Submitted by Lisa Seff on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 15:41
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Nutrient Transport in Arctic Watersheds

Hi Melissa! Hey terrific mountain pictures on your way to Toolik! I'll post your questions to my students tomorrow and we'll see if they can figure it out. Then there's that Grizzly bear....we're wondering if they're commonly seen around Toolik-and what the advice is if you see one while you're out hiking?

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 17:23

Melissa Barker

Hello Lisa,Great to hear from you. The view really are incredible, it is hard to stop starting at the mountains around here! Apparently people are more likely to see Grizzly bears when they are out in the field away from the field station, but there are typically on a few sitings each season. We have been "briefed" about how to deal with Grizzlies. First, we need to keep looking up while we are working to hopefully be able to spot them early. If we do come upon a bear, we are supposed to group together, raise our hands above our heads and act very large. We are also carrying bear spray that can be used as a last resort if we are feeling threatened. We are told not to run. I would love to see another from a distance, but the caribou are also quite nice and a lot less threatening.