McNeil River

Last updated
McNeil River Falls
McNeil Falls in July.jpg
Congregation of brown bears (Ursus arctos) at McNeil River Falls
Relief map of USA Alaska.png
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of the McNeil River in Alaska
Location
Country United States
State Alaska
Borough Kenai Peninsula
Physical characteristics
Source Aleutian Range
 ⁃ coordinates 58°55′48″N154°40′04″W / 58.93000°N 154.66778°W / 58.93000; -154.66778 [1]
 ⁃ elevation1,586 ft (483 m) [2]
Mouth McNeil Cove, Kamishak Bay
 ⁃ location
34 miles (55 km) southwest of Augustine Island
 ⁃ coordinates
 59°07′30″N154°14′49″W / 59.12500°N 154.24694°W / 59.12500; -154.24694 Coordinates: 59°07′30″N154°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 Alaska Peninsula near its base and conjunction with the Alaska mainland. The McNeil emerges from glaciers and alpine lakes in the mountains of the Aleutian Range. The river's destination is the Cook Inlet in Alaska's southwest. The McNeil is the prime habitat of numerous animals, but it is famous for its salmon and brown bears. This wealth of wildlife was one of the reasons for the Alaska State Legislature's decision to designate the McNeil River a wildlife sanctuary in 1967. In 1993, this protected area was enlarged to preserve an area that has the highest concentration of brown bears anywhere in the world. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, up to 144 brown bears have been sighted on the river in a single summer with 74 bears congregating in one place at a time [4] Its entire length of 35 miles (55 km) lies within the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, created in 1967 by the State of Alaska to protect the numerous Alaska brown bears who frequented the area. It also lies entirely within 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.

Contents

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 Katmai National Park and Preserve, about 250 miles (402 km) southwest of the city of Anchorage. The sanctuary and refuge protect about 388 square miles (248,000 acres, 100,362 hectares) of land. Of these, about 200 square miles (128,000 acres, 51,799 hectares), are in the sanctuary and 188 square miles (120,000 acres, 48,562 hectares), are in the refuge. [5] The McNeil River runs through the middle part of the sanctuary north of Mikfik Creek and south of the Paint River drainage. The sanctuary is open to few activities other than wildlife viewing and camping and all hunting and fishing is prohibited there. Within the refuge, both fishing and sport hunting and 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 Grizzly1.jpg
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

Chum salmon are the main salmon species that attract bears to the McNeil River. About 50,000 of them enter the drainage, the majority in July. [7] The salmon feed bears and other carnivores such as foxes and 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 moose, caribou, 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

Related Research Articles

Katmai National Park and Preserve United States National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska

Katmai National Park and Preserve is an American national park and preserve in southern Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park and preserve encompass 4,093,077 acres, which is between the sizes of Connecticut and New Jersey. Most of the national park is a designated wilderness area where all hunting is banned. The park is named after Mount Katmai, its centerpiece stratovolcano. The park is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about 290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage. The area was first designated a national monument in 1918 to protect the area around the major 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta, which formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile (100 km2), 100-to-700-foot-deep pyroclastic flow. The park includes as many as 18 individual volcanoes, seven of which have been active since 1900.

Kodiak Island island in the United States of America

Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an area of 9,311.24 km2 (3,595.09 sq mi), slightly larger than Cyprus. It is 160 km long and in width ranges from 16 to 97 kilometers. Kodiak Island is the namesake for Kodiak Seamount, which lies off the coast at the Aleutian Trench. The largest community on the island is the city of Kodiak, Alaska.

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve Region of Alaska

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. National Monument and National Preserve, consisting of the region around the Aniakchak volcano on the Aleutian Range of south-western Alaska. The 601,294-acre (243,335 ha) monument is one of the least-visited places in the National Park System due to its remote location and difficult weather. The area was proclaimed a National Monument on December 1, 1978, and established as a National Monument and Preserve on December 2, 1980. The National Monument encompasses 137,176 acres (55,513 ha) and the preserve 464,118 acres (187,822 ha). Visitation to Aniakchak is the lowest of all areas of the U.S. National Park System, according to the NPS, with only 100 documented recreational visits in 2017. Most visitors fly into Surprise Lake inside Aniakchak Crater, but the frequent fog and other adverse weather conditions make landing in the lake difficult. It is also possible to fly into the nearby village of Port Heiden and proceed overland to the Aniakchak Crater.

Chilkoot River river in the United States of America

The Chilkoot River is a river in Southeast Alaska, United States, that extends about 20 miles (32 km) from its source and covers a watershed area of 100 square miles (260 km2). The source of the river is in the Takshanuk Mountains to the west and the Freebee glacier and unnamed mountains to the east. From its source, the upper reach of the river extends approximately 16 miles (26 km) to the point where it enters Chilkoot Lake. From the downstream end of the lake, the lower reach of the river flows for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) until it enters the Chilkoot Inlet, a branch at the northern end of the Lynn Canal.

Alaska Peninsula peninsula extending about 800 km (497 mi) to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands

The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about 800 km (497 mi) to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea.

Kodiak bear largest species of living bear

The Kodiak bear, also known as the Kodiak brown bear, sometimes the "Alaskan brown bear", inhabits the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. It is the largest recognized subspecies or population of the brown bear, and one of the two largest bears alive today, the other being the polar bear.

Naknek Lake lake in Alaska, United States of America

Naknek Lake is a lake in southern Alaska, near the base of the Alaska Peninsula. Located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, the lake is 40 miles (64 km) long and three to eight miles wide, the largest lake in the park The lake drains west into Bristol Bay through the Naknek River. The elevation of the lake has lowered over the past 5,000 years as it has cut through a glacial moraine, separating Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake and creating Brooks Falls about 3500 years ago.

Alagnak River river in Alaska

The Alagnak River is a 64-mile (103 km) tributary of the Kvichak River in the U.S. state of Alaska. It has a catchment area of approximately 1400 square mi (3600 km2). It is located in central Lake and Peninsula Borough.

Becharof Wilderness

Becharof Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located within the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge, it comprises approximately 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) and is bordered by the Katmai Wilderness on the north. It was designated Wilderness in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The region is home to a wide array of wildlife, including brown bears, salmon, caribou, and migratory birds.

Southwest Alaska region of Alaska

Southwest Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska. The area is not exactly defined by any governmental administrative region(s); nor does it always have a clear geographic boundary.

The wildlife of Alaska is diverse and abundant.

Hunting and fishing in Alaska are common both for recreation and subsistence.

Geography of Alaska State in the northwestern U.S.

Alaska is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state; Hawaii is the other. Alaska has more ocean coastline than all of the other U.S. states combined. About 500 miles (800 km) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington State. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States that is part of the continental U.S. and the U.S. West Coast, but is not part of the contiguous U.S. Alaska is also the only state, other than Hawaii, whose capital city is accessible only via ship or air, because no roads connect Juneau to the rest of the continent.

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the Aleutian Range of the Alaska Peninsula of southwestern Alaska. It is adjacent to Katmai National Park and Preserve. This national wildlife refuge, which covers an area of 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km2), was established in 1980 to conserve major brown bears, salmon, migratory birds, caribou, marine birds, and mammals and to comply with treaty obligations. It lies primarily in the east-central part of Lake and Peninsula Borough, but extends eastward into the mainland portion of Kodiak Island Borough. The refuge is administered from offices in King Salmon.

Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge

Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in central Alaska, United States. One of 16 refuges in Alaska, it was established in 1980 when Congress passed The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). At 1,640,000 acres (6,600 km2), Kanuti Refuge is about the size of the state of Delaware. Located at the Arctic Circle, the refuge is a prime example of Alaska's boreal ecosystem. It is dominated by black and white spruce, with some white birch and poplars.

Alaska Peninsula montane taiga

The Alaska Peninsula montane taiga ecoregion, in the Taiga and Boreal forests Biome, located in North America and defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

Grizzly bear Subspecies of mammal

The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a large population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.

Alaska Peninsula brown bear subspecies of mammal

The Alaska Peninsula brown bear or "peninsular grizzly" is a colloquial nomenclature for a brown bear that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska, although according to other sources, it is a population of the mainland brown bear subspecies, or the Kodiak bear subspecies.

Brooks Falls

Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Located on the Brooks River a mile and a half (2.4 km) from Brooks Lake and an equal distance from Naknek Lake, the falls are famous for watching salmon leap over the 6 foot falls to get to their Brooks Lake spawning grounds. Consequently, large populations of brown bears, also called grizzly bears, are attracted to feed on the spawning salmon. Brown bears usually congregate at the falls in July and early September, and many well-known photos of bears have been taken there. July witnesses the greatest concentrations of bears of any month at the falls; up to 25 bears have been seen at one time at Brooks Falls in that month. In September, a smaller number of bears can be seen at the falls to feast on the later salmon runs.

McNeil Falls

McNeil Falls is a waterfall on the McNeil River near Katmai National Park, Alaska. The river is famous for its large concentrations of brown bears and salmon. The salmon arrive mostly in July, having spent their lives in Kamishak Bay, and when they ascend the river to spawn it is an attraction to the largest concentration of brown bears anywhere on earth. Up to 144 brown bears have been identified at the river during a single summer with as many as 72 bears congregating in one place at a time. The river's entire 35 mile (55 km) length lies within the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, created in 1967 by the State of Alaska to protect the numerous Alaska brown bears who frequented the area. It also lies entirely within 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. United States Government Printing Office. pp. 612–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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. 1 2 3 4 "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. "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.
  12. ↑ Associated Press (March 12, 2005). "Alaska Panel Calls Off Brown Bear Hunt Near State Game Sanctuary". The Seattle Times. 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.