The Effect of Bear Viewers on Bears at Katmai National Park & Preserve

Project ID: P18AC00050

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Washington State University

Fiscal Year: 2018

Initial Funding: $37,125

Total Funding: $43,874

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Interdisciplinary

National Park: Katmai National Park and Preserve

Principal Investigator: Robbins, Charles

Agreement Technical Representative: Verbos, Rose

Abstract: Our goals are to determine if bears in backcountry areas of Katmai National Park & Preserve (KATM) are reacting to human presence via 1) spatial avoidance, 2) temporal avoidance, or 3) changes in behavior. We seek to summarize how all of the above may affect a bear’s ability to use available habitat, forage most efficiently, and balance its energetic budget. In the absence of collaring individuals or obtaining direct physiological measures of stress in viewed bears, these behavioral methods are the most achievable, cost-effective, and repeatable means of detecting the effects of viewers on bears.