Black Bear Management and Research
Publications & Reports
Management
Much of the information on black bears is acquired from hunters through the sealing process, where hunters bring hides and skulls in for inspection and sealing and provide information on the harvest. Skull size data are an indicator of some change in the population or in hunter effort.
The tendency for black bears to take advantage of human food or garbage as alternative foods has been the greatest management problem within the Juneau area. ADF&G provides the public with bear information and proper waste disposal and has been working to teach the public how to reduce attractions for bears.
West Side of Cook Inlet (GMU 16): The management goal is to provide the greatest opportunity to participate in hunting black bears and to reduce the overall population of black bears in the unit in order to increase moose calf survival.
In the 20-mile radius of McGrath (in Unit 19D East), predator population manipulations and other management actions are being tested, including capture and removal of black bears, in order to provide more moose for subsistence needs. The management objective is to maintain reported harvest of at least 30 black bears in Unit 19D East as part of the intensive management program.
A DNA-based mark–recapture estimate technique was recently completed in the Fortymile, Charley, and Ladue River drainages (GMU 20E).
Research
In some areas, tetracycline biomarking and noninvasive DNA sampling is being used as means of estimating black bear populations. DNA-based mark-recapture population estimates using barbed wire bear hair traps with scent lures have been implemented in a few areas.
In the Upper Tanana and White River drainages blueberry abundance has been monitored at five permanent blueberry sample areas to compare berry production between years and sites, and to evaluate effects of berry abundance on bear harvest and problem bear incidents. A DNA-based mark–recapture population estimate using barbed wire bear hair traps with scent lures was conducted in 2006.
Biologists would like to know more about Alaska’s black bears. Research is needed to identify possible correlations between sealing data and population trends. A better understanding of the short- and long-term impacts of clearcut logging on black bear populations is needed. Some estimate of black bear mortality as a result of wounding loss is needed.
Interactive Maps
Additional Research Projects
- Grizzly and Black Bear Distribution and Abundance Relative to the 2004 Wildfires in Eastern Interior Alaska: Possible Intensive Management Consequences
- Grizzly bear use of the North Slope oilfields and surrounding region
- Population demographics of Kenai brown bears
Project Information
Grizzly bear use of the North Slope oilfields and surrounding region
Project 4.40, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant Project. Duration: July 1, 2008–June 30, 2012. Principal Investigator: Richard Shideler, Fairbanks.
Knowledge of the interactions of grizzly bears with oil and gas exploration and production activities is important in order to reduce or minimize impacts of the development on this low-density and slow-growing bear population. Furthermore, potential impacts of development that affect the growth or survival of grizzly bears in the area can also affect harvest opportunities by sport hunters. Basic understanding of the population dynamics, habitat use, and potential impacts of oil and gas exploration and development are necessary to manage this bear population.
In addition to providing considerable ecological and demographic information about grizzly bears at the extreme of their distribution in North America, results from this study can be used to revise or develop mitigation strategies to avoid or minimize effects of the current and future oil and gas exploration and production on the North Slope. Both agencies and industry can use the results to tailor mitigation measures to reduce impacts on bears and increase employee safety. This in turn will reduce the need to remove bears from the population, and provide more opportunities for harvest within guidelines that reflect current demographic characteristics. Specific benefits include:
1 Provide a feasible and cost-effective method to detect denning grizzly bears by combining probabilistic habitat modeling and effective den detection methods so that off-road winter exploration, transportation and construction activities can avoid dens.
2 Evaluate the long-term effects of changes in anthropogenic food management in the oilfield region on grizzly bear demographic characteristics, and adjust grizzly bear harvest to account for these changes if necessary.
3 Evaluate the efficacy of RFID technology to identify individuals for use in management of grizzly bear in the oilfield situation, and the potential transfer of this technology to other wildlife applications.