Many residents feel that there are problems between people and bears in Juneau, but different people are concerned about different things.
Juneau is home to thirty thousand people, and a healthy population of black bears. Many residents love watching bears catching salmon and grazing on dandelions. Many Juneau residents have their own 'bear story'.
But not all of the stories are happy: every year, bears break into garbage, vehicles, and garages in Juneau. The number of bears killed annually has quadrupled since the 80s*. On years when we see declines in natural foods like salmon and berries, bears intensify their 'urban foraging'.
* Between 1973 and 1986 an average of 2.1 bears/year were killed in non-hunting incidences in Juneau (McCarthy et al. 1994). An average of 9.5 bears were killed annually from 2011-2020, with a low of 5 bears and a high of 18 bears killed/year. (pers. communication, ADF&G).
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) wants to know how residents think human-bear conflict should be managed.
ADF&G wants to understand what Juneau residents want to see done in response to these problems, as well as what barriers residents might face to keeping bears away from their garbage.
They hope to use this information to inform a bear management plan that works for Juneau residents.
ADF&G partnered with researchers at the University of Alaska. The research team interviewed community members, and designed and tested a survey to deliver to 5,000 residents.
After a year of background research, we held focus groups and interviews with Juneau community members, to better understand the breadth of perspectives on the interactions between people and bears in town, and to inform our survey design.
We are deeply appreciative of the time and knowledge that the Juneau community shared with us this summer, as well as the time and knowledge of every person who decides to take this survey.
...Why a survey?
What will my survey be used for?
Your time is valuable.
If you choose to take the survey, you'll help inform:
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Understanding the Problem.
We hope to learn the extent of agreement or disagreement among Juneau residents about whether there are problems between people and bears in Juneau, what these problems are, and where and how much they are happening.
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Preferred Solutions.
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In what situations do Juneau residents feel that it is or is not appropriate for bear managers to kill a bear?
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Are there groups that should be doing more to help solve the bear problems?
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Beliefs about Bears.
What do Juneau residents believe about bears? About the way we live with them? Understanding one another's viewpoints is vital for finding solutions that work.
Meet the Research Team:
Binta Wold
Research Assistant
Alaska Human Dimensions of Wildlife Lab, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Wildlife technician whose work has mostly been with bears (black and grizzly bears), coyotes, and raccoons; and has incorporated citizen science, community and interagency collaboration, and extensive biology field work. Trained in dialogue facilitation and communication, and collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups.
My goal in my career is to work with biologists, wildlife managers, and communities, as well as storytellers and artists, to discover solutions to complex human-wildlife conflicts.
2015
B.S. Natural Resources | Cornell University
Concentration: Community-Based
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Currently pursuing:
M.S. Wildlife Conservation & Biology | University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Todd Brinkman
Research Advisor
Associate Professor, chair of the Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
My lab tackles complex (and often contentious) wildlife issues using an interdisciplinary systems approach that considers interactions among ecological, biophysical, social, and economic factors.
We work to conduct theoretical and applied research on human-wildlife systems using a design that contributes to a broad audience (academics, resource managers, public interest groups) and advances knowledge across scales (local communities to global).
2009
Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology | University of Alaska Fairbanks
2003
M.S. Wildlife Science | South Dakota State University
2000
B.S. Biology & Environmental Science | Minnesota State University
Roy Churchwell
Research Advisor
Regional Management Coordinator (southeast), Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Roy Churchwell spent over 20 years conducting wildlife research across the Western US, primarily on birds, before shifting into a career in wildlife management, first with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and then with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Juneau, AK, first as the Juneau/Douglas Area Biologist, and today as the Regional Management Coordinator for Southeast AK.
B.S. University of Idaho
M.S. Oklahoma State University
Ph.D. University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Jen Schmidt
Research Advisor
Associate Professor of Natural Resources
Management and Policy, University of Alaska, Anchorage.
I am interested in research and management of socio-ecological systems that help balance conservation efforts with the needs of society. I prefer topics that require a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, utilize biological and social data, and engage stakeholders to co-produce knowledge that can be used by a wide audience.
2007
PhD. Wildlife Biology | University of Alaska Fairbanks
1999
B.S. Genetics and cell biology | University of Minnesota Twin cities
1999
B.S. Ecology, evolution, and behavior | University of Minnesota Twin cities
Mary Beth Leigh
Research Advisor
Professor of Microbiology, director of
'In a Time of Change', arts-humanities-
science integration collaborative, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Expertise: Microbial ecology; environmental microbiology; biodegradation and bioremediation of contaminants in terrestrial, subsurface, and marine environments; phytoremediation in cold regions; methane oxidation, litter decomposition, and plant-microbe interactions in boreal forest and Arctic ecosystems; stable isotope probing; integration of arts, humanities, and environmental sciences.
2003
Ph.D. Microbiology | University of Oklahoma
1997
M.S. Botany | University of Oklahoma
1994
B.F.A. Modern Dance, Minor in Botany | University of Oklahoma
Kelsey Breseman
Artist & Storyteller
Community Collaborator
Kelsey Breseman has done extensive work on data ownership and environmental data justice. Kelsey's experience includes creating science and data communication & outreach tools, founding and managing startups, public speaking and hosting workshops, creating physical and digital artwork, and writing. In 2023, she was the Tongass Storytelling Intern with the Nature Conservancy and Sealaska in Juneau.
We look forward to collaborating with Kelsey to bring an art and storytelling project to the Juneau Bear Project in the summer / fall of 2024.
2013
B.S. Engineering | Olin College
Currently pursuing
M.S. Data Science | U.T. Austin
We will share key findings back with the community.
I want to contribute!
Question: I didn't get a postcard. Can I take the survey anyways?
Answer: Unfortunately, no. It is important to the statistical design of our study for our sample of Juneau residents to be truly randomly selected, so that we can analyze our results to learn information about the community as a whole, so we can't allow people to self-select to take the survey
But, there are other ways to get involved!
Get Involved / Stay in the Loop
