Visitor and bear use of Moraine creek, Katmai National Preserve, 2001

Olson, Tamara; Fairchild, Lucretia; Bentley, Erin; Moran, Matthew

Brown bear and human activity in the vicinity of the confluence of Moraine Creek and Funnel Creek was monitored from 7 to 20 August 2001. Most people accessed the area via aircraft that landed on or near Crosswinds Lake, 0.5 km south of the confluence. During the 13 days that we monitored aircraft traffic in the vicinity of the confluence, we documented 385 aircraft events (landings, take-offs, and overflights), including 182 aircraft landings on or near Crosswinds Lake. Half of the aircraft arrivals were fishing or rafting/camping groups (who fished in association with those activities), 12% were bear viewing groups, and 37% were client pick-ups. Visitor days recorded averaged 41 +- 9.2 per day. Eighty-six percent of visitor days were associated with day-use activities. The maximum number of people counted in our river observation zones during a scan count was 19 (9 people per km of river scanned). The maximum number of different independent bears observed during a sampling session was 14. Although we did not observe any bear obtain food from people, the potential for food conditioning appeared to be the bear management issue of most concern at Moraine Creek. Some anglers fished in close proximity to bears, backpacks and other gear which may have contained food were sometimes left unattended, and some rafter camped and prepared meals on gravel bars in the river corridor where bears often fished.