One of the most insufferable traits I’ve inherited as a result of my time as a guide is an inability to keep my attention on the road during my 10-mile commute from the valley to downtown. During low tides, I glance over at the muddy flats near Salmon Creek, often catching glimpses of seagulls preying on the dully colored bodies of spawned-out fish. My eyes regularly wander from the blacktop to scan the trees above Twin Lakes for eagles, searching for their characteristic white heads and massive wingspans. As I near Thane, my field of vision widens to include the steep hillside where deer occasionally roam.<\/p>\n
While all of these creatures bring a smile to my face, only one makes me sit up straight, swerve until my Subaru’s lane assist feature starts beeping, and seriously consider pulling over to take a photo. Like the seagulls, this critter enjoys tidal flats, and, like eagles, they too frequent the meadow near the city’s dump — but their similarities stop there. My favorite sight, often visible from Egan drive, is the black bear.<\/p>\n
Black bears are the most widely distributed species of bear in North America, found virtually everywhere throughout the continent with the exception of the Midwest. (As a gal born and raised in Kansas, I can’t say I blame them for excluding the Bible Belt from their habitat.) Although they’re not the smallest species of bear — sun bears, which are up to 5 feet tall and 150 pounds, claim that title — they’re the smallest we have in Alaska by far.<\/p>\n
While researching this column, I asked a friend about his favorite black bear characteristics. “I like that when I see one, it’s just as scared to see me as I am to see it,” he answered. “Also, their ears are just so [expletive] cute.” His answer speaks volumes to how people view black bears.<\/p>\n
In his 2015 paper “Human-bear conflict in Alaska: 1880-2015”, bear biologist Tom Smith analyzed 682 conflicts. 88% involved brown bears and polar bears made up a mere 1%, leaving black bears credited with 11% of all attacks. The last verifiable report of a black bear attack in Juneau occurred in 2020, when one entered a man’s home and injured him while trying to escape.<\/p>\n
While black bears can, have, and will again hurt people at some point, the general consensus is they’re not typically a threat. Let me say that again: An animal weighing up to 550 pounds that can flip a 300-pound rock with a single paw and run upward of 30 miles per hour is not typically a threat to us. They roam our streets, eat berries in the bushes near the trails we hike on and walk through streams under viewing platforms peacefully.<\/p>\n
Despite my many valid complaints about working with tourists, one thing I’ll credit them with is the constant reminder of how special all this is. For some, seeing a black bear sow and her three cubs chase a bald eagle through a field is a once in a lifetime experience. For others, it’s just something to look at on the way to work.<\/p>\n
The fireweed is starting to turn to cotton, the days are getting shorter and the air has a crisper bite to it in the mornings and evenings. Soon, termination dust will settle on the tallest peaks, and the bears will find a place to den up for the winter. But for now, I’ll keep scanning the wetlands and meadows, hoping to catch a glimpse of our beloved fuzzy Juneau residents.<\/p>\n
• Chloe Anderson is a naturalist photography guide and freelance photojournalist based in Juneau. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Denver Post, Alpinist magazine and more. For more, visit www.chloeandersonphotography.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My favorite sight, often visible from Egan drive, is the black bear <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":120715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1077],"tags":[149,682],"class_list":["post-120714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-top-news","tag-outdoors","tag-outdoors-and-recreation"],"yoast_head":"\n