Education

©Jennifer Fogle Smith

Outreach

Educational outreach is vital to attaining support for bear conservation by the public, administrators, and managers. The Kodiak Bear Trust has provided funding for popular education projects such as:

  • “Kodiak Science Camp” for young people
  • publication of The History of Bears on the Kodiak Archipelago
  • publication of Kodiak Bears and the Exxon Valdez: A Conservation Saga in Alaska’s Kodiak Archipelago
  • publication of Living in Harmony with Bears

© Lisa Hupp

Outreach Partners

The Kodiak Bear Trust also partners with State and Federal agencies and with Native Corporations and villages to share knowledge with local schools, youth groups and community leaders. One project involved students from a local village as they  analyzed bear movement patterns obtained from a GPS radio-telemetry study that was supported by the Kodiak Bear Trust. Other Trust-funded projects enlist local high school students to retrofit dumpster lids to make them more bear resistant, and a comprehensive education program where local professionals teach high school students about bears and employment opportunities that involve working with bears.

The Kodiak Bear Trust will continue and expand all of these outreach activities, targeting young people, hunters, fishermen, wildlife viewers and photographers, and recreation business operators.

Photo by Mara Weisenberger, USFWS

Bear Viewing

Bear viewing in appropriate sites provides opportunities for people to safely photograph the animals and improve understanding of bear behavior.

© Larry Van Daele

References

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME. 2002. Kodiak Archipelago Bear Conservation and Management Plan. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, AK.
Download

‍KODIAK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. 1987. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, and Wilderness Review. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USA.
Download

‍RICHARDSON, T. AND D. CLINE, Eds. 2000. Kodiak Bears and the Exxon Valdez: A Conservation Saga in Alaska’s Kodiak Archipelago

STONOROV, D., G. LYON, N. LORD AND J. SCHOEN. 2000. Living in Harmony with Bears. National Audubon Society. Anchorage, AK.
Download

‍VAN DAELE, L.J. 2003. The History of Bears on the Kodiak Archipelago. Alaska Natural History Association. Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Download

©Jennifer Fogle Smith

Rebuild the Bear: A Legacy of Bear Conservation

A community project to preserve the legacy of Kodiak's historic bear statue.

Rebuild the Bear was a community effort to erect a bronze Kodiak bear, replacing the historic but weathered fiberglass statue that has welcomed visitors to Kodiak Island for the past 60 years. This iconic landmark recognizes guides and others who contributed to the conservation of Kodiak brown bears. The new statue continues this legacy, and serves as a lasting tribute to the cultural, historical, and economic importance of Kodiak bears - and a reminder that we can coexist and thrive with bears on our island home for generations to come.
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This statue is a monument to the presence of our Island's magnificent bears and their significance in our lives. It also commemorates Kodiak's first registered bear - guide, Charles Madsen, who established the Kodiak Guides Association in 1929 and worked with local Alutiiq natives to guide sportsmen from around the world. Alarmed by growing pressures on the bear population in the early 20th century, Kodiak guides, hunters, and others were important advocates for bear conservation: they championed the creation of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in 1941 to protect bears and their habitat.

What a Greeting!

In 1955, the original statue stood in front of the Kodiak Hotel, greeting visitors who arrived in Kodiak by boat. A mural at the dock proclaimed the Emerald Isle "Home of the World's Largest Bear," and the statue proudly rose above the channel, It survived the 1964 tsunami that devastated Kodiak's harbor and downtown; as the community rebuilt and grew, it moved to different locations, including the Harbormaster's building. In 2011, the bear statue found a fitting home outside of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, welcoming everyone and reminding us all of the importance of bears in our community and island villages.

‍This statue is a monument to the presence of our Island's magnificent bears and their significance in our lives. It also commemorates Kodiak's first registered bear - guide, Charles Madsen, who established the Kodiak Guides Association in 1929 and worked with local Alutiiq natives to guide sportsmen from around the world. Alarmed by growing pressures on the bear population in the early 20th century, Kodiak guides, hunters, and others were important advocates for bear conservation: they championed the creation of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in 1941 to protect bears and their habitat.

Celebrating 75 years of Conservation Success

Over time, Kodiak's wild climate has irreparably damaged our venerable and welcoming bear. Kodiak's guides envisioned land set aside in perpetuity for bear conservation, and 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Kodiak Refuge. The new life-sized bronze statue will endure, welcoming all who come to our island, celebrating our history, and honoring our unique connection to Kodiak bears.