Promoting Ecotourism in Alaska - Interview with a WildLandscapes Ecologist

A bald eagle sitting in a brown tree in the center of the frame with green trees surrounding.

A brown bear with its shorter summer fur coat standing on a rock in Brooks Falls.

Three brown bears at a distance in the moving water of Brooks Falls.

Brown bear standing in rapid moving water at Brooks Falls.

Brown bear in close range standing in tall green grass.

View from an airplane of a vast Alaskan landscape with snow covered mountains.

A body of water with green vegetation and a mountain and three people fly fishing in the distance.

Earlier this month, WildLandscapes’ ecologist, Marta Prat-Guitart, traveled to King Salmon, Alaska, forwarding movement on our work in the region. What follows is an interview with Marta, providing insight into the work we are doing there, why it’s important, and what about it that inspires her.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BRISTOL BAY AND ITS WILDLIFE

You recently traveled to King Salmon. What project(s) is WildlLandscapes working on in Alaska and specifically in King Salmon? Why is it significant?

WildLandscapes is currently working on 3 incredible landscapes: Wrangell-St. Elias, Northern Alaska and Bristol Bay. All of them have extraordinary public lands where nature and wildlife thrive. However, they are lacking the necessary infrastructure to educate the visitor appropriately about all the recreation opportunities available and provide a much-needed space for the community. WildLandscapes is working towards creating a new visitor center in King Salmon and Fairbanks, and improving the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Tok. 

King Salmon, in Bristol Bay, is the gateway to millions of acres of protected lands - Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Alagnak Wild River and McNeil River State Game Refuge & Sanctuary. A number of freshwater nursery lakes, rivers and estuaries in this lands and its surroundings support the largest commercial sockeye salmon production in the world, which is one of the major economies for the region, together with tourism. Visitors coming to King Salmon nowadays can find information about the community and the public lands at the visitor center adjacent to the airport, which despite having really friendly staff wanting to help you out, it is an old room lacking space to provide further environmental education and interpretation, details about the history and culture of the region, information about the protected lands, a storefront for local products and crafts, or to serve as an educational space for local kids. The idea is that the new building, besides providing the appropriate space for all of the activities I just mentioned, will also have an observation platform to the river (where beluga whales hang out in early spring), a community room and an auditorium that the community can use year-long and connect to an interpretative river walk trail. 

Briefly explain the habitats and the wildlife found within this region in Alaska. What’s significant about them and why are they worth protecting?

Everything is worth protecting - active and dormant volcanoes, mountains, tundra, glaciers, lakes, rivers and estuaries, wetlands and lowland marshes, coastal shores and cliffs create a diverse landscape that supports many ecosystems and thriving wildlife. All five species of Pacific salmon spawn and rear in Bristol Bay, supporting a large population of brown bears, as well as avid bald eagles that take advantage of the large salmon runs. The Alaska Peninsula caribou herd migrates between spring calving grounds and winter range within refuge lands. Moose, wolf, lynx, snowshoe hares, and beavers can also be found wandering around these lands, whereas migratory birds fly thousands of miles to reach these productive lands for breeding and nesting or just as a staging area for their long journeys to the Arctic and back. In the coast some of the shorebirds and seabirds share the ocean with sea otters, Steller sea lions, beluga whales, humpback whales, walruses and more. The list of species is very long… but it is evidence that these lands host an incredible combination of habitats that create unique wildlife viewing opportunities. The challenge is to make the distance and be there at the right time.

What was your favorite part of the trip or favorite thing about Alaska?

What fascinates me about Bristol Bay and Alaska, in general, is wilderness. I personally have never been to a place that is as wild, as alive and as remote as Alaska. The summer thrive is a constant explosion of life, where all species focus on getting the most of their drive to reproduce and/or store energy for the upcoming long winter if they are to survive the short summer season. Then the winter quietness, when more or less under the snow and with a dim sunlight, few species move around trying to go unnoticed to the watching predators. 

I am an ecologist, and I tend to focus toward nature, but another aspect that fascinates me about Alaska is its people, how they go in tune with nature, how they care about the land and its waters, wanting to preserve it pristine while being able to use it sustainably and share it with others. Bristol Bay hosts the largest salmon fishery in the world, in part because of its highly productive marine ecosystems, but also for the long-term use and protection from its communities. We have seen many fisheries around the world collapse while Bristol Bay still stands strong - using sustainable fishing practices, research, resources, setting rules and enforcing them - a system that the community has supported for a long time, while also preserving estuaries, lakes, rivers and streams, crucial for the salmon’s reproductive cycle. With it, they have also protected many other natural resources, all pieces of a puzzle that need to match to preserve the heritage.

THE WILDLIFE OF ALASKA

What’s an animal you haven’t seen yet and are hoping to see on a future trip? 

The list of animals that I want to see in Alaska is too long! But if I had to pick one, I would say walrus. There are some haulout spots in Bristol Bay where walruses come out on land to rest. It is possible to see them at certain times of the year, however, I have not been lucky enough to be out there when they are around. Still, every visit to King Salmon comes with terrific sightings, that could either be a bald eagle fishing a giant salmon out of the river, a moose coming out from behind a bush, or a bear staring at the water patiently for the perfect prey. All of them are worth the trip.

Tell us about the bears at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park.

The bears at Brooks Falls are brown bears (Ursus arctos), which is the same species as grizzly bears, but they generally differ in size, habitat, diet and temperament. Many bears in the Bristol Bay area are well aware of the numerous salmon runs that occur in the summertime (late June-July), and keep a close eye to the rivers and streams to be present when the most nutrient-rich element of their diet starts appearing. Thousands of 3-5 year old salmon coming from the Pacific ocean make their way upstream to spawn and leave space for the next generation. Brooks Falls creates a natural temporary barrier for the migrating sockeye salmon that want to continue to their spawning grounds, concentrating high densities of salmon and attracting many bears for a feast. Bears take the opportunity to fish for salmon while in the water or when they are jumping over the falls, which makes the event quite spectacular. Some of the bears have mastered the skill and are very successful. Once the salmon stop migrating in large numbers, the bears move on to other rivers and streams that have later runs. Later in September, high densities of dead and dying fish flow down the river, attracting bears again to the falls and lakes to keep increasing their calorie intake before they go into hibernation for the winter. 

THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA

Any inspiring stories from the trip that you would like to share?

King Salmon is not only unique for its natural resources, but for its people. Since my first visit to the area, I have had the chance to meet a few people from town but also surrounding villages like Naknek. Despite having different backgrounds, they all have a special connection to these lands and the creatures that live in them - belugas, salmon, bears and eagles are considered neighbors as well. 

They all have come together to find a common vision for what the new visitor center could be for the town, envisioning the opportunities that will come with it, owning the project and advocating for it. WildLandscapes is part of the process but it is the community who’s at the driver's seat, and they see this project as a vehicle to continue protecting their lands, their heritage, bring new economic opportunities to the local community and improve access to this endless wilderness for themselves but also for the outside visitor.