Assessing and managing impacts of human induced disturbance along ACCG1 (Alaska Central Coast Group) park coastlines in southcentral Alaska

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Human use of and associated disturbance in critical brown and black bear coastal foraging habitat in southcentral Alaska's national parks is increasing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, the effects of human disturbance to sensitive coastal habitat and bear demographics are unknown. Although a large portion of disturbance in critical coastal bear habitat is attributed to commercial and recreational bear viewing activities, other sources of disturbance that may be degrading coastal habitat and modifying bear behavior in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (ACCG) include kayaking, fishing and camping. There is also an increasing likelihood of resource extraction and land development in critical bear habitat in Lake Clark and Kenai Fjords National Parks. Marked increases in human use in and degradation of sensitive coastal habitat have made it a top ACCG priority to obtain critical information to identifying occurrence, distribution and species utilization of critical coastal habitat and define the effects of human disturbance on coastal resources and indicator species, particularly bears, to insure that resource managers can: 1) preserve and protect sensitive coastal habitat and bear populations; 2) mitigate effects of human disturbance to critical habitat and bear populations; 3) educate and protect humans from adverse bear encounters while allowing for public enjoyment of ACCG coastal areas and associated park resources; and 4) develop and implement coastal bear management protocol to be included in bear management plans for each ACCG park.

Assessing and managing impacts of human induced disturbance along ACCG1 (Alaska Central Coast Group) park coastlines in southcentral Alaska

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