“Alaska’s Kodiak bears, also known as grizzlies, have been passing up their famous salmon hunts due to climate change.”J. Tetpon, ICT
Alaska Kodiak bear (Alaska state Fish and Game photo)
Excerpt:Global warming and climate change are real, and Kodiak bears are saying so, by John Tetpon, [Inupiaq] ICT
“I’m a firm believer in global warming and climate change. There’s too much evidence that firms up that conclusion. Alaska’s permafrost is melting, coastal villages have had to move further inland to avoid being washed away by seasonal storms, and Kodiak bears are hanging out on the streets of that town longer and getting labeled ‘nuisance bears.’
Alaska wildlife officials in Kodiak are considering killing the bears if they don’t go into hibernation soon. That’s the word from Kodiak City Manager Mike Tvenge. That’s according to a news report from the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Biologists say Kodiak bears usually get into their dens by the end of October but some haven’t done so yet and are wreaking havoc among townspeople.
‘Kodiak Police Department is working closely with Alaska Department of Fish and Game to deter the bears from getting into the (trash) roll carts, but those efforts have had short-lasting effects,’ Tvenge recently told city officials. ‘The bears are now becoming used to the non-lethal bullets and pepper shots.’
Bears will eat trash. Credit- Michael Nichols, National Geographic
Tvenge also told the city council last week that state Department of Fish and Game officials working with Kodiak police will likely kill these bears, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported. According to Larry Van Daele, Kodiak Area Wildlife Biologist, Kodiak bears are a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bear and live exclusively on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago and have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years.
There are about 3,500 Kodiak bears on the island and are the largest bears in the world. A large male can stand over 10′ tall when on his hind legs, and 5′ when on all four legs. They weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Females are smaller and lighter than males. Only one person has been killed by a bear on Kodiak in the past 75 years. About once every other year a bear injures a person, Van Daele said in a report.
According to a recent report, climate change can be tough on specialist animals, whose focus on specific foods may backfire as seasons shift…Alaska’s Kodiak bears, also known as grizzlies, have recently given up their famous salmon hunts due to climate change, according to a new study, but not because salmon are scarce. Warmer weather led a different food source to overlap with the annual salmon run, presenting the bears with an unusual choice between two of their favorite foods at the same time.
Kodiak bears are known for their famous salmon hunts. Credit- destination 360.com
While they love salmon, bears seem to want the other food even more. When it made an early debut, they left the salmon streams — where they typically kill 25 to 75 percent of the salmon — and moved onto nearby hillsides for elderberries…Data from tracking collars showed the bears were on nearby hills instead of fishing in streams. Hills with red elderberry seemed most popular, and a survey of local bear droppings revealed lots of elderberry skins and little sign of salmon. Kodiak bears are already big elderberry fans, but the berries usually ripen in late August and early September — the end of salmon season. The bears are used to eating these foods in order, switching to elderberries after the salmon are gone.
A brown bear with two cubs along the Cook Inlet. (Bob Hallinen : ADN)
But using historical temperature data, the study’s authors found that rising temperatures have been helping Kodiak elderberries move up their schedule… ‘As climate change reschedules ecosystems, species that were once separated in time are now getting a chance to interact — in this case the berries, bears and salmon. This is going to have large impacts that are hard to predict.’
Kodiak police say killing a bear in a residential area is not an easy task…Making the decision to dispatch a bear is not something ADF&G often endorses, as this does little to curb the fundamental problem of bears getting into easily accessible and unprotected trash.”
~Democratic Presidential Leader Joe Biden~
“2020 Election Live Updates: Democratic convention speakers will include the Clintons and Obamas, along with Sanders and Kasich.
The big names will be augmented by testimonials from “from voters of all kinds — delegates, parents, teachers, small-business owners, essential workers, activists and elected leaders,” culled from “1,000 crowdsourced videos,” officials with the convention’s organizing committee announced on Monday.” The New York Times
The Democratic Convention Begins: Monday August 17 — Ends Thursday August 20 Visit The Democratic National Convention Schedule Information Here
Kamala Harris Is Biden’s Choice for Vice President!
Biden taps Kamala Harris as his pick for vice president-New York Times
“A former rival for the Democratic nomination, she will be the first woman of color to be nominated for national office by a major political party.” By A. Burns and K. Glueck, The New York Times
Joe Biden with his VP choice Kamala Harris
From Indian Country Today (ICT):
Resource Sites for the COVID-19:
Are you a Native student whose college or university has been closed or switched to online classes? Visit this spreadsheet for resources involving technology in Native communities. It is updated by San Juan College’s Native American Center.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic information.
• National Congress of American Indians
• National Indian Health Board
• COVID-19: Native advisories and event updates
