Biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge are responsible for most of the research on Kodiak bears, and much of this research has concentrated on denning behaviors and home ranges of Kodiak bears, with an emphasis on management applications. Today, the Kodiak Brown Bear Trust funds a portion of bear research. The trust was established in 1981 to compensate for potential impacts on Kodiak bears by the construction and operation of the Terror Lake Hydroelectric Project. The trust funds bear research, management, habitat protection, and educational outreach projects. The Kodiak Brown Bear Trust relies on tax-deductible contributions to carry out its mission. If you would like to support Kodiak bear research and habitat protection, please visit www.kodiakbrownbeartrust.org to learn more about the trust and how you can donate.

In 1896, C.H. Merriam visited Kodiak and confirmed reports that Kodiak bears were the largest bears in the world. He named the species in honor of Russian naturalist Dr. A. Th. Von Middendorff. Merriam divided the North American brown and grizzly bears into eighty-six forms based on slight variations in size, fur color, and skull shape. Scientists now know physical differences in these categories can occur within populations and even within family groups. Today, all North American brown bears, grizzlies, and Eurasian brown bears are grouped into the single species Ursus arctos. Kodiak bears are classified Ursus arctos middendorfi, and all other brown and grizzly bears are listed as Ursus arctos horribilis.

The first scientific studies of Kodiak bears were simple hunting and collecting trips to document their size. In the early 1900’s, research was concerned with determining how many cattle and salmon bears were killing and eating. A study by W.K. Clark in 1955 showed although bears are very effective at catching salmon in a stream, they catch few unspawned salmon, making their impact on the salmon run much less than originally believed. 

As the Kodiak bear became a valued trophy for big game hunters, the focus of the research shifted to learning more about the physiology and behavior patterns of bears. Biologists refined techniques for capturing and marking bears and began to use radio telemetry to track the movements of specific bears. This jump in technology provided biologists with information on home ranges, densities, gender and age ratios, and litter sizes.

Most of the early research on Kodiak bears was conducted on the south end of Kodiak Island, but in 1982, construction began on the Terror Lake Hydroelectric Project on the north end of the island, and funds were made available to study if this project would affect bears in the vicinity of the proposed dam. Biologists were surprised when studies on the bears near Terror Lake showed bears in this area had different denning behaviors and preferences than did bears on the south end of the island, indicating that Kodiak bears have adapted well to the slightly different habitats on opposite ends of the island.

In the 1970’s, a study investigated Kodiak brown bear use of alpine habitat during the summer months and preferred plant foods of bears, while a study published by Victor Barnes in 1990 examined the influence of salmon availability on the movements of brown bears.  A 1994 study by Barnes investigated the impact deer hunters have on Kodiak bears, and a 2006 paper by Barnes discussed his study on the impact of bear viewers and photographers at O’Malley River on Kodiak Island. This study showed that while a regimented bear-viewing program impacted bears less than a non-regimented program, bears were still affected much more by a regimented bear-viewing program than they were when the area was closed to public use. I think the important lesson to learn from this study is that any time you step into the bears’ habitat, you are impacting them to some degree.

Next week, I will tell you about recent research on Kodiak bears. As always, thank you for visiting my blog.

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Robin Barefield is the author of three Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, and The Fisherman’s Daughter. To download a free copy of one of her novels, watch her webinar about how she became an author and why she writes Alaska wilderness mysteries. Also, sign up below to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.