Tag: Alaska

Brooks River brown bears break out all the moves to catch salmon

With the fishing season underway for brown bears on Alaska’s Brooks River, the National Park Service has provided a humorous description of the catching techniques.

An Alaskan brown bear named Grazer was caught on a live-cam feed recently catching a salmon that had attempted to leap over the lip of Brooks Falls.

“The crowd goes wild! Grazer lands the very first Brooks Falls lip catch of the season,” Explore.org stated via Twitter.

To be sure, bears on the Brooks River in Katmai National Park are masters at fishing, and each seems to favor certain areas and techniques.

With the season getting underway – fans can watch the bears on Explore’s live feeds – the National Park Service has described the techniques via Facebook under the heading:

“How do you catch a fish without a fishing pole? With your bear hands.”

Viewers can click on the post or view the humorous explanations below:

–The Stand and Wait: Bears stand on top the falls and wait for salmon to jump close enough to catch. Bears sometimes slip on the falls (usually when someone is looking) so they rarely shift position.⁣ Sometimes they misjudge and the fish hits the bear in the face. (Insert own metaphor for life).

–The Sit and Wait: Similar to the first one but sitting. Bears sit underneath Brooks Falls in the plunge pool or “jacuzzi,” and wait for salmon to swim to them.”

RELATED: ‘Dominant’ brown bears brawl over fishing rights at Brooks Falls

–The Dash and Grab: Bears chase the fish and attempt to pin them to the river bottom with their paws. ⁣⁣Fast-food on the go!
⁣⁣⁣
–The Snorkeler: Bears look for fish under the water while seeing who can make the most bubbles. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣
–The Diver: Some bears avoid getting their ears wet, so diving is not for every bear. However there are some that will submerge themselves completely underwater to obtain food resources. You do what you got to do. ⁣
⁣⁣⁣
–The Pirate: Arrgggg! It’s Cap’n Bruin Brownbeard the Hungry! Pirating bears plunder already caught fish from other bears. ⁣Keep an eye on the horizon. Avast ye scurvy bear! I’ve come for the fishes!
⁣⁣⁣
–The Sharer: Bears do not usually share food with others (bearing is NOT sharing), but some will share the spoils. (Not the Cap’n) This interaction occurs between bears that are highly tolerant of each other. ⁣BFFs (bear fish friends!)

– The Belly Flop: A big splash requires big bear air, as the bear springs up out of the water or launches off the side to take a fish by surprise. This can be extremely successful or, well, a flop.”

The top image, highlighting the belly flop, was captured by M. Bradburn for the National Park Service.

‘Dominant’ brown bears brawl over fishing rights at Brooks Falls

Brown bears Walker and Bear 856 were caught on video brawling for fishing rights near Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.

Brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park have arrived on the Brooks River and early season competition for prime feeding areas can be contentious.

The accompanying footage shows adult males Walker and Bear 856 sparring briefly before pausing in a skirmish seemingly won by the larger Bear 856.

Explore.org, which maintains cameras on the Brooks River, stated Sunday via Twitter:

“Brooks Falls heated up last night as two dominant forces went head to head. No serious injuries reported.”

Brown bears at Brooks Falls are famous because of live-cam feeds that allow followers to observe the animals as they fish for sockeye salmon and pack thousands of calories per day.

(Bears that weigh between 700 and 900 pounds in mid-summer can weigh more than 1,200 pounds by early fall.)

Fat Bear Week, held in October, allows fans to vote for their favorite bears in a bracket-style competition. Last year’s winner was Bear 747, a.k.a. Bear Force One, who weighed an estimated 1,400 pounds.

As for Walker, Explore states on its website:

“Walker remained a tolerant and playful bear during his young adult years. He allowed other bears to approach him, and he sought sparring partners for prolonged play fights. However, his priorities have changed as he matured into a fully grown adult.

“With his large body size and assertive disposition, Walker is one the river’s most dominant bears.”

Some background on Bear 856:

“Bear 856 was classified as a young adult in 2006. At the time he had a relatively small body compared to older adults. By his tenth or eleventh year of life, however, he became one of the biggest bears at the river with an assertive disposition equal to his size.”

Fat Bear Week is billed as “a celebration of success” for all of the region’s bears after another bountiful feeding season.

Denali National Park employee dies in avalanche while skiing

Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve on Wednesday confirmed that one of its employees was killed by an avalanche last Thursday while skiing inside the park.

Alaska’s Denali National Park has confirmed that one of its employees was killed by an avalanche last Thursday while skiing inside the park.

Eric Walter, a senior dispatcher, was backcountry skiing near Mile 10 on the Park Road when he triggered the avalanche that claimed his life.

A park news release states that a witness reported seeing a lone skier trigger an avalanche on an unnamed slope in the area.

A rescue team was dispatched and a ranger with a spotting scope saw two skis – one vertical and the other flat – and an orange bag in the avalanche debris field.

“Upon reaching the scene it was determined that the skier had died,” the park explained. “The skier was later identified to be Eric.”

The park elaborated Wednesday via Facebook:

“Eric was a skilled outdoorsman and a beloved member of the Denali family and our hearts are broken.

“Because Eric was a senior dispatcher with the Alaska Region Communications Center, where he provided radio-based safety and support services for park employees across the state, his warm and comforting voice was known to many hundreds of NPS employees who never met him in person.”

A memorial service is planned for today (May 11) at 5 p.m. at the Denali Sled Dog Kennels. The accompanying image shows Eric with his adopted sled dog, Fin.

Capture the best photos of Denali National Park & Preserve at these 7 spots

See the Alaskan wilderness.

A photograph can help preserve cherished memories. Unfortunately, as many nature photographers know, it can be difficult to capture certain outdoor scenes on film. Crowded landscapes, unpredictable weather, and many other factors all make taking the perfect photo a struggle at many national parks. Photographers who visit Denali National Park & Preserve can make their work easier by identifying a few key scenic areas.

Whether you want to snap a shot of grazing caribou or majestic mountains, these seven spots are the park’s top places for photos. Pack your trusty camera, and get ready to explore everything from the Alaska Range to Wonder Lake.

Why young polar bear was ‘removed from the wild’ in Alaska

A young polar bear that had been spotted roaming alone near Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay will spend the rest of its life in captivity.

A young polar bear that had been roaming alone near Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay will spend the rest of its life in captivity.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explained that the bear was recently captured and transported to the Alaska Zoo because it had become accustomed to people and was deemed a public safety threat.

“The decision to remove this bear from the wild was not made lightly,” said David Gustine, lead biologist for the USFWS’ Polar Bear Program. “Removing a bear is not a good outcome for the individual or the wild population, but we felt it was the best course of action in this situation.”

ALSO: Wolf tries to run down elk in Grand Teton National Park; video

The male cub is 10-11 months old. Its condition was described as “fair to good” despite a laceration on its upper lip.

“It had been observed eating a fox, lacerations on its upper lip are likely from that activity,” said Patrick Lampi, the Alaska Zoo’s executive director. “With rabies in fox prevalent in the Prudhoe Bay area, we have special extended quarantine procedures in place for this cub.”

It’s unclear where the bear will reside in the longterm, but the the USFWS stated: “Given the bear’s behavior around humans and its young age, it will not be returned to the wild.”

Polar bear cubs typically stay with their mothers for at least two years.

The last time a polar bear was removed from the wild in Alaska was in 2013. That male cub, orphaned in Point Lay, resides at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Polar Bears are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, primarily because of threats posed by vanishing sea ice due to climate change.

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Watch: Bear cubs mesmerized as giant moose charges through river

For three bear cubs on Alaska’s Brooks River, the sight of a giant moose bounding past them might still be etched upon their minds.

For three bear cubs on Alaska’s Brooks River, the sight of a giant moose bounding past might still be etched upon their minds.

The accompanying footage, captured over the weekend via bear cam, shows the cub triplets seemingly mesmerized – possibly terrified – by a bull moose galloping through water just yards away.

Momma bear does not appear in the footage, but she’s probably nearby. Adult brown bears, fishing for salmon elsewhere on the river, are visible in the background.

It’s unclear what prompted the moose to run through the river.

Explore.org, which maintains the bear cams in conjunction with the National Park Service, asked avid bear-cam followers if the cubs might belong to an adult brown bear cataloged as Bear 94.

ALSO: Watch as massive ‘alien’ sunfish gets a helping hand from boat crew

Brown bears on the Brooks River, in Katmai National Park, are internationally famous thanks to the bear cams and the annual bracket-style competition known as Fat Bear Week.

Fat Bear Week, during which fans vote for their favorite and fattest bears, is held every fall as a tribute to bears’ success in packing calories in advance of hibernation. (A single salmon may contain 4,000 calories and some bears consume dozens of salmon per day.)

This year’s competition is Oct. 5-11 and an older bear nicknamed Otis is the defending champion. Voting for the Fat Bear Junior Finals ended last week, with Bear 94’s triplets losing out to the yearling cub of Bear 909.

Discover Lake Clark National Park’s enchanting remote landscapes

Step into the Alaskan wilderness.

No road will lead you to Alaska’s remote Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Those who wish to explore the area’s wild and enchanting landscapes must board a plane or boat. After an adventurous journey to the park, visitors step into a fantastic world with natural beauty as far as the eye can see. Lively meadows, frosty mountain peaks, thriving waters, and even stunning volcanoes welcome guests who want to immerse themselves in pristine outdoor environments. If you’re curious to discover more about Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, here are all the incredible details you will want to know.

A person standing in a lake and fishing with a mountain in the background.
© NPS / Megan Richotte

What makes Lake Clark National Park and Preserve special?

As the National Park Service (NPS) explains, “Lake Clark preserves the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world, and a rich cultural wilderness.”

The Dena’ina people know Lake Clark as Qizhjeh Vena. This community’s “traditional ecological knowledge” connects them to the land in a way few, if any, others can. Qizhjeh, or Kijik (Qizhjeh) National Historic Landmark and Archeological District, houses over a dozen sites that speak to Dena’ina history in the area. Today, students of the Quk’ Taz’un, ‘The Sun Is Rising,’ Dena’ina outdoor learning camp can directly engage with this history.

Three brown bears on a sandy bay in front of a forest and mountain range.
© National Park Service

This protected landscape also thrums with wildlife. Brown bears graze near the gorgeous Chinitna Bay, salmon swim in the waters of Crescent Lake and Silver Salmon Creek, and caribou hoof through the park’s tundra plains. Historic public use cabins invite visitors to experience a rustic night in the wilderness, but guests seeking a more intense experience can backpack and camp throughout the park.

Two people kayaking on a lake in front of a forest and mountain range.
© NPS Photo/K.Miller.2010

Hikers will also enjoy exploring Lake Clark’s Tanalian Trails. From Beaver Pond Trail to Tanalian Mountain, the park’s beautiful natural landmarks make the journey worth it. Of course, no visit to Lake Clark National Park is complete without a trek to see the volcanoes and glaciers. Explore a park map to plan your route, and check out the Lake Clark NPS site to learn more about the area’s iconic sights.

Watch: Grizzly bear chases oil-field worker onto cab of truck

The accompanying footage shows an oil-field worker scurrying onto the cab of his truck to escape an aggressive grizzly bear and her cub.

**Updated to include the original video and explain why the grizzly bear sow was so aggressive. 

When you work at a remote oil field in Alaska, it pays to be bear aware.

In the accompanying footage, an oil-field employee is shown scurrying onto the cab of a truck to escape an aggressive grizzly bear and one of her two cubs.

The tense encounter occurred inside an Arctic Pipe Inspection yard at Prudhoe Bay, where the momma bear and her cubs are fairly well known to employees.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/24DESy87TwM

The employee shown watching from the yellow loader vehicle told FTW Outdoors that the sow was aggressive because had temporarily lost sight of her other cub. (The employee did not wish to disclose his name.)

Another employee captured the footage from the safety of the shop.

The tense situation lasted about a minute.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game told the employee that the sow and her cubs routinely feed in area dumpsters.

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These nine states have never hosted a PGA Tour event

There are still nine states that are still hoping their day in the sun is still to come.

This week the PGA Tour visits the First State for the time.

Wilmington Country Club will play host, marking the PGA Tour’s first-ever event in the state of Delaware and the 10th different venue to host the BMW Championship since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007.

“You’ve got to hit it as far as you can and hit a lot of fairways,” advised BMW defending champion and reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay.

Delaware becomes the 41st state in the union to host a Tour event, but that means there are still nine states that are still hoping their day in the sun is still to come.

Maine is one of the nine remaining states that have never hosted a Tour event. Professional golf has been absent from northeast New England, five states within the Mountain Time Zone and Alaska. Some states barely avoided making the list. Nebraska was spared solely by the 1933 Nebraska Open, Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene hosted the 1992 Merrill Lynch Shootout and Arkansas made headlines with the Arlington Hotel Open from 1955-63.

Some of these states have hosted Nationwide, Champions and LPGA events, but the locals are waiting patiently for Rory, Tiger and Jordan to grace them with their presence.

Here’s a list of some of the golf courses that could potentially host the stars of the PGA Tour someday. (Special thanks to longtime Golfweek reader and journalist Peter Kollmann, who helped with the research.)

Watch: Humpback whales crash family picnic in ‘unreal’ fashion

A family from Hoonah, Alaska, drove to False Bay recently for a picnic, unaware that acrobatic whales would provide thrilling entertainment.

A family from Hoonah, Alaska, drove to False Bay recently for a picnic, unaware that acrobatic whales would be providing the entertainment.

The accompanying footage, captured July 31 by Jessie Wright, shows five humpback whales breaching almost simultaneously as Wright’s mom exclaims, “Oh my God!” (There’s also a moment with saltier language.)

Wright was with her mother, two children (Deborah and Hayden) and their cousin throughout a spectacle that Wright described as “unreal.”

“The whales were even talking to each other,” she told FTW Outdoors. “It was an experience of a lifetime and at the ages of 15 and 13, my kids got to enjoy an experience that many [other kids] haven’t.”

RELATED: Humpback whale picks up unintended passenger; photos

Hoonah is on Chichagof Island on Alaska’s panhandle, 30 miles west of Juneau, surrounded by the Tongass National Forest.

Wright said of the breaching whales: “There were two more that jumped before I got what was on the video. But there were a ton of whales out there, and they would randomly jump for like 40 minutes after that video.”