Kodiak: a place impossible to think of without conjuring up images of behemoth brown bears swaggering through tall grass, their coats bristling as they shake off dew and their huge clawed paws leaving plate-sized prints in the soft earth. But that may not have been the case if the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge hadn't been created 75 years ago to protect them.
"As the bear population declined under the pressures of Russian and American settlement, concerned sportsmen, guides and conservation groups advocated for protection until Aug. 19, 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation that set aside nearly 2 million acres for the purpose of protecting the natural feeding and breeding range of the brown bears and other wildlife on Kodiak and Uganik Islands," said Kodiak refuge manager Anne Marie LaRosa.
[Learn more about Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge]
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Today, the refuge encompasses roughly 1.9 million acres, the boundaries of which have changed over time due to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and the Exxon Valdez oil spill settlement, to name a few. But the size has remained about the same.
One bear for every 5 residents
A diversity of habitat types are found in the refuge, including riparian wetlands and grasslands at lower elevations, giving way to shrubs and spruce forest rising into the uplands, with alpine meadows and tundra at higher elevations. These wilderness areas — and the 117 salmon-bearing streams running through them — sustain a population of roughly 3,000 bears. That's about one bear for every five humans on the island, where the population of the Kodiak Island Borough is about 14,000 people.
"The bears are one of only six mammal species native to the refuge. The others are the red fox, river otter, short-tailed weasel, tundra vole, and the little brown bat," LaRosa said.
But other animals have joined them, including 400 breeding pair of bald eagles, and 250 other avian species that migrate through or breed in the refuge. There have also been several introduced species.
"Sitka black-tailed deer were introduced in the 1920s and mountain goat in the 1950s, and numbers of both species have increased exponentially," LaRosa said. Roosevelt elk, caribou, marten, red squirrel, snowshoe hare, and beaver were also introduced during the last century and some of these species are now hunted and trapped.
The refuge has a long history of cutting-edge research, including pioneering the live trapping and tagging of brown bears for research conducted by well-know bear biologist Will Troyer in 1957, followed by some early telemetry work with radio-collared bears carried out by Gerry Atwell and Vernon Berns in the 1960s. These studies provided the first glimpses of how bears use their habitat and what they ate. From there, biologists were able to develop techniques to determine whether bear populations were growing or declining.
"In some ways, our goals haven't changed," LaRosa said. "Bears and salmon are still keystone species we work to protect, both directly and through conservation of their habitat, and both still have healthy populations — which over 75 years, that's a really good thing," LaRosa said.
The bear research continues via a cooperative relationship with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Salmon for wildlife and people
Because isolated island wildlife is susceptible to the impact of species introduced to the island, the refuge monitors what effect newcomers are having on bears.
"On an island ecosystem, one little change can alter a habitat dramatically," LaRosa said.
The refuge just finished a three-year study — done in conjunction with the University of Montana — that focused on how to better understand and conserve wild salmon populations for wildlife and people. Researchers determined how bears use these resources at different times of year in different locations, including shoals, tributary streams and lakes.
Following decades of aerial bear surveys conducted with Fish and Game, refuge biologists were able to analyze bear densities, which they found were dwindling in the southwestern portion of the refuge.
"We had seen declines, and we wanted to understand how severe they were and what was causing them. Bad berry crops coupled with low salmon returns for a few years were possibilities, because now, with salmon numbers on the rise and bumper berry crops, we're seeing productivity increases," LaRosa said.
Climate change is also a concern. For years, Kodiak's green-up has happened weeks earlier than the historic norm, and berries have ripened earlier too. One worry is rising temperatures in lakes and streams where salmon spawn.
"Things are changing, and we intend to keep an eye on it," LaRosa said. "Kodiak refuge was established to conserve the iconic Kodiak brown bear. The more we know about bears, especially their key seasonal foods . . . the better we will be in managing their habitat and ensuring their prosperity."
Conserving Kodiak's wildlife and wildlands is only part of the refuge's mission.
"We get 25,000 people through our visitor center each year, plus many others who go out to the refuge. These numbers are tougher to track since no permit is required, but it's easily around 20,000," said Hans Klauser, the refuge's visitor's service manager.
"This is a destination for people from all over the world, and we want to maximize their visit because of how tough and expensive it is to get here," he said.
Popular public-use cabins
Klauser said one way the refuge works to improve backcountry stays and safety is though the construction of eight — soon to be nine — public-use cabins.
"Many people come with reservations about camping in bear country, so this allows them to spend several nights in the refuge, using secure and dry locations where they feel safe. They're very popular. It's not uncommon for people to book them six months before their visit and for the cabins to be completely booked through the peak of the season," he said.
Tied to the 75th anniversary, the refuge staff put together a checklist of 75 ways to enjoy the refuge. The first 25 people to turn in their checklist with a minimum of 25 documented events will receive a commemorative anniversary gift. Among the possibilities: fishing on the Uganik River, viewing bears at Frazer Lake, and picking up 10 pieces of trash.
"This is all just our way of giving back to the community because we wouldn't be here without their support," Klauser said.
Joseph Robertia is a freelance writer living in Kasilof with his wife, Colleen, and daughter, Lynx, where they operate Rogues Gallery Kennel and have run several mid-distance mushing races, including Colleen running the Iditarod and Yukon Quest.