Katmai BearCams

Scott Chandler

Scott Chandler

Wildness is a necessity- John Muir
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
1,099
In case anyone has that need for a quick nature pick-me-up at lunchtime or before bed or 24hrs a day, tis the season for the BearCams at Katmai. Last night I got on before bed and watched ten adult bears, two of which with cubs, living their lives. I got on to just check in on the creatures I think of in a weird familial way and ended up watching for an hour.

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls

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THE BEARS!!!!! they are sooooo cute!
 
The comments on the bear cam are fun. Most of the bears have names (one was called Beadnose) and devoted followers who note when they don't show up, etc. It's fun watching those bears eat themselves into hibernation at 20k+ calories/day (IIRC).

There's a momma on right now with what looks like two one-year-olds and this year's cub, and the bear in the foreground is staying under water forever.

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Great, Scott! Thanks much.

I wonder if anyone reading this post has been to the falls besides Scott and I?
 
Scott, when I was there they didn't have this resource. Do you know how they power it and more importantly how do they telemeter the signal back out?

I do remember that the telephone poles that hold up the platform up had 1/2-1" deep furrows in the wood from claw-rubbing.
 
Artemus said:
Scott, when I was there they didn't have this resource. Do you know how they power it and more importantly how do they telemeter the signal back out?

I do remember that the telephone poles that hold up the platform up had 1/2-1" deep furrows in the wood from claw-rubbing.
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Explore.org is funded by the Annenburg(spelling?) Foundation, which uses huge nest fund to connect people with nature. The cams are amazing, bouncing the signal off dishes to a receiver on Dumpling Mountain (right where the dumpling cam is) where it is then ran through wire to King Salmon, where it is then satellited again to a receiver in... Anchorage if I remember right? It amazed me that such technology could exist in bush Alaska. The rangers that manage the cams always shuddered when something stopped working, but, Explore has technicians that can remotely figure out problems, and if not, fly out there on a minute's notice.
 
Which reminds me, if you ever have time to catch a Play-By-Play done every couple days by Ranger David, I suggest doing it. You will learn more about bears than you ever thought you'd want to know.
 
Interesting article - I've posted the gist of it because the ADN is often behind a firewall:

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wil...kes-to-keep-katmais-famous-bear-cams-running/

Looking for a moment of Zen? Or just wanting to sneak away to a wild place, even if it's only for a minute? Enter the Katmai bear cams.

The cameras, a set of nine, monitor brown bears feasting at five different locations in Southwest Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, a park known for its active volcanoes and wildlife, especially bears.

Explore has been running the Katmai cameras since 2012. The nonprofit has cameras all over the world documenting different animals — from bobcats, tigers and sea lions in remote areas to puppy cams at local animal shelters.

Jonathan Silvio, technology manager at Explore.org, said the Katmai bears are some of the site's most popular featured animals, with millions of people viewing the feed every year. This year, the bear cams went live at the end of June and will run through mid-September.

Cathy Bell, chief of interpretation and education at Katmai, said interest in the park — which is difficult and expensive to get to — has skyrocketed since the cameras were installed. About 40,000 people come to the park every year, making it one of the nation's least visited. By watching the bear cams, people still get to learn about the bears and the wild nature of the area.

The Katmai site is far from Alaska's road system and doesn't have much telecommunication infrastructure. Here's what it takes to keep the cameras going every year.

The cameras run (mostly) by themselves

The cameras are about the size of volleyballs, Silvio said. They run on fuel cells powered with solar generators and are kept in self-cleaning vessels. The purpose of the self-sustaining units is to keep the lightest footprint possible in the park. Self-sustaining is also important because it would be difficult for technicians to get to Katmai if anything broke.

There are a total of nine cameras, but only five or six ever operate at once due to limited bandwidth.

Volunteers run the cameras remotely — and so could you

There's no ranger behind the camera you're watching. Instead, it's a group of 40 volunteers who have been trained to operate the cameras remotely, panning and zooming depending on the bear activity. Anyone can sign on to operate a camera through Explore.org. This year, the group is working with at-risk youth through a nonprofit in Los Angeles.

Explore donates $150,000 to the park each year to employ an interpretative ranger who helps engage with the public through live chats and Facebook.

It's one of the toughest locations for Explore.org

While some of Explore's sites — like Round Island, where they have a walrus cam — are even more remote, Silvio said the Katmai live feed is the most challenging to run.

"It's about as complicated as it gets," he said.

Making sure all the batteries stay charged and the internet connections work are two of the biggest challenges, Silvio said.

There is bear drama

Bell said part of what makes the Katmai bear cams and park so special is that it's a place where you can get to know the wild bears on an individual level.

Watching the bear families come back at the beginning of the season is one of the highlights of the year. Bell wasn't sure if one particular sow with three cubs would return this year — cubs have a 50 percent survival rate during their first year — but now the yearlings are in Katmai to feast on salmon.

Some of the bears have gained a following online due to their markings or personality. Explore.org holds a "fat bear contest" in the fall, where people can vote for which bear has gained the most weight over the course of the summer. Otis, a perennial winner of the contest, is a fan favorite.

Bell said occasionally there are bear fights — and even deaths — on camera. She said people often worry about the bears and call rangers, hoping they'll intervene. But that's nature, she said, and park rangers are under strict instructions to not interfere unless the interaction is human caused — like a vehicle hitting an animal.

Where are the bears this year?

Bell said this year there seem to be fewer bears frequenting the popular Brooks Falls, with more bears hanging around the lower river. The reason for that isn't clear. Bell said water levels are lower this year, possibly making it easier to catch fish. Or other bears could be less interested in fighting for space with the large males that hang out near Brooks Falls.
 

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To say I am a fan of the bearcams is an understatement. In 2016 they provided a way for me to share @Scott Chandler 's summer in Katmai. And to sit and talk about individual bears with him was wonderful. This summer I wonder if I drive him crazy because I still email him what I am seeing on the cams. Last night when 755 (ScareD) was in HIS spot, 480 (Otis) was in his office, and 151 (Walker) was pestering Otis near the rock I sent out "the band is back together!"

The pictures above are of Lefty-775. A comment a couple nights ago was "he's just playing catch." Because there was so little time between his successful catches.
 
I was really into the cams two years ago when stuck indoors for awhile. I recall Otis being a big favorite with the commenters, and he did seem like a character. I recall his spot across the river being called his office, and I found the whole thing really fun (except I do feel for the fish, getting munched alive, but such is the natural world). The cams show that bears have personalities just like other sentient creatures, and it's really cool to get a glimpse into their worlds. Actually being there like Scott and some of you have been would be incredible. Maybe it would help with my fear of bears, which is probably why I'm fairly obsessed with them.
 
24 at the Falls tonight, including cubs, arguing and adult play fighting. I never witnessed it like this in person.
 
Scott Chandler said:
24 at the Falls tonight, including cubs, arguing and adult play fighting. I never witnessed it like this in person.
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It just tickles me to imagine you sitting in the desert heat after work, in your apartment, watching bears in cold, wet Alaska and that you have lived in both places for significant time. Bears AND high desert with views - all in the same line of work. What a life, kudos mister!
 
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Artemus said:
It just tickles me to imagine you sitting in the desert heat after work, in your apartment, watching bears in cold, wet Alaska and that you have lived in both places for significant time. Bears AND high desert with views - all in the same line of work. What a life, kudos mister!
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Not a day goes by that I don't miss the bears. Truly something amazing up there, and in many ways likely so different for me than the average visitor, spending so much time around them. Can't say I miss the job so much though. Work seems to always be work. :devil:
 
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