Wild Pondies

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary
National Natural Landmark



IN BRIEF
100 miles west of Homer across the Cook Inlet. Includes the mouth of the McNeil River, with a series of low shallow falls which afford good visibility for brown bears fishing for salmon. Owner: State
DESIGNATION DATE
April 1968

http://www1.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry ... /index.cfm

http://www1.nature.nps.gov/nnl/photocon ... rs2004.cfm

http://www1.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry ... alaska.cfm

What is the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary?


McNeil River originates from glaciers and alpine lakes located high in the mountains of the Aleutian Range. As the river makes it way toward the shores of lower Cook Inlet in southwestern Alaska, it provides sustenance to an array of wildlife, most visibly salmon and brown bears. The Alaska State Legislature designated the McNeil River area as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 (and enlarged it in 1993) to protect the world's largest concentration of wild brown bears. As many as 144 individual bears have been observed at McNeil River through the summer with as many as 72 bears observed at one time!

The sanctuary protects about 200 square miles of wildlife habitat and is located approximately 250 air miles (400 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage and 100 air miles (160 kilometers) west of Homer. In addition to brown bears and salmon, red fox, arctic ground squirrels, harbor seals and bald eagles are commonly observed. Other wildlife that may be observed in the sanctuary includes moose, caribou, wolves, wolverine, various furbearers, waterfowl, sea ducks and sea birds. McNeil River and nearby Mikfik Creek drain into Kamishak Bay in the shadow of Augustine Island, an active volcano. This is a roadless area with no modern amenities and it is virtually undisturbed by human development.

Although all five species of Pacific salmon are present in the sanctuary, it is the calico-colored chum (or dog salmon) that primarily attracts bears to McNeil River in early July through mid-August. About one mile (1.6 kilometers) upstream from its mouth, a series of rocks and boulders forms McNeil River Falls. Salmon are slowed in their movements by the falls and they congregate there during their upstream migration to their spawning grounds. Since there are few rivers in the area with similar fishing sites, bears congregate at McNeil River Falls in numbers that have brought McNeil River worldwide fame.

During June, a smaller number of bears (generally 15 - 20) are attracted to nearby Mikfik Creek by migrating sockeye (or red) salmon. During this period, visitors observe bears from a variety of sites on or near the creek while the bears catch fish and graze on tidal vegetation.

Preservation of these wildlife habitats and the unique brown bear concentration is the primary management goal of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game at the McNeil River Sanctuary. This means that all human activities must be compatible with this primary management goal. In the past, the sanctuary has served as a valuable part of the department's investigations into the life history of brown bears.

A permit program administered by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game manages visitor numbers and activities in the sanctuary. The permit program was developed after many years of excessive and uncontrolled public use of the area that often put people and bears in danger. The goal of the permit program is to provide the public with an opportunity to view and photograph bears while minimizing their impacts to bears and wildlife habitats. The program limits the number of people who may be present at McNeil River Falls (or the other viewing locations) to no more than 10 between June 7 and August 25.

No one has ever been injured by a bear at McNeil River and since the permit program was initiated, no bears have been killed by visitors who felt threatened. To maintain this record, visitor activities at the sanctuary are closely managed and evaluated. However, it is always important to remember that the McNeil bears are wild animals with all the potential for aggressive behavior, so visitors are accompanied by armed department staff. Visitors are encouraged to maintain respect of the brown bear's home, follow the rules of the sanctuary and your guide, and to have a truly memorable experience.

From Friends Of McNeil River:

How To Get There...

Grizzly Bear (brown bear)





Black Bear:

Enjoy these bear videos from Leo & Dorothy Keeler (Friends of McNeil River):



Bear Cub Tumbling http://one.revver.com/watch/293264

Bear Cub vs Flowers http://one.revver.com/watch/293297

Bear Cub vs Dirt Clod http://one.revver.com/watch/293289

Bear Cub Wrestling Mom http://one.revver.com/watch/293362

From Kay/Arkansas:

After learning about the BearCam last August (2006) and becoming addicted to daily bear-watching, I wanted to know more about the bears. Here are some of the links I found interesting and informative, as well as some I've found since. I'm sure other BAGrs have some links they can add also.

Article about the BearCam--2007
http://www.homertribune.com/article.php?aid=1875

CBS report on the McNeil River Bears--2006
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video ... d=1898467n

CBS interview with Larry Aumiller who directed the program for 30 years--2006
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video ... d=1898360n

Video of CBS reporting that the bears will not be hunted in the areas adjacent to the
sanctuary in 2007 as originally planned
http://www.flixya.com/video/53412/Prote ... _(CBS_News)

Article from Anchorage Daily News (March 7, 2007) after the Board of Game decided not to allow hunting on 95,000 acres south and east of the sanctuary--oops, might require free registration for access:-(
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife ... 8382c.html

The Pratt Museum in Homer, Bearcam Control Center
http://www.prattmuseum.org/index.html

Some good information about the history of the Pratt Museum and the area around Homer
http://www.prattmuseum.org/kachemak/index.html

Information about the evolution and logistics of the BearCam and information about other wildlife cams
http://www.prattmuseum.org/exhibitry/ca ... tml#mcneil

Article about Larry Aumiller, the "Bear Man of McNeil River," whose efforts made it possible for us
to see bears today
http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/art ... icleID=607

Friends of McNeil River, a group of people concerned about the welfare of Alaska's world famous McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and its magnificent Brown Bears. There is some excellent
information at this site.
http://www.mcneilbears.org/index.cfm?section=Issues

Website set up to inform wildlife lovers about the plight of the bears--the
Department of Game decided in March, 2007, to NOT allow hunting near the
sanctuary. There are some neat video links on this site though.
http://www.awimages.com/information/friends.html

A delightful short video from the site above
http://one.revver.com/watch/293362/flv/affiliate/81884

Video explaining about the McNeil Bears and why they should not be hunted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h54hbNXEG0

Exceptional photos by Bob Hallinen--slide show
http://www.adn.com/includes/mcneil_rive ... eract.html

Article before the Board of Game vote on hunting near the sanctuary
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... ears_x.htm

Map of McNeil River Sanctuary and adjacent areas
http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/GIS/maps ... eilriv.gif

Alaska Department of Fish and Game page about McNeil River with
information about the lottery system which awards limited permits to visit the sanctuary
http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cf ... river.main

Mark Hardgrave is a professional photographer from Arkansas who visited McNeil in 1998 and
again in 2006 and provides a lot of great photos and helpful information

Mark's short narrative about McNeil River
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyse ... cneil.html

Mark's photos with narrative about his visit to McNeil River--great photos
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyse ... bear1.html

Mark's homepage on McNeil River
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/8231/

Mark's screen-size photos of his trip to McNeil River
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/8231/new.html

Mark's info on what to take for the trip
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyse ... notes.html

Mark's journal from his visit to McNeil River
http://ozarkimages.squarespace.com/mcne ... r-journal/

Jon Pascal's photos and narrative from a trip to McNeil River--interesting
photos of the camp area
http://www.thepascals.com/photos/mcneil1.htm

More links to info about bears
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/grizzlies/index.html

Added 8-20-07


McNeil River Falls from the air and other bear photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akroadkill ... 401396278/

Other McNeil River photos on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=m ... er+&m=tags

Alaska's Katmai Bears Still in Peril
http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_ ... tonps.html

Firsthand account of bearwatching at McNeil River by a television reporter
http://forums.ngm.com/forums/permalink/ ... spx#146332

Video from KTUU reporter who visited McNeil River
http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=6913341

More video from KTUU reporter who visited McNeil River
http://preview.tinyurl.com/37fl35