As a former, long-time National Park Service ranger at Katmai, Mike Fitz is the perfect person to escort us through the park and its extraordinary wildlife. From first page to last, he delivers a detailed, fascinating mosaic of Katmai, particularly the population of brown bears that, in his words, “make a living” fishing for salmon in the Brooks River.
Katmai
National Park and Preserve
Katmai is located about 300 miles SW of Anchorage, on the Alaskan Peninsula. It’s a remote destination, accessible only by boat or plane. At just under 6,500 square miles, the park is larger than the state of Rhode Island. It was created in 1918, via a presidential proclamation from Woodrow Wilson, for the purpose of protecting the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, the legendary region filled with many hundreds of steam fumaroles left behind after the eruption of the Novarupta volcano. There are in fact 18 dormant and active volcanoes in Katmai.
Numerous lakes speckle the park’s landscape, their cold clear waters filled with fish. Two of the lakes, Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake, are of particular importance to the park’s population of brown bears, because between them flows 1.5 miles of the Brooks River, with Brooks Falls situated roughly between the two.
Four different species of salmon – king, chum, pink and sockeye – migrate up the river to their breeding grounds. On the way, they are confronted with Brooks Falls, a six foot elevation of violently churning water that they must leap up and over, moving against the current all the while. And, of course, they also have to dodge bears.
The Bears
The NPS isn’t
positive exactly how many bears live in Katmai or in the immediate area around
Brooks Falls, but Mr. Fitz has seen as many as 100 different bears over the
course of July and September, the months when salmon are most plentiful at the Falls.
Brown bears are not exactly what you’d call predictable, so at any one moment
around the Falls there might be zero bears on hand or bears numbering in the twenties.
The time
bears spend at Brooks Falls is absolutely vital. Winter comes early to Alaska
and the bears have a limited amount of time to gain enough weight to survive an
upcoming period of hibernation that can last six months. For females with small
cubs, packing on winter pounds is even more essential because the cubs will
continue to occasionally suckle even while hibernating. The overwhelming need
to eat creates occasional conflicts between bears – arguing over prime fishing
spots, etc. – but by and large the bears interact with one another in a
surprisingly peaceful fashion.
Mr. Fitz is a keen observer of the bears he writes about, describing the appearance and disposition of the animals in expert detail. It’s pretty amazing how many of the bears he knows as individuals, and can immediately identify. If you’d like to watch him pull this off, watch for his bear “play-by-plays” on Explore.org’s YouTube channels, where he is able to do it from a live camera feed. Very impressive.
I had a chance to converse with Mr. Fitz, who kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the bears of Brooks Falls, their future, and the future of Katmai generally. After serving a lengthy tenure at Katmai, he is now the resident naturalist with Explore.org.
Talking with the Author
Everyday Biophilia (EB): Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to talk about your book and the bears of Brooks Falls. How long were you with the NPS, and was Katmai your only posting?
Mike Fitz (MF): I first worked for the NPS as an intern at Badlands National Park in 2001. Between then and 2016, I worked at nine parks, mostly as a seasonally-employed ranger. I worked the longest at Katmai.
EB: Did you undergo any specialized training to work at Katmai? And was there specialized training to work among the bears?
MF: I didn’t have any special skills or knowledge regarding brown bears when I accepted my position at Katmai. My first summer, the rest of the staff and I attended a day of bear biology and behavior training that was presented by Katmai’s wildlife biologist and bear technicians as well as a lot more training about how to manage people around bears. Then, you were expected to perform the job well. I tried to carefully observe the bears and how more experienced staff interacted with them to best understand the ways to handle close encounters safely.
EB: You probably get asked this all the time, but do you have a particular favorite among the bears that routinely visit Brooks Falls? And if so, what is it you like about that specific animal?
MF: I love to watch the hierarchy shuffle
between the bears at the falls. I’m interested in following 503 since he has a
unique story, and is quite large for his age. He’s been a playful and tolerant
young adult male and I wonder if his disposition will change as he matures into
a fully grown adult. As for females, it’s hard not to love 435 Holly for her
relatively gentle nature toward other bears. 128 Grazer is also really
interesting to watch, especially this year when she has displayed tremendous
defensiveness to protect her yearling cubs.
EB: You have logged many hundreds of
hours observing the bears at Brooks Falls. During that time what would you say
is the most surprising or revealing aspect of bear life or bear behavior that
you witnessed?
MF: Their individuality and sociality were aspects of the bears’ behavior that immediately intrigued me. Bears have a reputation as solitary creatures, and this is true in many ways, but it is also something forced on them by the challenges of their environment. If you are a grizzly in the Rockies, food is a lot harder to come by than at Katmai where bears can fish for salmon. All bears have social adaptations that allow them to interact and communicate with other bears, but we rarely have a chance to witness that aspect of their lives like we do at Brooks River
EB: Piggybacking on that last question, have you witnessed the bears interacting with other animals around the Falls in ways that were surprising?
MF: A lot of the larger animals in Katmai avoid the falls because of the high concentration of bears there, yet it has been interesting to see how the bears usually ignore wolves when they come there to fish. The wolves are wary of the bears yet don’t regard them as a huge threat. It’s not common to see wolves at the falls, but if you watch the webcams enough you'll see them once and a while.
EB: As you describe so well in your book, the Katmai bears are a mosaic of different sizes, fur color, and personalities. How long did it take for you to begin to recognize these individual traits, and did you employ any mnemonic strategies to assist you that might help people who are new to observing wildlife in creating their own mental catalogs of animals in their area?
MF: Prior to watching bears at Brooks River, I never had the opportunity to get to know individual wild animals. Within hours of watching bears at the river, it was immediately apparent that each bear is unique and quite mindful. I’ve been fascinated by that ever since. When I first watched bears at the river, Katmai National Park had already established a long-term bear monitoring study. I used that info extensively to help me identify the most commonly seen bears. Since then, much of that info has been incorporated into Katmai’s Bears of Brooks Falls eBook. Along with that guide, I recommend that people try and get to know a few of the commonly seen and conspicuous bears at the river like 128 Grazer, 435 Holly, 480 Otis, 747, and 854 Divot. They are quite distinctive and from there it gets easier to notice the physical and behavioral differences that set the bears apart.
EB: In a similar vein, have there been
instances when a particular bear that you had come to think of as sustaining a
specific personality trait who suddenly revealed some very different trait? For
example, a “standoffish” bear that became more “gregarious”?
MF: I’ve witnessed several examples of bears growing less social and tolerant as they mature. 747 and 856, for example, used to be goofy young adult males, not unlike 503 and 812. Grazer changes her disposition greatly depending on whether she has cubs. She’s extremely defensive with cubs but doesn’t display it nearly as much when she is single.
EB: You mention that on occasion cubs from different mothers will spend time playing together. Do they do this year after year as they grow? And if so, do they maintain these “friendships” after they become emancipated from their mothers?
MF: I'm convinced that bears can have friends, just like some domestic dogs prefer the company of other specific dogs. Bears are quite smart and remember each other from year to year. We often see certain bears seek the company of a playmate again and again through their subadult and young adult years.
EB: Some of the bears you write about are identified by number, others by a name, and some by both. Is there a particular nomenclature that you prefer? And do you think identifying the animals with human-sounding names risks anthropomorphizing the bears?
MF: To remain consistent with the NPS’s bear monitoring database at Katmai in my book, I didn’t assign nicknames to bears that didn't already have them. Recently, many of the rangers have preferred to use ID numbers to refer to the bears instead of nicknames. However, I think we can use nicknames for wildlife animals as long as our names aren’t used to stigmatize the animals and that we remember they remain wild. I wrote more about it in an NPS blog.
EB: After so many hours watching bears, can they still surprise you?
MF: Absolutely. They show us something new every summer.
EB: What is your opinion of the yearly Fat Bear contest, and do you ever participate?
MF: I love it. Basically I invented it. I've endorsed a bear for Fat Bear Week every year since 2017.
EB: For someone preparing to visit Katmai, is there one thing you would tell them to be prepared for? In other words, is there some facet of the park that routinely takes visitors by surprise?
MF: Bring your patience. You’ll have a
great opportunity to watch bears, but they work on their own schedule. Brooks
River is increasingly crowded with people. To reduce our impact on the bears,
we should elevate the needs of the bears above our wants when we visit. I
outline some ways to do that in my Brooks River Pledge in my book’s
epilogue. [See below.]
EB: Is there a lot of pushback from salmon fishermen who are concerned over the amount of salmon consumed by bears? Have you personally ever been confronted by an upset or simply concerned fisherman.
MF: The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run is the last great salmon run on Earth. The fishery too is, thankfully, managed very well by State of Alaska biologists. Anglers often express annoyance – or disdain in more extreme cases – with the bears, since both compete for space in the river, but anglers also realize there is more than enough salmon for everyone.
EB: Near the end of your book you present a number of passionate, forceful opinions about the management, or perhaps mismanagement, of the bear situation at Katmai. Given the fact that you and the other rangers at Katmai were in the best position to understand and communicate the needs of the bears, were you given an opportunity to present your thoughts on the matter? Did anyone in a position of authority – politicians, etc. – give attention to those thoughts, do you think?
MF: The plan to build an elevated bridge over Brooks River was not universally supported by Katmai’s staff. To the park's credit, past superintendents did make an effort to inform seasonal staff about development plans at the river. Dissent wasn’t always accepted well, though, and anyone with the power to force the NPS to consider different alternatives either didn’t pay attention, agreed with the NPS, or didn’t care enough about those issues.
EB: Speaking of potential impacts upon the wildlife of Katmai, what is the current situation with Pebble Mine? Do you think plans for the ugly scheme will go through? (Pebble Mine is a proposed massive copper and gold strip-mining operation that could cause a catalog of problems for Katmai.)
MF: Pebble Mine isn’t dead, but the proposal is unlikely to survive as it is. I’m hopeful that it will not survive this presidential administration. There is a movement in Bristol Bay to permanently protect the area from that type of development. I’m in full support of that initiative.
EB: So, the, that’s about it. Thanks again, Mike, for your
time.
MF: You’re very welcome.
To Sum Up
I can’t recommend The
Bears of Brooks Falls: Wildlife and Survival on Alaska’s Brooks River highly enough. It is incredibly
informative, well written, and will inspire in you a desire to stow away aboard
the first boat to Katmai to look at the bears. Get yourself a copy of the book,
and be sure to check out Mike Fitz’s bear cam videos for Explore.org on
YouTube.
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Mike Fitz’s Brooks River Pledge:
National parks are places for people as well as
magnificent scenery and wildlife. Protecting and preserving parks takes
dedication and cooperation from everyone who visits. The Brooks River Pledge is
a personal pledge made between you and the brown bears who use Brooks River in
Katmai National Park as their home. By taking the Brooks River Pledge, you can
help protect brown bears and the experience of watching them today and long
into the future.
When I visit Brooks River, I pledge to protect its bears by following proper wildlife viewing ethics, setting a good example for others, and sharing my experience responsibly.
Put the pledge into action while you visit:
I will learn to recognize signs of alarm and stress in bears, including subtle cues that indicate my presence has altered a bear’s behavior.
I will avoid activities that may disturb bears or alter the behavior of bears.
I will ensure that my presence does not impede bears by
giving them the right-of-way in places where they frequently travel like the
beach and trails.
I will give bears space, not approaching bears within 50
yards or remaining within 50 yards of bears, except when directed by a ranger
or while watching from a designated wildlife-viewing platform.
I will cooperate with the instructions given by park
rangers.
On the bridge and elevated walkways, I will walk quietly
until I reach a viewing platform, where a consolidated human presence is less
likely to interfere with bear movement.
I will remain on designated trails as much as possible. I
will avoid entering the river, standing along the river bank, or otherwise
lingering in areas where bears travel frequently so that bears have the most
opportunity to gain access to the resources they need to survive.
I will place the bears’ welfare equal to my own,
understanding that I may need to yield space to bears.
I will be patient with the bears, fully acknowledging
that Brooks River is their home. It is a place that operates on “bear time” where
their daily activities like resting and feeding can cause inconveniences for
people.
I will share my experience with others so they can better
understand and appreciate how special Brooks River is.
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