Project Summary
Two-person crews kayaked along Glacier Bay ’s beaches in the summers of 2001 and 2002, visiting campsites and assessing their risk factors for bear encounters. Technicians have surveyed 120 beaches for signs of bear use, and have conducted risk assessments at 162 campsites throughout the bay. At each site they have recorded bear sign and bear habitat potential along with other site characteristics. The data will help biologists gain an understanding of bears' use of these campsites, and will provide park managers with recommendations on how to reduce bear/human conflicts.
Project staff are currently in the process of entering field data from the past season into databases that will enable it to then be analyzed. Results will be presented in a report to the park as well as in an article for submission to scientific journals. Eventually this information will be placed on the park’s website, so prospective visitors can access it when planning their kayak trips in the bay. This work will provide Glacier Bay park managers with the information needed to more effectively manage backcountry areas for both people and bears.Ultimately, information gained by this project will be incorporated into a park bear management plan. This information will enable resource managers to:
- Identify those attributes (e.g., proximity to salmon streams, bear food resource availability, etc.) associated with areas of chronic bear-human conflict.
- Direct human activity away from high quality bear habitat to maximize camper safety and minimize disruption of natural bear activity patterns.
- Develop standard bear management procedures to be incorporated into a park bear management plan.
Project Methods
We first determined the high-use camping locations in Glacier Bay by analyzing results of the voluntary backcountry survey, in which campers report where they camped each night of their trip. Beginning in the summer of 2000, teams of biologists kayaked through Glacier Bay visiting and evaluating high-use campsites and mapping bear sign in the vicinity of these sites.
Campsites were evaluated and rated on the following factors:
Quality of Bear Habitat
We assigned a broad vegetation description to each campsite and recorded the presence and relative abundance of key bear forage items, including plant and animal matter found on the shoreline as well as adjacent intertidal zone organisms. We assumed that the quantity of bear forage resources around a campsite is a reliable estimator of habitat quality, and that habitat quality is strong predictor of bear activity in the area. To affirm the seasonal food habits of bears using campsite areas, we attempted to identify major food items found in scats while in the field.
(For a listing of the plant forage species likely involved in seasonal diets of Glacier Bay bears, see bear foods).
Bear Travel Concerns
Travel concerns include physical features that influence the likelihood of a bear traveling through a campsite or surrounding area. These include geographic features such as valley junctions and constrictions in terrain, as well as features such as rock outcrops, cliffs, cut banks, steep slopes, moraines, islands, and peninsulas. The location and proximity of wildlife trails and potential travel routes are also documented under this category.
Visibility & Other Sensory Concerns
Visibility and other sensory concerns are features that may reduce the ability of bears and humans to detect each other. Visibility concerns include features such as dense vegetation and topography that may limit lines of sight, thus increasing the potential for surprise encounters.
Other sensory concerns include site windiness as well as noise from streams, creeks, waterfalls and ocean wave action on adjacent beaches. These potential sources of noise may affect the ability of bears and humans to detect and avoid each other.
