ICONIC BROWN BEARS
There are few species as iconic to Alaska as the wild coastal brown bear. Impressive, intimidating, mysterious, and beautiful the brown bear evokes a primal excitement within us. Even just a hint of their presence makes the forest seem richer, the mountains seem steeper, and the nights more thrilling. People travel from all over the world to experience the thrill of standing shoulder to shoulder with one of the most respected apex predators on earth. In them, we see something of ourselves. Their individuality and distinct personalities set them apart from other wildlife as a species that humans strive to connect with. Alaska's wilderness stands out as far more vibrant and rugged than the barren landscapes in the American southwest where grizzly bears have been extirpated, and so much of this has to do with the persistent presence of these magnificent creatures.
The Threat of the Johnson Tract Mine
The Johnson Tract Mine is the biggest threat to the brown bears of Lake Clark National Park today. For thousands of years, thousands of brown bears have lived in the wilderness of the Bear Coast without disruption from human development. These abundant bears play a critical role as curators of their ecosystem, casting broad impacts over the landscapes through which they roam. Bears are the Swiss Army knives of the natural world: their claws freshen soil like rototillers as they dig for roots and insects, the scraps from the fish they hunt and meat they scavenge quickly returns energy to the ground. Where brown bears roam, the ecosystem is healthier for it.
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Habitat fragmentation is a tremendous risk of the proposed mining highway and facilities. The proposed roadways cut directly through critical denning habitat and crucial meadows that bears need for their mating rituals. The devastating effects of habitat fragmentation on grizzly bears are well documented, and it is astonishing that despite centuries of watching highway development destroy bear habitat we have not learned from past mistakes.
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Salmon runs in Cook Inlet are clearly diminishing year after year. Salmon are a critical food source for the bears of the Bear Coast. To even consider building a mining highway and port at the headwaters of an already struggling salmon fishery is astonishingly short sighted. Read more about how the loss of our local salmon will spell the loss of everything that defines Alaska's bear coast, click here.