Page 82 - Breath of the Bear

photos by Susi Zimmermann

The native Tinglit people called the area Wildlife Viewing Area is operated by the Stan arrived in Alaska in 1927 on a sailboat
“Kootznoowoo”, meaning fortress of the bears. Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game and USFS. he built. Not caring for the trappings and
They knew that the bears outnumbered them Visitors are greeted by a USFS ranger who convenience of modern life, he made a living
and on this island they roamed freely and provides guidance and instruction as well from the land by fishing, mining and logging.
unafraid. Today we call the area Admiralty as island rules. About eight people can fit For over 40 years Stan called Pack Creek his
Island and it is still home to the largest in the elevated observation tower while home, as his address was a float house in a
concentration of brown bears in North bears meander below. Permits are required small bay 30 miles from Juneau. He spoke
America. Unchanged and unspoiled, the bears in the summer months, limited in number, for the bears, was their advocate and when
travel the same trails and forage for food in and obtainable through tour guides or at necessary, would take on the government
the same creek as their ancestors before recreation.gov. There are no facilities or for their protection. Today, many of the
them. A uniquely Alaskan experience awaits camping on the island, although nearby bears that frequent the creek’s tidal flats are
travelers who decide to walk in the shadow of Windfall Island offers the basics. descendants of orphaned cubs, raised by Stan
the bears. after their mothers were shot by hunters.
As the summer dawn broke over Pack
Admiralty Island is a 30-minute flight or a Creek on Admiralty Island, one could The bear man of Pack Creek is no longer
several-hour boat ride south of Juneau. Flight often see a white haired man walking with us, but his legacy and conservation lives
seeing companies operate out of Juneau, amongst the bears. Carrying nothing but a on in the Stan Price State Wildlife Sanctuary
with many providing gear and a naturalist to walking stick, he casually sauntered within on Admiralty Island, with sixty thousand
guide you while on the island. Home to about feet of these 1000-pound bears, all the acres of pristine coastal forest awaiting the
1500 brown bears and the highest number of while humming to himself. This level of Alaskan traveler. Enjoy a small, intimate tour
nesting bald eagles in the world, the area is communication between Stan Price and the to this unique piece of wilderness and walk
a rich, temperate rainforest with wide open massive creatures of the forest existed on alongside the memory of Stan Price, a man
meadows and tidal flat beaches, making it an another plane, outside the laws of physics who poured his life and heart into preserving
ideal food-dense area for the bears. and beyond the spoken word, for Stan had this rich Alaskan experience.
On the east side of the island, Pack Creek become one with the bears.

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