Date: April 10, 2017
Contact: Jami Belt, (907) 983-9228
Skagway – Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in partnership with the Skagway Police Department (SPD) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) will host a community bearpresentation on Thursday, April 27 at 5pm at the Skagway Traditional Council. The program will include an hour presentation on several bear topics of interest to the community, hands-on demonstrations, and a half-hour question and answer session with agency contacts.
Presentation topics will include bear biology; preventing bear encounters and food conditioning; resources from the state of Alaska, SPD, and the National Park Service; how to report bear sightings and concerns; electric fencing; and more. “The SPD received a report of a bear sighting near the Lower Dewey Lake trail as recent as last week,” said Chief Ranger Tim Steidel. “This is a great time to learn not just the bear facts, but how we can stay safe while keeping bears wild.”
The need for bear collaboration was identified last July following increased bear activity in the Dyea community and along the Chilkoot Trail. The April community program is part of a proactive strategy developed by the Skagway Interagency Bear Team including enhanced partner training, public presentations to increase awareness, and ongoing planning. Community presentations, along with the ongoing collaboration among the park, SPD, and ADF&G, will help ensure that response personnel and the public are working together to protect wildlife and the visiting public in bear country.
