Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
February 2007

Bear Researcher LaVern Beier

LaVern Beier has survived a helicopter crash and four bear attacks.

A researcher with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Beier has handled almost 800 bears in his career. He has some stories to tell after 35 years of snaring, darting and capturing bears.

Not all the hazards he's faced are bear or helicopter-related. A devil's club thorn once pierced his eye, sending him to the hospital. Another time a bear's small premolar tooth shattered as he pulled it, sending a tooth ...   LaVern Beier ArticleContinued

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Kindergarten students counted birds at recess. Beginning birders watched birds at their feeder, and experienced birders stalked feathered wildlife along the waterfront and in the forest.

Last year the Great Backyard Bird Count enticed Alaskans to spend a few minutes or a few hours watching birds. Birders contributed their observations to a North America database. The event, Feb. 16–19, is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.

Observers simply ...   February Bird Count ArticleContinued

Better Tools for Counting Bears

When it comes to counting bears in Alaska, biometrician Earl Becker has spent much of his career developing a cost-effective and reliable survey tool.

Biologists employ two main survey tools to estimate bear populations. The most common method, known as “mark-recapture,” involves capturing animals such as bears, “marking” them with radio collars and then noting how many of those bears are recaptured at a later date. The proportion of recaptured bears compared to the total sample of captured ...   Counting Bears ArticleContinued

With the Right Tools and a Little Encouragement
BOW Workshops Open the Door to the Outdoors

I wake at 5:30 a.m. like a kid at Christmas, too excited to sleep. Today for the first time, I will make a dream come true. As a little girl I dreamed of standing on the skis of a sled and watching the team of dogs run across a breathtaking landscape.

How is this possible? How could a girl from the Midwest ever learn to manage a dog team? Becoming an Outdoors-Woman means, “Becoming more competent, more confident, and more aware.” That describes me perfectly as I pulled the hook from the ...   Outdoors Women ArticleContinued

Editorial
Brown Bear Management in the McNeil River Area

This March, the Board of Game returns to Anchorage for its biennial Southcentral Alaska meeting. One of the more contentious issues that commonly arises at Southcentral meetings is the management of brown bears in and around the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. Proposals typically range from significant increases in lands available to hunting to major hunting restrictions as well as a variety of other minor changes in local bear management. This year will be no exception.

Due to ...   Editorial: Bears ArticleContinued

Fish and Game Wants Your Hunting Photos

The Alaska Dept of Fish and Game is looking for your best hunting photographs for the 2007-2008 Alaska Hunting Regulations. The deadline for entries is March 1, 2007.

Photos of hunters and their game are good, but images that depict all aspects of hunting are encouraged. Daily life in camp, animals in the field, scenery, game processing and images that show the diversity of our hunting population are especially appreciated.

Fish and Game is also interested in using photos in ...   Call For Photos ArticleContinued

Poor Mans Lobster Newburg - Made with Burbot

Start by preparing:

Dave Parker's Upper Tanana “Lobster”
2 cups burbot
4 tbsp. Butter
¾ cup white wine


1. Cut meat into bite size chunks
2. Melt butter over medium low heat, then slowly add the wine
3. Add chunked burbot and simmer until opague- all fish is white and just cooked through
4. Remove from heat, drain off and discard liquid, and set aside


Newberg Sauce

4 tbsp. butter
1 ½ tbsp. flout
2 cups cooked burbot ...   Burbot Recipe ArticleContinued