Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park and Preserve spans over four million acres of remote wilderness and is not only an area of unparalleled ecological, cultural and economic value, but it also contains the world’s largest protected brown bear population. At an estimated 2,200 brown bears, many of these bears congregate on the Brooks River to gorge on summer salmon runs. These salmon enter the Naknek River from the Bristol Bay watershed, the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. And while these animals have sustained themselves on this ecosystem for thousands of years, they have been under threat by the proposed Pebble Mine. If permitted, the mine would cause irreversible destruction of salmon habitat and the potential release of mine waste into the region’s rivers and streams. In 2023, after decades of fighting, indigenous and local partners, Non-Governmental Organizations, and nonprofits, nature companies and recreational fisherman secured a future for Bristol Bay, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invoked the Clean Water Act vetoed the Pebble Mine project.
My Time Spent with the Brown Bears of Brooks Falls
In 2022, I had the opportunity to take a small group of guests into Katmai National Park, with a focus on Brooks Camp, one of the only developed areas of the park. We arrived by float plane and immediately felt the energy and power of this unique setting, as we watched bears blocking the landing path. With glee and enthusiasm, we attended bear school, where we learnt how to behave around the bears, before setting off in search of these magnificent beasts. It wasn’t long before we found the action - an abundance of bear behaviours from varying fishing styles to confrontations over disputed salmon bounty. This bustling scene inspires harmony as humans and bears share the same space and breathe the same air, only feet away from each other. It is a remarkable example of how the right mindset and a small amount of effort, humans and wildlife can peacefully coexist together. These moments in Katmai, exponentially grew my love of bears and desire to learn more about this unique ecosystem. My days at Brooks Falls were truly some of the most magical so far in my guiding career.
Photography and Conservation
Visual storytelling can be used to generate passion for conservation and inspire viewers to experience nature. In other cases, photography can be utilized in fun and quirky ways to connect people to wildlife. Katmai has employed the latter technique with a unique event: Fat Bear Week. In this elimination tournament, photographs of well-known bears within Katmai National Park go head-to-head, all in the effort to name the fattest bear of them all. Online voters compare photos of bears when they first arrive at Brooks Falls in the spring, to photos of the same bear later in autumn. Between these seasons, bears undergo hyperphagia, a state in which they gorge on the richest and most readily available resource, gaining an enormous amount of weight in the process. In Katmai, this food item happens to be salmon and, after losing one-third of their body weight during winter hibernation, the bears pack on the pounds as they continuously feast. By participating in this amusing photo contest and comparing spring bodies vs fall bodies, people around the world have been able to catch a glimpse into the world of these bears since 2014! With this annual celebration, Katmai National Park aim to “prove that conservation work can be joyful”
Learn More about Alaska’s Brown Bears, Salmon and the Bristol Bay Watershed
WWF: Why is Bristol Bay important for salmon? And seven other Bristol Bay facts
