Bear Research and Management

bears in glacier bay report front page, a brown bear on a rocky cliff

Bears in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Sightings, Human Interactions, and Research 2010-2017

Natural Resource Report NPS/GLBA/NRR—2020/2134


Click here to read the report, released June 2020 (3.5mb pdf)


Bear research and management is a priority for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve because visitors greatly value bear-viewing opportunities, bears are long-lived animals with low reproductive rates, and bear-human conflicts are a rare but significant safety concern.
 

Glacier Bay National Park Bear Goals

  • Keep bears and human attractants (food and trash) separate to reduce conflicts and ensure bears retain their natural habits.

  • Ensure opportunities for present and future generations of visitors to view and encounter bears safely.
  • Obtain information on black and brown bears in the Park and Preserve necessary to manage bears and inform policies to minimize conflicts.
  • Preserve and perpetuate natural bear populations.

Research Projects

The following projects help to better understand bears in the park:

Disturbance of Brown Bears by Vessels

Bear Distribution and Landscape Genetics

Blubber Bonanza: An Opportunistic Scavenger Study

Black and Brown Bear Activity at Selected Coastal Sites in Glacier Bay National Park

Gustavus Forelands Bear Population Study

International Management of Bear-Human Conflicts on the Tatsenshini-Alsek River. Poster

 
 
 
Bear scratching on tree animation
Bear scratching on tree captured by wildlife camera

NPS

Last updated: June 24, 2020

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
PO Box 140

Gustavus, AK 99826

Phone:

907 697-2230

Contact Us