SERGIUS HANNAN Lance Bassett, the naturalist and bear guide, observes a brown bear . At one time, my group counts over 20 bears in view. The bears keep their faces plunged into the sedges, lifting their eyes from time to time to take in the groups of rain-jacketed photographers and tourists who walk in single file like ducklings. Bear guides are particularly adept at positioning people for perfect, oncein-a-lifetime images of bears. Bassett catches movement in the distance: a sow grizzly running along the beach with a set of “spring cubs,” bears that were just recently born. There is mist billowing in off Hallo Bay, and the photographers among us struggled to find the right light. Bassett says it is the first set of spring cubs he has seen this season. The bears don‘t come our way but bolt for the open beach. The witnessing of a new generation of bears means that this ritual—bears, people, float planes, the rarefied landscape—go on. At Hallo Bay, one is keenly aware of the bear viewing business. Two live-aboard vessels squat in the distance. A zodiac ferries a load of bear viewers ashore. Floatplanes and wheeled planes that can land on the sandy beachfront frequently take off and land. The bears, though, don’t seem to mind. Sows nurse their cubs. Subadult males lightly chase the honey-hued sows through the sedges. Cameras click. But otherwise, we are merely sightseeing, sharing close quarters with wild animals. Many people come to Homer unaware of bear viewing opportunities. Homer is well-known as the Halibut Capital of the World. Today, the bear viewing industry is steadily gaining in popularity and might be the defining industry of the future for this sea-girt hamlet. Amateur photographers make their reservations a year or more out. At Brooks Camp—the most famous of all Katmai bear viewing locations— some days see over 600 visitors. The viewing platforms are clogged with shutterbugs and bear enthusiasts. Park staff and the infrastructure are admittedly stressed by the recent boom in bear viewing. Park Director Mark Sturm says that there are ongoing visitation plans forthcoming. The goal is to mitigate overcrowding at Brooks Camp and protect the ecology. play here 26 BEAR VIEWING PLAY HERE
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