“Every visitor to Alaska wants to see a bear. Even a glimpse of one can spawn a lifetime of stories.

Bears in Alaska represent the overlap in ecology and economy, as visitors come from far and wide to see them in action. But to even get the opportunity to look into the eyes of a brown bear requires an immense level of personal reflection. You must overcome a lifetime of misinformation and fear, and when you do, you’ll realize you’re sharing a moment with a creature not so different from yourself.

When I first had this opportunity more than 20 years ago, I was underprepared and overwhelmed to the point that it sparked an intense level of curiosity that has only intensified over the intervening decades.

Brown bears in Alaska are stewards of the landscape (as we should also be), moving nutrients and seeds to the places they’re most needed. So much of their existence occurs on a landscape scale as they cross tundra and mountains to get from seasonal food source to seasonal food source. To be able to share even a few minutes with a bear only amplifies the need for landscape-scale habitat protections. How many square miles of habitat went into creating that magical experience with bears?”

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My Big 5

Brown Bear
Snow Leopard
Polar Bear
Wolf
Musk Ox