directly up at us. So the three of us did what we were trained to do. We stood close together and waved our arms and yelled yah bear. We talked to it saying things like not up here and go away, follow the beach.
The bear however decided we needed to be checked out. He started to climb the hill. Needless to say we yelled a little louder and waved our arms a little more frantically. Still the bear came. He walked up the hillside on the left side of our camp and stopped. He was 10 feet away from us on the bear barrel side of the enclosure. We noticed that the bear was frothing at the mouth. Not a good thing. We continued to yell. We grabbed pots and pans and banged them together. We used anything that would make noice. All the things told to us in bear training would discourage a bear.
Not this bear. He walked straight ahead but farther down our enclosure then turned and headed towards us. He was heading directly towards my tent. We moved over to the other side of the enclosure and yelled some more. Now remember that the winds are 20 mph and it is raining.
The bear is now 4 feet from us. One of my partners had their bear spray ready but because of the wind we didn't want to use it. The reason being two fold. One, because of the wind we might get sprayed instead of the bear- not good. Two- after about 30 minutes bear spray becomes an attractant to bears because it begins to smell like food so we would have had to move our camp.
I had a safety flare on me so I ignited it. Red flames shot out of the end of the flare. I held it out for the bear to see. It moved a couple of steps closer. I took a step forward and was waving my arms in wide arcs yelling at the top of my lungs. The bear stopped. I kept waving my arms, my partners were stomping their feet and yelling with me. The bear kept staring at us. The only thing between us and the bear besides the three feet of space was our electric fence. The electric fence run by solar power. It was raining. I hope you understand.
Finally, the bear turned back up the hill. He walked around the top of the hill around our enclosure then disappeared down the back side. We kept up our yelling for about five minutes, then one of my partners climbed up the hill to see where the bear went. He was a distance from us heading away.
The other biologist in the group looked at me and said I didn't like that bear. Our intern was pretty shaken up. He was from Detroit and it was his first bear encounter of any kind. Me, I burned my hand from the drippings of the flare and didn't even realize it. My bear spray and my knife were always in arms reach the rest of the trip.
The two of us biologist knew the bear was a subadult. The intern from Detroit said he couldn't believe it was just a subadult it was the biggest bear he had ever seen. My partner and I just told him it was a teenager trying to show us he was something to reckon with. I am not sure that comforted the intern. The other biologist went over to the solar panels and gave it a kick and and said "piece of shit." Then we laughed.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
In An Instant It Was Green
Today I got up and went for a walk with my dog. Another rainy day and another day of waiting to get to Katmai Bay. Things looked pretty much the same. The trees were budding out and bits of grass were turning green. Then the Sun came out. It was an amazing transformation from this morning. The trees had suddenly leafed out and the grass was a lot more green. The walk home from work was like I had walked it the first time. The Eskimo River was lined in green voliage. I love the way nature looks after a thunderstorm. The lightening always greens things up but they don't get thunderstorms here. Just the rain and the sun. It made people in the neighborhood start planting their gardens. I think when I get back I will plant a small garden also. I hear that onions and potatoes grow great here along with lettuce.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
It All Depends on the Weather
Today I was to fly to Katmai Bay for a four day trip. Katmai Bay is on the east coast of Katmai National Park. We would have taken the Beaver in, landed in the water and pulled the boat to the beach, unloaded all our gear and begin our work. I was all excited as I was hoping to see Marine Life, for instance, maybe a seal, or gray whale. You know something cool.
I put on my pack of gear and headed out the door. It was gray and about 50% cloud cover but no rain. by the 8:05 flight briefing gale force winds were attacking the coast and it had started to rain in King Salmon. The weather report said it was to get worse as the day went on. All flights for the day were cancelled. The outlook for the rest of the week looks grim. That is working life in Alaska. At the 2:30 flight briefing we were given a 2.5% chance for a go tomorrow. The pilot didn't want to dash all our hopes. But who knows.
On Friday of last week the only thing I had on my agenda for Saturday was to meet with the team for Katmai Bay and get gear around and groceries bought. Friday at lunch I was told that there was an Eagle meeting at 8:00 am. I flew home from brooks camp at 4:30 that afternoon. The meeting was still at 8:00 am. When the flight landed 25 minutes later I was told the group flying in from Lake Clark NP were not going to be able to get here till 10:30. Saturday morning I was called and told that their plane was having some difficulties and the meeting was postponed until 12:30. At 11:30 I was called and told that the meeting was going to start at Noon because they would be arriving sooner than expected. By the time I got that call I was Naknek doing the grocery shopping for the trip and I just told them that I would not be there at noon as I was still doing the shopping for Katmai Bay. By the time I got to the office the meeting was over.
Yesterday two groups went out in the bush. They are suppose to be picked up on Thursday. If the winds don't die down they will be left there until it is safe to fly. Those teams packed for an extra three days, which is how many days extra we bought food for. I guess it is not uncommon to spend a few extra days because of weather delays. You can not be uptight in Alaska you have to go with the flow and adapt to the up to the minute changes. It does make life interesting.
I put on my pack of gear and headed out the door. It was gray and about 50% cloud cover but no rain. by the 8:05 flight briefing gale force winds were attacking the coast and it had started to rain in King Salmon. The weather report said it was to get worse as the day went on. All flights for the day were cancelled. The outlook for the rest of the week looks grim. That is working life in Alaska. At the 2:30 flight briefing we were given a 2.5% chance for a go tomorrow. The pilot didn't want to dash all our hopes. But who knows.
On Friday of last week the only thing I had on my agenda for Saturday was to meet with the team for Katmai Bay and get gear around and groceries bought. Friday at lunch I was told that there was an Eagle meeting at 8:00 am. I flew home from brooks camp at 4:30 that afternoon. The meeting was still at 8:00 am. When the flight landed 25 minutes later I was told the group flying in from Lake Clark NP were not going to be able to get here till 10:30. Saturday morning I was called and told that their plane was having some difficulties and the meeting was postponed until 12:30. At 11:30 I was called and told that the meeting was going to start at Noon because they would be arriving sooner than expected. By the time I got that call I was Naknek doing the grocery shopping for the trip and I just told them that I would not be there at noon as I was still doing the shopping for Katmai Bay. By the time I got to the office the meeting was over.
Yesterday two groups went out in the bush. They are suppose to be picked up on Thursday. If the winds don't die down they will be left there until it is safe to fly. Those teams packed for an extra three days, which is how many days extra we bought food for. I guess it is not uncommon to spend a few extra days because of weather delays. You can not be uptight in Alaska you have to go with the flow and adapt to the up to the minute changes. It does make life interesting.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Life in the town of King Salmon
So today I thought I would talk about what life has been like in King Salmon the month that I have been here. No one here actually calls King Salmon a town. If you are going to town it means that your heading to Anchorage. It took me a while to realize that. But yes if you say your going to town, you mean, your hopping on a plane flying a hour and a half to go to Anchorage. There are two main reasons to go to Anchorage. One to see a doctor as there are no Doctors here. Or two to buy food. The biggest place everyone wants to go is Cosco. You might head over there if your going to buy a new car, 4 wheeler, or boat but it is not a big reason for anyone to go to town.
Food buying is as big of conversation topic as the weather. Whenever anyone finds a new place to shop online they let everyone know. Places that have big bargins on everyday items puts big smiles on peoples faces. And you would think gold was discovered when Amazon.com let Alaskans have free shipping. You can now spend $25 on food through them and it is shipped free. I think pools have all ready begun to see how long that will last.
I have all ready told you that we have to take our garbage to the local dumpster. Being a city girl from the lower 48 garbage was always picked up by a big garbage truck. Thats what I thought happened here only they just emptied the dumpsters to save on gas. Nope. Here two guys in a pick-up truck drive around to the dumpsters picking up bags of trash and then they haul it to the dump. Usually, I'm told, they pick up the garbage around 10 am. but if it is basketball season you had better have your trash out early.
Everyone in here knows everyone. I had been gone for over a week to go to Brooks Camp and the lady at the grocery and the postmaster asked me where I had been. Since I have only been a resident for a month that is pretty inpressive.
I have learned not to take anything for granted. For example, there are days when basic necessities aren't available. The grocery store has been out of milk twice now. Eggs are hard to come by but I am good as I bought 18 dozen a couple of weeks ago. I have learned that flour is more valuable than gold. A five pound bage of flour is $14. 25 pounds will run almost $50. And to think I use to buy it at Sams club for $8 for 25 pounds.
Life is built here around the salmon and in a few days they should start to arrive and with the fish come the wildlife. We have yet to see anything bigger than the red fox in town but yesterday we saw fresh tracks of a wolf. Supposedly the bears will be wandering the neighborhood soon. Life is quiet and time is told by the arrival of the Penn airflights and the Cargo plane that arrives once a day. It is totally different from life in the 48. I think I like that.
Food buying is as big of conversation topic as the weather. Whenever anyone finds a new place to shop online they let everyone know. Places that have big bargins on everyday items puts big smiles on peoples faces. And you would think gold was discovered when Amazon.com let Alaskans have free shipping. You can now spend $25 on food through them and it is shipped free. I think pools have all ready begun to see how long that will last.
I have all ready told you that we have to take our garbage to the local dumpster. Being a city girl from the lower 48 garbage was always picked up by a big garbage truck. Thats what I thought happened here only they just emptied the dumpsters to save on gas. Nope. Here two guys in a pick-up truck drive around to the dumpsters picking up bags of trash and then they haul it to the dump. Usually, I'm told, they pick up the garbage around 10 am. but if it is basketball season you had better have your trash out early.
Everyone in here knows everyone. I had been gone for over a week to go to Brooks Camp and the lady at the grocery and the postmaster asked me where I had been. Since I have only been a resident for a month that is pretty inpressive.
I have learned not to take anything for granted. For example, there are days when basic necessities aren't available. The grocery store has been out of milk twice now. Eggs are hard to come by but I am good as I bought 18 dozen a couple of weeks ago. I have learned that flour is more valuable than gold. A five pound bage of flour is $14. 25 pounds will run almost $50. And to think I use to buy it at Sams club for $8 for 25 pounds.
Life is built here around the salmon and in a few days they should start to arrive and with the fish come the wildlife. We have yet to see anything bigger than the red fox in town but yesterday we saw fresh tracks of a wolf. Supposedly the bears will be wandering the neighborhood soon. Life is quiet and time is told by the arrival of the Penn airflights and the Cargo plane that arrives once a day. It is totally different from life in the 48. I think I like that.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Thing About Moose
Today in the office I was going over past moose reports. I came across a paper that explained how to record moose seen from the air while on a flight survey. I will be doing these types of surveys in November and early December. By this time there will be snow on the ground which makes it easier to see the moose especially if the vegetation has snow on it. The snow may start to fall here as early as August. Which is a couple of months earlier than I am use to but thats all right because I love the snow.
The surveys have to be done by early December as the males will be shedding their racks by mid December and from the air it will be hard to tell males and females apart. According to this paper, males come in three sizes, small, medium and large. To tell them apart you examine them from directly above and look at the rack. A yearly doesn't have any tines yet. Tines are the points on the paddle part of the rack. 2-3 year olds may have one tine and the larger the bull the larger and more tines he has. Then it said you fly around again ( which is the third time you've circled the moose because you had to fly by it once to spot it.) This time you try to look at it from the side. According to this guide a small bulls body looks like a square, a medium size moose has a body that looks like a rectangle and the large bulls have a trapoziod body shape. To go with the description they had little pictures with the shapes drawn over the bodies.
The paper also talked about the mother moose and her calf. It said that if a moose bends its head down to touch another moose that moose is female. Male moose to not do that behavior. A calf will be a lot smaller than the mother. I think that would be common sense but maybe long ago there was an intern who could not tell the difference and now it has to be explained. The paper went on to describe how a moose will react to your low flying plane. If you witness a female she will try to get to thicker cover. Usually she runs off and hopes that the calf will follow. You will not see a mother chase a calf to safety. Then the paper went on to say that groups of male moose will get worked up and fighting among them would be common. And eventually one or more of the moose will think the plane is part of the game and chase after your plane. Now that would be a sight to see.
The part I liked best was there was a note from the author which said after the second day of flying he was no longer airsick and the surveys went much better. Also good to know.
The surveys have to be done by early December as the males will be shedding their racks by mid December and from the air it will be hard to tell males and females apart. According to this paper, males come in three sizes, small, medium and large. To tell them apart you examine them from directly above and look at the rack. A yearly doesn't have any tines yet. Tines are the points on the paddle part of the rack. 2-3 year olds may have one tine and the larger the bull the larger and more tines he has. Then it said you fly around again ( which is the third time you've circled the moose because you had to fly by it once to spot it.) This time you try to look at it from the side. According to this guide a small bulls body looks like a square, a medium size moose has a body that looks like a rectangle and the large bulls have a trapoziod body shape. To go with the description they had little pictures with the shapes drawn over the bodies.
The paper also talked about the mother moose and her calf. It said that if a moose bends its head down to touch another moose that moose is female. Male moose to not do that behavior. A calf will be a lot smaller than the mother. I think that would be common sense but maybe long ago there was an intern who could not tell the difference and now it has to be explained. The paper went on to describe how a moose will react to your low flying plane. If you witness a female she will try to get to thicker cover. Usually she runs off and hopes that the calf will follow. You will not see a mother chase a calf to safety. Then the paper went on to say that groups of male moose will get worked up and fighting among them would be common. And eventually one or more of the moose will think the plane is part of the game and chase after your plane. Now that would be a sight to see.
The part I liked best was there was a note from the author which said after the second day of flying he was no longer airsick and the surveys went much better. Also good to know.
Facts on Drowning
We spent one day talking about drowning so I thought I would pass some facts on to you.
1. Aquatic deaths are the second leading cause of accidental fatalities under the age of 44.
2. One seventh of all drownings are boat related.
3. Men drown four times as frequently as women.
4. Blacks are twice as likely to die from drowning as whites.
5. Over 50% of drowning victims had been drinking.
6. 50% of drowning victims occur outside the months of June, July, and August.
7. You are twice as likely to die of drowning in Canada than the U.S.
8. You are ten times more likely to drown in Alaska than the lower 48.
9. 2/3 of drowning victims are non-swimmers-or poor swimmers.
10. Most drowning victims are fully clothed and did not intend to go into the water.
11. 85% of boating accident victims could have lived if wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device).
12. The primary drowning victim is 18- 24 year old white male that is intoxicated with his zipper down.
13. Most drownings are within 10 feet of safety/50 feet from shore.
14. 60% of all drownings are witnessed.
15. The longest submersion with complete recovery was 66 minutes.
16. Most drownings tend to involve fully clothed, panicked non-or poor swimmers or good swimmers who have compromised their swimming skills through injury, or alcohol/drug use-overuse.
17. Sudden immersion triggers an uncontrollable physiological progression, which-unless interrupted by a rescuer , will end in death.
a. They are driven by two basic forces: fear, and the need for air.
b. They can not hear, see, or think, or respond.
c. They will attempt to elevate themselves through uncontrolled climbing upon anything or anyone.
d. They demonstrate four classic indications of drowning.
1. Their head is back
2. Their mouth is open but not verbalizing!
3. They move both arms simultaneously in an above the water breast stroke.
4, Their head bobs up and down above/below the surface.
18. A small child can drown in 20 seconds.
19. An adult can drown in 60 seconds.
20. An intoxicated person can drown in water no deeper than their hips.
21. An intoxicant, even if found immediately after drowning, may be difficult or impossible to resuscitate.
22. When attempting to rescue someone remember this priority: YOU, Your Partner, the victim. DON'T become another victim.
23. Cold water victims are not dead until they are warmed and dead. Start CPR immediately and continue until help arrives. The victim is still alive until warmed and dead. (This rule was repeated over and over as Alaskan waters are cold.)
24. Use these rules for rescue attempts
a. Talk first to the person as they may not realize that they are in shallow water
b. Reach for the person if it is safe
c. Throw a object for them to reach for, do not tie that item to yourself.
d. Row - go out to the victim
e. Never get into the water if at all possible and don't go in if you are not a qualified rescuer as the victim could take you under. Do not become a victim.
1. Aquatic deaths are the second leading cause of accidental fatalities under the age of 44.
2. One seventh of all drownings are boat related.
3. Men drown four times as frequently as women.
4. Blacks are twice as likely to die from drowning as whites.
5. Over 50% of drowning victims had been drinking.
6. 50% of drowning victims occur outside the months of June, July, and August.
7. You are twice as likely to die of drowning in Canada than the U.S.
8. You are ten times more likely to drown in Alaska than the lower 48.
9. 2/3 of drowning victims are non-swimmers-or poor swimmers.
10. Most drowning victims are fully clothed and did not intend to go into the water.
11. 85% of boating accident victims could have lived if wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device).
12. The primary drowning victim is 18- 24 year old white male that is intoxicated with his zipper down.
13. Most drownings are within 10 feet of safety/50 feet from shore.
14. 60% of all drownings are witnessed.
15. The longest submersion with complete recovery was 66 minutes.
16. Most drownings tend to involve fully clothed, panicked non-or poor swimmers or good swimmers who have compromised their swimming skills through injury, or alcohol/drug use-overuse.
17. Sudden immersion triggers an uncontrollable physiological progression, which-unless interrupted by a rescuer , will end in death.
a. They are driven by two basic forces: fear, and the need for air.
b. They can not hear, see, or think, or respond.
c. They will attempt to elevate themselves through uncontrolled climbing upon anything or anyone.
d. They demonstrate four classic indications of drowning.
1. Their head is back
2. Their mouth is open but not verbalizing!
3. They move both arms simultaneously in an above the water breast stroke.
4, Their head bobs up and down above/below the surface.
18. A small child can drown in 20 seconds.
19. An adult can drown in 60 seconds.
20. An intoxicated person can drown in water no deeper than their hips.
21. An intoxicant, even if found immediately after drowning, may be difficult or impossible to resuscitate.
22. When attempting to rescue someone remember this priority: YOU, Your Partner, the victim. DON'T become another victim.
23. Cold water victims are not dead until they are warmed and dead. Start CPR immediately and continue until help arrives. The victim is still alive until warmed and dead. (This rule was repeated over and over as Alaskan waters are cold.)
24. Use these rules for rescue attempts
a. Talk first to the person as they may not realize that they are in shallow water
b. Reach for the person if it is safe
c. Throw a object for them to reach for, do not tie that item to yourself.
d. Row - go out to the victim
e. Never get into the water if at all possible and don't go in if you are not a qualified rescuer as the victim could take you under. Do not become a victim.
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