McNeil River

Coordinates: 59°07′30″N 154°14′49″W / 59.12500°N 154.24694°W / 59.12500; -154.24694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
McNeil River Falls
Congregation of brown bears (Ursus arctos) at McNeil River Falls
McNeil River is located in Alaska
McNeil River
Location of the mouth of the McNeil River in Alaska
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughKenai Peninsula
Physical characteristics
SourceAleutian Range
 • coordinates58°55′48″N 154°40′04″W / 58.93000°N 154.66778°W / 58.93000; -154.66778[1]
 • elevation1,586 ft (483 m)[2]
Augustine Island
 • coordinates
59°07′30″N 154°14′49″W / 59.12500°N 154.24694°W / 59.12500; -154.24694[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length22 mi (35 km)[3]

The McNeil River is a river on the eastern drainage of the

Kenai Peninsula Borough boundaries. The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and Refuge is part of a 3.8-million-acre (1,500,000 ha) piece of land that is protected from hunting; the rest of this is Katmai National Park
.

More famous for its bear population than for the size of the river or the strength of its salmon runs, McNeil River has been featured on many television and film documentaries. So well-known has the area become as a bear-viewing area, that in 1973 the State of Alaska began limiting the number of summer visitors to ten per day during peak visitor months of June, July and August. The area has also been "wired" for webcam remote viewing for those unable to access the river in person.

Various groups have been formed to support keeping the area pristine and free from bear-hunting activity. And while the bear population often wanders outside the protected zone their numbers have gradually continued to rise over the years.

Geography

The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and Refuge is located on the northeastern Alaskan Peninsula, next to the northeastern part of

trapping are allowed, but the hunting of brown bear is banned in both the sanctuary and refuge.[4]

The northern edge of the refuge lies about 50 miles (80 km) south of the southern boundary of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The refuge is bounded to the west by Katmai National Preserve and the southern and western parts of the sanctuary are bordered by the rest of Katmai National Park.[6] Much of the land is treeless, rolling tundra, but there are several mountainous areas in the southern part of the sanctuary. The nearest road ends 100 miles (161 km) away and access is only by boat or floatplane. Getting there requires extensive planning and booking.

Fauna

Bears

Mother brown bear with her cubs near the McNeil River

McNeil Falls has always been famous for its bear watching, and as early as 1955, when it was closed to hunting, it was featured in an article of

National Geographic by Cecil E. Rhode and in the 1956 documentary The Animal World. Bear watching at the falls reached a low in the mid-1970s due to limited rules and human interference, but with better rules, bear numbers increased. As many as 100 bears may be seen at the falls in a single day with frequent sights of 60 or more at one time.[7] Visitors often view bears as they stand at the falls waiting to catch salmon in their mouths. In addition to the main McNeil River, Mikfik Creek to the south and Chenik Lake to the north, in the refuge, also provide bear viewing. Both Mikfik Creek and Chenik Lake offer best bear viewing in June and McNeil River does in July.[4]

Visiting McNeil is difficult. To visit the sanctuary and refuge, a person must win a lottery system that allows only 10 people per day for a four-day period to visit McNeil and the bears. This is a very effective way to protect the bears and is the main reason why there are so many bears at McNeil.[8] The McNeil Camp comprises eight ranger cabins and eating areas and a tent camp just beyond.[9]

Salmon

wolves. Bears feed primarily on salmon in July but switch their diet to berries and grass in late August and early September. To reduce the impact of humans on bears, fishing is prohibited.[4]

Other animals

Aside from its famous brown bears, the McNeil River Sanctuary also has

wolves, red foxes, wolverines, harbor seals, and bald eagles. None are encountered as frequently as the bears, but patient observers may observe any of them if lucky.[4]

History

McNeil River has had a long history in protecting its unique resources and the bears. This story began in the 1940s when the site was discovered. People were not only attracted to see the bears, but also to hunt and fish there. Hunters were challenged with hunting the bears because of the unique nature of the area and of how many bears there were. The hunting was regulated over the years, and when Cecil E. Rhode visited in 1954, he asked the Territory of Alaska to close the river to hunting; in one day he counted 32 bears.[10] In 1955, the entire drainage was closed to brown bear hunting.[7] Twelve years later, the area was further protected in a bill signed by Alaska Governor Jay Hammond and became the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. The sanctuary protected about 93,000 acres and bear numbers visiting the falls grew. However, around 1970 bear numbers began to fall again because of humans getting in bears' space, fishing feet from them, and disturbing them. So new rules were set up in 1973 and bear numbers once again increased. For 20 years, no major events happened and bear numbers at the falls grew to about 60. However, it was discovered in 1993 that a fish ladder would be constructed in the Paint River drainage, just 3 miles (4.8 km) from McNeil Falls. Because it was required to have about 500,000 salmon spawn and die in the Paint River drainage, it was feared that bears would be drawn away from McNeil Falls and be in that drainage during bear hunting season. The Friends of McNeil River filled out a lawsuit that expanded the sanctuary to 128,000 acres (52,000 ha) and established the 120,000-acre (49,000 ha) McNeil River State Game Refuge. The refuge was closed to hunting in 1995.[7]

However, the issues did not end. In 2000, the McNeil Refuge was opened to hunting by the Board of Game.[11] It was closed to hunting again in 2005 because of pressure from conservationists,[12] but there was a proposal that would allow bear hunting in 2007. Support by Alaskan governor Sarah Palin pressured the conservationists, but they were finally able to close the refuge to hunting again in March 2007.[13] The bear numbers boomed at McNeil Falls (the record of 74 were counted that year!).[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "McNeil River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). University of Alaska Fairbanks. pp. 612–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f "McNeil River — State Game Sanctuary and Refuge". Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Sharing Tundra: The Bear Essentials". Rhodes College.
  6. ^ "Bears in the wild". alaska.com.
  7. ^ a b c d "Friends of McNeil River Bears – About". Friends of McNeil River. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  8. ^ "McNeil River State Game Sanctuary". travelalaska.com.
  9. ^ Fair, Jeff (25 July 2012). "Brown Bear Watching on Alaska's McNeil River". Audubon Magazine (July–August 2006). Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Brown Bear Population Characteristics at McNeil River, Alaska" (PDF). Larry Aumiller. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  11. ^ Busch, Robert H. (2000). The Grizzly Almanac. New York. p. 138.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ^ "Alaska Panel Calls Off Brown Bear Hunt Near State Game Sanctuary". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. March 12, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  13. ^ "Victory for Katmai/McNeil River Bears in Alaska". National Parks Conservation Association. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2007.

External links

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