One day during lunch a call came over the radio for the bear squad. The bear squad consists of myself the other wildlife biologist, two bear management people whose job is to keep the bears out of the main part of camp, the only place at Brooks Camp where bears do not have the right away, and the bear monitor whose job is to monitor the bears activities on the river, identify which bears come to the river and number the new bears. As the two of wildlife biologist can not just monitor bears all summer at Brooks Camp. We have five million acres of bear territory to monitor and of course all the other creatures that live at Katmai. The call came in from a ranger stationed at the bridge that a courting couple was heading towards camp.
A courting couple is a female bear, or sow, who is in estrus, who is giving off a special scent to tell all the male bears she is ready to have cubs, and of course a male bear or boar. The sow will not mate with a boar until she is ready and the time is right. This could take up to two weeks. Meanwhile the boars will follow her around every where until he can mate with her. Once we got the call the five of us ran out to various places to keep on an eye on the couple. They crossed over the path just before the main part of camp and headed to the beach. From where I was standing 100 yards down the beach at the edge of the woods I saw them coming towards me. Then the female stopped. The boar moved closer to her and rubbed his head along the side of the her body. She than nuzzled the the boar. It was a very tender moment for the two of them but it did not lead to anything.
She continue down the beach towards me. The beach is usually where the float planes drop people off and boats will land and tie up at. But is also the major highway for the bears to get to and from the river. If there are bears on the beach the bear squads job is to get all the humans up into the woods to let the bears have a clear shot down the beach. If humans block the beach the only place for the bears to go is up into camp where we don't want them, so I will be spending a lot of time on the beach directing bear and human traffic.
I watched the couple come closer so I moved back towards camp keeping them in my sights to watch the story play out. Unfortunately, we were called back to class before they got close enough for a good picture and since they were on the beach I did not have to stay and monitor them anymore and had to go back to class. I was totally disappointed.
Three days later our class ( the class was Motorcraft Operation Safety) was outside near the river going over trailering your boat on the road. The class had their backs to the river listening to the instructor with the viewing platform behind us. When out of the brush came the same female, who we determined was Diget and behind her was the boar, number 854. Once the couple had passed the class we all moved safely onto the platform and for the next 30 minutes observed the couple. Diget proceeded to move around the sandbar and in and out of the brush with the 854 following close behind. About 30 yards from the platform she stopped and waited for 854 to catch up. Then the two of the started to nuzzle one another. Their heads rubbed against each others necks. Then Diget got up and moved a few feet away. 854 stood and stared at her then moved back beside her. He pulled her close to him with his huge paws and it looked like he was kissing her. Then in front of the class they mated. The bear squad took notes that the couple had mated so if Diget comes out next year with cubs we know who might be the father. Females will mate with more than one male and it is not uncommon for a group of cubs to have different fathers. The rest of the class made comments, not all that can be repeated. I am thrilled to have been able to witness the scene as in the lower 48 that is not a scene that is seen too often.
When the boar was finished Diget headed down the beach and 854 was following behind. We returned back to class.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Just Follow the River
One evening two young college girls from Canada arrived. At that time I was still staying in the Yurt. The Yurt is a round tent/building that is divided by a seven foot wall in the form of an upside down capital T. When you walk into the the Yurt you will see a frigerator, a stove and a few cuboards and a counter space. Under the counter are six drawers. This is the Yurts kitchen. Men who live in the Yurt go to the right, women to the left. On each side of the Yurt are two sets of bunk beds and one twin size bed. For the first two days I was alone in the Yurt with, a male season intern. On the third day, my boss moved in with us and I had the Canadians move in on my side. They say Aye alot.
Anyways, they wanted to know if I would show them the way to the falls. So off the three of us went. I like an idiot forgot my radio and GPS but I did have my bear spray along with me. In my defense, I was just planning on following the road to the trail and the trail to the falls and back again. So we hiked to the falls and spent about an hour enjoying the beautiful scenery. Then one of the girls got it in her head that we should follow the river to Brooks Lake. I said other people have done it but I never had and I wasn't sure of the way but after a few minutes of discussion we decided that following the river would be easy and Brooks Lake was not that far away so the three of us decided to try it.
We got off the platform and headed to the edge of the river. It was a beautiful sunny evening and the scenery was awesome. We had been hiking for about ten minutes when we came up to a stream that entered the river. All three of us were wearing tennis shoes and not our muck boots (knee boots) and the stream was a little too wide for us to jump so we decided to try and find a way to get across the stream. Following the stream we came across a bunch of fallen down trees blocking our way so we thought no problem just walk around. Once around the trees we could not see the stream or the river anymore but we were standing on a bear trail and decided that it was heading in the right direction so we would follow that. As we were walking we were busy getting to know one another. This of course led to not watching where we were going. I thought I saw the road up ahead but it turned out to be a place in the woods where there were not any trees and the sunlight was decieving us in to thinking there was a road not just a barren piece of tundra. Standing there in this clearing surrounded by a forest of white spruce trees we realized that we were no longer heading in the right direction that we had done a 180 turn in the woods. This made one of my partners very nervous, the other was sure were she was going and took off with the two of us rushing to keep up because it is not wise to be separated in bear country. Bears won't attack a group unless absolutely necessary. So the leader went walking off in quick pace through the thick trees. After another fifteen minutes of endless walking in circles I made everyone stop and just listen for a few moments. I could hear the falls off to the north so I took the lead and headed to the sound. Being you are not suppose to be quiet when hiking I said we needed to keep talking but the Canadians were a little nervous and couldn't think of anything to say. Finally one of them decided to sing a silly bear song she had heard before she left for Alaska and she taught it to us. So there we were three lost girls singing silly bear songs looking for the place we had started. After another ten minutes of wandering we came across the trail safe and sound and without a bear story. We were lucky if we had done that a month later those same woods would have been filled with bears. It was not a bright idea on my part, though I joked that we weren't really lost just temporarily misplaced.
The next night, the same girl talked the male intern into a hike to a lake a mile away. It was 9:30 at night. They asked me if I wanted to go. I said are you crazy. It was too late to start a hike. Needless to say they got lost on the way to the lake. On the way out there they had met a bear and moved into the woods to avoid it, and preceeded to get lost. This time they had got very lost and at 11pm called on the radio, which the intern, at the last minute remembered to bring, that they were lost. The intern had a compass on him and gave the ranger station the heading. Two hours of searching by the law enforcement rangers did not find them. By this time it was getting dark. They called the two lost souls and told him they would resume their search at 5am. The intern told them he had a lighter and had started a fire and had built a lean to for them. He also had a whistle which the Canadian girl was blowing constantly to scare away the bears. By 7:30 the next moring they were found. Needless to say once found they became the butt of many jokes but the lesson learned is not to go wondering off and if you dumb enough to do so take the proper equipment with you.
Anyways, they wanted to know if I would show them the way to the falls. So off the three of us went. I like an idiot forgot my radio and GPS but I did have my bear spray along with me. In my defense, I was just planning on following the road to the trail and the trail to the falls and back again. So we hiked to the falls and spent about an hour enjoying the beautiful scenery. Then one of the girls got it in her head that we should follow the river to Brooks Lake. I said other people have done it but I never had and I wasn't sure of the way but after a few minutes of discussion we decided that following the river would be easy and Brooks Lake was not that far away so the three of us decided to try it.
We got off the platform and headed to the edge of the river. It was a beautiful sunny evening and the scenery was awesome. We had been hiking for about ten minutes when we came up to a stream that entered the river. All three of us were wearing tennis shoes and not our muck boots (knee boots) and the stream was a little too wide for us to jump so we decided to try and find a way to get across the stream. Following the stream we came across a bunch of fallen down trees blocking our way so we thought no problem just walk around. Once around the trees we could not see the stream or the river anymore but we were standing on a bear trail and decided that it was heading in the right direction so we would follow that. As we were walking we were busy getting to know one another. This of course led to not watching where we were going. I thought I saw the road up ahead but it turned out to be a place in the woods where there were not any trees and the sunlight was decieving us in to thinking there was a road not just a barren piece of tundra. Standing there in this clearing surrounded by a forest of white spruce trees we realized that we were no longer heading in the right direction that we had done a 180 turn in the woods. This made one of my partners very nervous, the other was sure were she was going and took off with the two of us rushing to keep up because it is not wise to be separated in bear country. Bears won't attack a group unless absolutely necessary. So the leader went walking off in quick pace through the thick trees. After another fifteen minutes of endless walking in circles I made everyone stop and just listen for a few moments. I could hear the falls off to the north so I took the lead and headed to the sound. Being you are not suppose to be quiet when hiking I said we needed to keep talking but the Canadians were a little nervous and couldn't think of anything to say. Finally one of them decided to sing a silly bear song she had heard before she left for Alaska and she taught it to us. So there we were three lost girls singing silly bear songs looking for the place we had started. After another ten minutes of wandering we came across the trail safe and sound and without a bear story. We were lucky if we had done that a month later those same woods would have been filled with bears. It was not a bright idea on my part, though I joked that we weren't really lost just temporarily misplaced.
The next night, the same girl talked the male intern into a hike to a lake a mile away. It was 9:30 at night. They asked me if I wanted to go. I said are you crazy. It was too late to start a hike. Needless to say they got lost on the way to the lake. On the way out there they had met a bear and moved into the woods to avoid it, and preceeded to get lost. This time they had got very lost and at 11pm called on the radio, which the intern, at the last minute remembered to bring, that they were lost. The intern had a compass on him and gave the ranger station the heading. Two hours of searching by the law enforcement rangers did not find them. By this time it was getting dark. They called the two lost souls and told him they would resume their search at 5am. The intern told them he had a lighter and had started a fire and had built a lean to for them. He also had a whistle which the Canadian girl was blowing constantly to scare away the bears. By 7:30 the next moring they were found. Needless to say once found they became the butt of many jokes but the lesson learned is not to go wondering off and if you dumb enough to do so take the proper equipment with you.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
A Day on the Water
The day before I left Brooks Camp was a day of boating and swimming in Lake Brooks. In the morning we practiced boating and in the afternoon we tested on all the skills and ended the day with a swim test. Let me tell you about this unforgetable day.
I have been on boats most of my life. In the last 20 years my boating experience consists of canoes and kayaks. But when I was a kid my family traveled the length of the Mississippi River numerous times. I have been from the very start of the Mississippi River at Itasca where you walk across it to New Orleans not all on the same boat or same trip but I have been on all of it. Ocassionally my father would let me drive the boat while cruising down the river but for most of my life I have been the passenger, navigator and the person that does all the water testing never the driver. So I was excited to learn.
My first boat was driven with a steering wheel, don't ask me what kind of boat, I don't know, one that works in Alaskan waters. I got on board and was given the keys. No instructions, no helpful hints, just the keys. My first skill was the star pattern. Moving slowly and making no wake you enter five buoys and make a star pattern within them and then progress out of the buoys. The wind that morning was about 15 - 20 mph. I didn't do to bad at making the star pattern but it was done at an entirely too fast of speed. I did it once and turned the boat over to one of the other people on the boat. Not much of a lesson and not very easy.
There were 21 people in the class and three instructors. Three boats were running through the skills and three people were on the boat at one time. So there was a lot of down time. Next up was to run an aluminum skiff with a outboard tiller motor. I had never done one of these. Neither had the other person in the boat who was also a female. The third person who was suppose to go with us had disappeared when the boat arrived so he missed out. It was good for us because we had quite a time.
Both of us told the instructor we were nervous and had never driven this type of boat. So he took us for a ride to show us that we were perfectly safe in the boat. Then he showed us the serpentine course of ten buoys we had to weave in and out of at speed and the best way to handle it. Before turning the boat over to us he said we had to find the twelve year boy in us. We both looked at him like he was nuts so he explained. He said;" If I were to give a twelve year old boy control of the boat he would naturally go as fast as possible and weave around everything. That is because all boys have a little asshole in them." We were told to find that little boy inside of us. So I took control and tried to find the little boy in me. Let's just say he wasn't in the mood to play at first but I got the hang of it. The instructor said I did well enough to pass the test he would sign me off right there. Next up was my partner who like to turn large wide turns. It took her a while to pass the skill. We were out on that boat for 45 minutes.
Other skills we had to show that went quickly were emergency turns and beaching. Then it was time for lunch. The first time out on the water in the afternoon was with my boss. He by the way was dressed in a dry suit. A fact you are going to have to know. On this trip I was with two other females both in their twenties. Another fact to remember. So we get on the boat and we were asked what the type of boat requires before leaving the dock and where are they. So everyone on board needed a life jacket which we were all wearing, we needed a throwable floatation device which we found. The boat we were on was required to have a night and day distress signal, a horn or whistle, a fire extinquisher,and a few other things that weren't required but good to have on hand. Next we were to go out and rescue bob. Bob was a floating single buoy in the water representing a drowning victim. We were to take the boat out so that the person on the bow of the boat could touch bob but the boat did not go past bob or over bob. The name of the test was kiss the buoy. After the three of us passed the test we went for a little ride when all of the sudden my boss falls out of the boat. He is lying face up in the water moaning. We stop the boat. Go through the steps of rescue. First we yelled at him. No answer. Next one of the other passengers tells him she is going to but an oar in his hands to pull him in and proceeds to do so. Only of course he does not grab the oar. So I reach and pull his body closer to the boat. The next step is to make the side of the boat bounce down and as it comes back up use the force to pull the victim into the boat. Now you have to be told that my boss is a rather tall man over six feet. Needless to say we could not get enough momentum build up to pull him into the boat. The next thing to try is using a cargo net or tarp roll the body onto that then roll him up like a burrito and on to the boat. We happened to have a cargo net on board. Working together we got my bosses body onto the cargo net, placed his arm over his nose, this step is important as you don't want to smash their face as you roll them up the sides of the boat. Then together the three of us girls rolled my boss up and over into the boat. We were all excited that we finally got him out of the water we were high fiving each other while we left my boss rolled up in the cargo net yelling hay I am alive.
As we were heading back into shore our boat broke down. Now we had to show we knew how to do minor repairs and trouble shooting. Our boats gas hose had come unhooked. Once fixed three psyched girls beached the boat and got out. Only to find out that it was time for the swim test.
The swim test is done for two reasons. One you have to show you can save yourself and get back into the boat. Second to show you just how cold the water is. You had to have a PFD on, which kind was your decision, and swim 50 yards. But to get to water you could actually swim in you had to walk 25 yards in the cold water than swim. I decided that I wanted to go first so I could just get it over with. I was wearing a class five PFD which is a specialized coat like the coast guard wears, t-shirt, jeans, and wool socks. (we were told to wear the kind of thing you would wear while out in the boat and up there no one wears swim suits on board). I was given the okay to head to the boat. I could not believe how cold the water was. By the time I reached the first 25 yards I could not feel my feet. Then I fell into the water and rolled over on my back to back stroke to the boat. I was totally in shock by how fast I started shivering. My boss was walking between me and the other person to make sure we were all right. I was shaking a lot so he told me to stand and walk a little ways. By this time I could not move my fingers and I swore I had cement blocks for legs. My legs were so cold that I just wanted to get off of them so I started to back stroke again and it felt good to me to get off my legs. I did not realize that I had started to hyperventilate. My boss kept trying to get me to stand up but I fought and kept swimming till he lifted me out of the water. Just a fact you should know that you will lose body heat 25 times faster in the water so it is best to keep as much of your body above the water to save body heat. Which is what my boss was trying to help me with though I was not being cooperative. Finally I made it to the boat and like a fish a flopped into the boat. I was shaking from head to toe and had never been so cold in my life. The boat took the two of us back to shore. I was helped out of the boat and given a towel. Luckily, I had moved to the cabin that day and had a short walk to my room to get out of my wet clothes. I put on just about everything I owned. It took an hour for me to stop shivering. I think it took longer for my feet to unfreeze. Brooks Lake had ice on it just the week before. I was told that the temperature of the water was 35 degrees. I will not do anything that will cause me to fall into that cold water again. I never want to be that cold ever. Lesson learned.
I have been on boats most of my life. In the last 20 years my boating experience consists of canoes and kayaks. But when I was a kid my family traveled the length of the Mississippi River numerous times. I have been from the very start of the Mississippi River at Itasca where you walk across it to New Orleans not all on the same boat or same trip but I have been on all of it. Ocassionally my father would let me drive the boat while cruising down the river but for most of my life I have been the passenger, navigator and the person that does all the water testing never the driver. So I was excited to learn.
My first boat was driven with a steering wheel, don't ask me what kind of boat, I don't know, one that works in Alaskan waters. I got on board and was given the keys. No instructions, no helpful hints, just the keys. My first skill was the star pattern. Moving slowly and making no wake you enter five buoys and make a star pattern within them and then progress out of the buoys. The wind that morning was about 15 - 20 mph. I didn't do to bad at making the star pattern but it was done at an entirely too fast of speed. I did it once and turned the boat over to one of the other people on the boat. Not much of a lesson and not very easy.
There were 21 people in the class and three instructors. Three boats were running through the skills and three people were on the boat at one time. So there was a lot of down time. Next up was to run an aluminum skiff with a outboard tiller motor. I had never done one of these. Neither had the other person in the boat who was also a female. The third person who was suppose to go with us had disappeared when the boat arrived so he missed out. It was good for us because we had quite a time.
Both of us told the instructor we were nervous and had never driven this type of boat. So he took us for a ride to show us that we were perfectly safe in the boat. Then he showed us the serpentine course of ten buoys we had to weave in and out of at speed and the best way to handle it. Before turning the boat over to us he said we had to find the twelve year boy in us. We both looked at him like he was nuts so he explained. He said;" If I were to give a twelve year old boy control of the boat he would naturally go as fast as possible and weave around everything. That is because all boys have a little asshole in them." We were told to find that little boy inside of us. So I took control and tried to find the little boy in me. Let's just say he wasn't in the mood to play at first but I got the hang of it. The instructor said I did well enough to pass the test he would sign me off right there. Next up was my partner who like to turn large wide turns. It took her a while to pass the skill. We were out on that boat for 45 minutes.
Other skills we had to show that went quickly were emergency turns and beaching. Then it was time for lunch. The first time out on the water in the afternoon was with my boss. He by the way was dressed in a dry suit. A fact you are going to have to know. On this trip I was with two other females both in their twenties. Another fact to remember. So we get on the boat and we were asked what the type of boat requires before leaving the dock and where are they. So everyone on board needed a life jacket which we were all wearing, we needed a throwable floatation device which we found. The boat we were on was required to have a night and day distress signal, a horn or whistle, a fire extinquisher,and a few other things that weren't required but good to have on hand. Next we were to go out and rescue bob. Bob was a floating single buoy in the water representing a drowning victim. We were to take the boat out so that the person on the bow of the boat could touch bob but the boat did not go past bob or over bob. The name of the test was kiss the buoy. After the three of us passed the test we went for a little ride when all of the sudden my boss falls out of the boat. He is lying face up in the water moaning. We stop the boat. Go through the steps of rescue. First we yelled at him. No answer. Next one of the other passengers tells him she is going to but an oar in his hands to pull him in and proceeds to do so. Only of course he does not grab the oar. So I reach and pull his body closer to the boat. The next step is to make the side of the boat bounce down and as it comes back up use the force to pull the victim into the boat. Now you have to be told that my boss is a rather tall man over six feet. Needless to say we could not get enough momentum build up to pull him into the boat. The next thing to try is using a cargo net or tarp roll the body onto that then roll him up like a burrito and on to the boat. We happened to have a cargo net on board. Working together we got my bosses body onto the cargo net, placed his arm over his nose, this step is important as you don't want to smash their face as you roll them up the sides of the boat. Then together the three of us girls rolled my boss up and over into the boat. We were all excited that we finally got him out of the water we were high fiving each other while we left my boss rolled up in the cargo net yelling hay I am alive.
As we were heading back into shore our boat broke down. Now we had to show we knew how to do minor repairs and trouble shooting. Our boats gas hose had come unhooked. Once fixed three psyched girls beached the boat and got out. Only to find out that it was time for the swim test.
The swim test is done for two reasons. One you have to show you can save yourself and get back into the boat. Second to show you just how cold the water is. You had to have a PFD on, which kind was your decision, and swim 50 yards. But to get to water you could actually swim in you had to walk 25 yards in the cold water than swim. I decided that I wanted to go first so I could just get it over with. I was wearing a class five PFD which is a specialized coat like the coast guard wears, t-shirt, jeans, and wool socks. (we were told to wear the kind of thing you would wear while out in the boat and up there no one wears swim suits on board). I was given the okay to head to the boat. I could not believe how cold the water was. By the time I reached the first 25 yards I could not feel my feet. Then I fell into the water and rolled over on my back to back stroke to the boat. I was totally in shock by how fast I started shivering. My boss was walking between me and the other person to make sure we were all right. I was shaking a lot so he told me to stand and walk a little ways. By this time I could not move my fingers and I swore I had cement blocks for legs. My legs were so cold that I just wanted to get off of them so I started to back stroke again and it felt good to me to get off my legs. I did not realize that I had started to hyperventilate. My boss kept trying to get me to stand up but I fought and kept swimming till he lifted me out of the water. Just a fact you should know that you will lose body heat 25 times faster in the water so it is best to keep as much of your body above the water to save body heat. Which is what my boss was trying to help me with though I was not being cooperative. Finally I made it to the boat and like a fish a flopped into the boat. I was shaking from head to toe and had never been so cold in my life. The boat took the two of us back to shore. I was helped out of the boat and given a towel. Luckily, I had moved to the cabin that day and had a short walk to my room to get out of my wet clothes. I put on just about everything I owned. It took an hour for me to stop shivering. I think it took longer for my feet to unfreeze. Brooks Lake had ice on it just the week before. I was told that the temperature of the water was 35 degrees. I will not do anything that will cause me to fall into that cold water again. I never want to be that cold ever. Lesson learned.
Introducing Tundra
I am frustrated because last night I worked for hours trying to upload pictures for yesterdays post on the tour of Brooks Camp. As you could see I was unsuccessful. So again I am forced to send a disc to my husband to upload for me. Rumor has it that DSL may be coming to King Salmon but until then we are stuck with dial up internet.
On the first night at Brooks Camp while getting the tour I saw my first brown bear. She was on the other side of the river from me grazing on the new grass growing along the banks. She is a regular at Brooks Camp. She first appeared as a COY, which stands for current offspring year. That summer she got too close to a large male bear that gave her a deep cut above the left eye. Deep enough that the staff didn't think she had a chance to live. Today she is 4 1/2 years old and still bares the scare above her left eye. She probably weighs about 275 pounds. She hasn't been out of hibernation long and she needs to add fat to her body. By the middle of summer she should be around 400 pounds or more. She was named Tundra by the biologist at the time and given the number 130. All of the unknown bears and new cubs are given a ID number some of them are given names, usually after some feature or activity that they do. For instance, there is a bear named popeye because the massive width of his legs. There is a bear named milkshake that got her name because every time she finished nursing she would shake her whole body. Tundra had a sibling which was very light colored who was given the name arctic, they were trying to think of a name to go with arctic for the second cub and someone mentioned Tundra and it stuck.
She has a light tan color to her fur on most of her body but the back of her legs have a deeper brown color. She looked all soft and furry that first night like a stuffed bear in a store that you just want to hug. We watched her walk down the shoreline away from us just enjoying the evening sunlight while she ate. The next morning I was out for a walk and I saw her again on a sandbar at the mouth of the river. She was digging in the sand in search for what none of us have figured out. I sat about 75 yards away from her and watched until it was time to go to work. It was so much fun to watch as she dug with her huge paws and sharp claws. Every once in a while she would pounce on the hole as if there was a live creature there for her to attack. Then finally she laid down and her muzzle would dissappear down the hole, after a few seconds she would raise her head and you could see her eating something. It was an amzing time.
The next morning I saw her again down at the sandbar again digging for food. This time a couple of magpies and a group of gulls wanted to share in the feast. Tundra was not in the mood to share so when the birds got to close she would swipe at them with her claws. She almost got a magpie who I am assuming would be an added course to her breakfast. Lucky for the magpie it was faster than the claw. That day a cold wind was blowing off the lake inwards. As I stood shivering watching her eat, the cold wind did not seem to bother her at all.
I did not see Tundra the next day or most of the day after. When I finally saw her again she surprised me. I was walking with two cabin mates to take a trip to the falls when one of the others said look a bear. It was Tundra grazing on shrubs about 15 yards away. The rule being you have to be 50 yards from a bear and being that close to a brown bear we slowly moveded back to the designated 50 yards talking to her in calm voices. I apoligized for interrupting her dinner. We watched look at us for a few minutes then she just tore a bunch of grass and slowly trudged on through the brush. We did not effect her by being there.
The next morning she made it hard for the people on the Lake Brooks side of the river to get accross the bridge. If a bear is with in 50 yards of the bridge you may not cross the bridge. She decided that breakfast that morning was to take place by the main gate. She kept ten people waiting twenty minutes while she lumbered here and there before moving far enough away for them to proceed. At Brooks Camp bears not people have the right of way. You are not allowed to shout or move a bear out of your way, you move out of theirs. When July hits it is not uncommon for the bridge to be closed for 30 minutes or longer because of bear traffic. There are Park Rangers situated in various spots that control traffic across the bridge when the tourist arrive which is after June 1st.
Seeing Tundra most days was the highlight of the day. Being she is the first brown to be seen I have fallen in love with her. I hope that I will be there to see her give birth to her first litter. She will be sexually mature next year and may have cubs the year after. If my contract is extended I may be here to see that happen.
On the first night at Brooks Camp while getting the tour I saw my first brown bear. She was on the other side of the river from me grazing on the new grass growing along the banks. She is a regular at Brooks Camp. She first appeared as a COY, which stands for current offspring year. That summer she got too close to a large male bear that gave her a deep cut above the left eye. Deep enough that the staff didn't think she had a chance to live. Today she is 4 1/2 years old and still bares the scare above her left eye. She probably weighs about 275 pounds. She hasn't been out of hibernation long and she needs to add fat to her body. By the middle of summer she should be around 400 pounds or more. She was named Tundra by the biologist at the time and given the number 130. All of the unknown bears and new cubs are given a ID number some of them are given names, usually after some feature or activity that they do. For instance, there is a bear named popeye because the massive width of his legs. There is a bear named milkshake that got her name because every time she finished nursing she would shake her whole body. Tundra had a sibling which was very light colored who was given the name arctic, they were trying to think of a name to go with arctic for the second cub and someone mentioned Tundra and it stuck.
She has a light tan color to her fur on most of her body but the back of her legs have a deeper brown color. She looked all soft and furry that first night like a stuffed bear in a store that you just want to hug. We watched her walk down the shoreline away from us just enjoying the evening sunlight while she ate. The next morning I was out for a walk and I saw her again on a sandbar at the mouth of the river. She was digging in the sand in search for what none of us have figured out. I sat about 75 yards away from her and watched until it was time to go to work. It was so much fun to watch as she dug with her huge paws and sharp claws. Every once in a while she would pounce on the hole as if there was a live creature there for her to attack. Then finally she laid down and her muzzle would dissappear down the hole, after a few seconds she would raise her head and you could see her eating something. It was an amzing time.
The next morning I saw her again down at the sandbar again digging for food. This time a couple of magpies and a group of gulls wanted to share in the feast. Tundra was not in the mood to share so when the birds got to close she would swipe at them with her claws. She almost got a magpie who I am assuming would be an added course to her breakfast. Lucky for the magpie it was faster than the claw. That day a cold wind was blowing off the lake inwards. As I stood shivering watching her eat, the cold wind did not seem to bother her at all.
I did not see Tundra the next day or most of the day after. When I finally saw her again she surprised me. I was walking with two cabin mates to take a trip to the falls when one of the others said look a bear. It was Tundra grazing on shrubs about 15 yards away. The rule being you have to be 50 yards from a bear and being that close to a brown bear we slowly moveded back to the designated 50 yards talking to her in calm voices. I apoligized for interrupting her dinner. We watched look at us for a few minutes then she just tore a bunch of grass and slowly trudged on through the brush. We did not effect her by being there.
The next morning she made it hard for the people on the Lake Brooks side of the river to get accross the bridge. If a bear is with in 50 yards of the bridge you may not cross the bridge. She decided that breakfast that morning was to take place by the main gate. She kept ten people waiting twenty minutes while she lumbered here and there before moving far enough away for them to proceed. At Brooks Camp bears not people have the right of way. You are not allowed to shout or move a bear out of your way, you move out of theirs. When July hits it is not uncommon for the bridge to be closed for 30 minutes or longer because of bear traffic. There are Park Rangers situated in various spots that control traffic across the bridge when the tourist arrive which is after June 1st.
Seeing Tundra most days was the highlight of the day. Being she is the first brown to be seen I have fallen in love with her. I hope that I will be there to see her give birth to her first litter. She will be sexually mature next year and may have cubs the year after. If my contract is extended I may be here to see that happen.
The Tour
After getting off the plane and getting settled I got a tour of Brooks Camp. There are beautiful views every where you look. Brooks Camp includes the Interpretation staff housing, the ranger station, the visitor center, and the lodge and their staff housing. Each of the areas have names, the park staff housing is found down park avenue, the lodge staff live in tuckerville. From Brooks camp you go the the Brooks River. In a month 80 different brown bears will gather for the annual salmon run to get fat on fish. At the river there is a long floating bridge that crosses the river. On the other side is a platform to safely stand and watch the bears. Once across the river you follow a dirt road about a half a mile
where you come to a trail that will lead you to the falls platform. The falls is a six foot high falls that the salmon have to jump over to go upstream to spawn. This will be the place all the bears will gather in July. Brown bears are lazy creatures by habit and if the fish will jump into their mouths instead of them hunting for them so much the better. Once back on the main road if you head away from the river you come to a Y in the road. A left will take you to the valley of ten thousand smokes a right Lake Brooks camp. This is where I will be living when I am out there the rest of the summer. I am lucky enough to be able to stay in a real log cabin house. It is the oldest building in the park with a beautiful veiw of Lake Brooks of which I hear the sunsets over the mountains are spectacular. I did not get to see one though while I was there. There are also cabins down the road from us that the maitenance people stay in. the log cabin contains a huge fireplace in the center of the cabin. It is very comfortable and cozy.
where you come to a trail that will lead you to the falls platform. The falls is a six foot high falls that the salmon have to jump over to go upstream to spawn. This will be the place all the bears will gather in July. Brown bears are lazy creatures by habit and if the fish will jump into their mouths instead of them hunting for them so much the better. Once back on the main road if you head away from the river you come to a Y in the road. A left will take you to the valley of ten thousand smokes a right Lake Brooks camp. This is where I will be living when I am out there the rest of the summer. I am lucky enough to be able to stay in a real log cabin house. It is the oldest building in the park with a beautiful veiw of Lake Brooks of which I hear the sunsets over the mountains are spectacular. I did not get to see one though while I was there. There are also cabins down the road from us that the maitenance people stay in. the log cabin contains a huge fireplace in the center of the cabin. It is very comfortable and cozy.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Home from Brooks Camp
Hello! I have made it back from eight days at Brooks Camp. Brooks Camp is a small camping area in Katmai National Park. Katmai was named a National Monument in 1918 six years after Novrupta Volcano erupted. At that time the park only included the valley of ten thousand smokes. In 1931 The park was expanded to include Brooks Camp which was a small village. Today it is the most popular place in the park. There you will find the parks visitor center. Next to the visitor center is Brooks lodge which is a series of cabins, restaraunt, bar and giftshop. The area is not very big but 10,000 people will fly in, mostly in July and September when the Brook River becomes the ideal sockeye salmon spawing area. With the fish come the brown bears. 80 different bears will feed next to one another to catch Salmon swimming up river to spawn.
This was my first time to visit this absolutely beautiful area. If you were to close your eyes and dream of the perfect place in Alaska, and I say in Alaska because I know if I say the perfect place some of you would be dreaming of a warm and tropical place. But if you were to close your eyes and dream of the perfect Alaska hideaway Katmai park would be it. I got off the float plane, which is the major way people can get into the park. There are only four ways in, fly, boat, hike, or on snowmachine. Anyways I got off the plane, which by the way I made the flight without getting sick. Thank You Dramamine. Back to the story, I stood on the beach and in every directions I saw snow covered mountains. Absolutely, beautiful. It took your breath away, it was that beautiful. After a short hike up the sandy beach and through the white spruce trees, we entered into the visitor center. Once your off the plane you must immediately take a bear training. Which includes a 10 minute video on the bears and protecting yourself and the bears. Then a Ranger speaks for about another ten minutes explaining what goes on at Brooks Camp and go over the important parts of the movie. Which is no food is allowed to be eaten or cooked outside any where in the Brooks camp area. You must stay 50 yards from a single bear and 100 yards from a mother and cubs. You are told not to run and what to do if you should come across a bear. When all is said and done, you recieve a Katmai annual pin which you must wear at all times to show you have been through the bear orientation. And yes, even I wildlife biologist had to take the training. From there it was on to housing and a tour of the park. The whole time I was thinking I am going to summer camp and getting paid for it. I would tell you more but I just got home a few hours ago and I am beat but I will have lots of stories to tell so stay tuned.
This was my first time to visit this absolutely beautiful area. If you were to close your eyes and dream of the perfect place in Alaska, and I say in Alaska because I know if I say the perfect place some of you would be dreaming of a warm and tropical place. But if you were to close your eyes and dream of the perfect Alaska hideaway Katmai park would be it. I got off the float plane, which is the major way people can get into the park. There are only four ways in, fly, boat, hike, or on snowmachine. Anyways I got off the plane, which by the way I made the flight without getting sick. Thank You Dramamine. Back to the story, I stood on the beach and in every directions I saw snow covered mountains. Absolutely, beautiful. It took your breath away, it was that beautiful. After a short hike up the sandy beach and through the white spruce trees, we entered into the visitor center. Once your off the plane you must immediately take a bear training. Which includes a 10 minute video on the bears and protecting yourself and the bears. Then a Ranger speaks for about another ten minutes explaining what goes on at Brooks Camp and go over the important parts of the movie. Which is no food is allowed to be eaten or cooked outside any where in the Brooks camp area. You must stay 50 yards from a single bear and 100 yards from a mother and cubs. You are told not to run and what to do if you should come across a bear. When all is said and done, you recieve a Katmai annual pin which you must wear at all times to show you have been through the bear orientation. And yes, even I wildlife biologist had to take the training. From there it was on to housing and a tour of the park. The whole time I was thinking I am going to summer camp and getting paid for it. I would tell you more but I just got home a few hours ago and I am beat but I will have lots of stories to tell so stay tuned.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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