Bear Guards Provide Security

Working in rural Alaska provides a unique set of ever-changing challenges.  Weather,remote locations, minimal communication options and a lack of set transportation corridors in a harsh landscape make safety a constant concern.  To keep field crews safe, the Pebble Partnership has initiated a bear guard program with individuals proactively trained to avoid bear encounters and to take defensive measures only as a last resort.  Read the whole story here.

In 2009, the Pebble Partnership partnered with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to conduct an extensive brown bear survey of the Iliamna Lake area.  The study revealed populations at moderate to high densities. “Bear season,” which runs April through October, coincides with the heaviest load of field crews working within a broad area for the Pebble Partnership.  Field work covers a wide range of activities from scientists monitoring hydrology stations to geographical surveys, drill sites to reclamation crews and a host of other on-going environmental studies.  To date, the Pebble Partnership has invested more than $100 million in environmental studies alone, which often puts large numbers of people in the field.