RenoVous

  Some of the largest brown bears on Earth make their home in Katmai National Park, and they're looking to get even bigger for their winter hibernation. Voting!

 It's that time of year again for the salmon and thus the bears. I'm also getting antsy about our trip, so to Alaska we go! Not that we'll be traveling this far south. We're flying into Anchorage and spending some time in Soldotna. Hubby wants to fish, of course, but we won't be fighting any bears over it.  :-P

  The Giant Panda is native to central China, with as few as 1,864 living in their natural habitat. Another 600 live in zoos across the world, such as Tian Tian and Mei Xiang of the Smithsonian Zoo. Panda Cam Pandas have been around for almost 20 million years, and are the oldest living species of bears. The World Wildlife Fund has used the panda's image since their founding in 1961 - they represent the need for conservation and protection. Their habitats are currently threatened by urbanization and climate change. They used to live more in the lowlands, but farming and forest clearing have chased them into the forests of the mountain ranges. Pandas eat A LOT of bamboo.  Due to their digestive system, which reduces much of what they eat to waste, they have to eat 20-40 pounds per day to get all the nutrients they need.  To achieve this, they spend 10-16 hours a day foraging for food.  They like to take naps in between snacks. Female pandas are only fertile 2-3 days a...

 Voting ends today! Click Here! But in reality, we're just here for the live cam. Meet the Bears Here you can see just how much they gain from June to September, which is critically important for their winter hibernation.

 It's that time of year in Katmai National Park! Although Fat Bear Week isn't officially until October, there has been an extraordinary sockeye salmon run this year already.  Curry Cunningham, a fisheries ecologist, expects this to be a record setting year. The Bristol Bay feeds the Naknek River which then leads to Brooks River.  Ecologists, biologists, and the EPA are fighting against the construction of a copper and gold mine, which would adversely impact these waters and the protections in place for the salmon populations. The Bristol Bay fishery is well-managed.  The state of Alaska ensures a sustainable number of fish for the wild and the fishing industry.  Over 40 million sockeye salmon were caught in 2018. Link

Polar Bear Day is meant to bring awareness to the changing conditions in which these bears live. They are currently indicated as "Vulnerable" on the  Red List. The World Wildlife Foundation has been working to track and understand the polar bears.  "It's impossible to plan long-term management strategies without having good information to base them on."  They are also obtaining traditional knowledge from the Inuit peoples. The Polar bear International organization suggests that we not only inform ourselves about these animals and their environment, but that we reduce our carbon footprint in our own environment to help combat climate change. Here are some facts about polar bears: "Home is on the sea ice."  This is where they hunt, mate and sometimes den.  When pregnant though, polar bear mamas will dig a den in the fall which will be covered with snow while she births and nurses her pups. Polar bears are the largest four...