The Bear Coast

The Story

Tucked among towering Aleutian volcanic mountains and pristine alpine rivers on the Alaska Peninsula is a unique stretch of habitat: Alaska’s Bear Coast, home to the greatest density of wild brown bears in the world.

Wildlife preserves — McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Katmai National Park, Lake Clark National Park, and many more — make this coast one of the few places globally where people can safely view wild brown bears up close.

Despite the number of protected wildlife areas, brown bears still experience significant threats to their survival. The fractured, disconnected landscape of the national park system exposes bears to countless threats, like hunting, logging, and mining.

This short, informative documentary centers multi-focal storytelling with a local, diverse cast of characters to provide a nuanced account of a contentious environmental issue that has real, lived impacts for Alaska Peninsula residents and bear populations alike.

While many environmental films use a narrator or single character to drive story, we develop our story through a chorus of people from along the Bear Coast, including Native indigenous community members, a bear guide, a biologist, and a former bear hunter, among others.

Our goal with this film is to educate a broader audience and elicit an empathetic emotional response that shifts hearts and minds of viewers to better understand bears and the communities that coexist with them.

Environmental Impact

A vibrant brown bear population is essential for the long-term ecosystem and community well-being of Alaska’s Bear Coast. Apex predators, like brown bears, are a keystone species that provide ecological stability by regulating the populations of animals they prey on.

Brown bear populations also support a thriving sustainable tourism industry on the Alaska Peninsula. This relationship is mutually beneficial, as brown bear tourism motivates local ecotourism businesses to protect bear populations and habitats while minimizing activities that could harm these populations, like harvesting nonrenewable resources.

These significant community and environmental benefits are at risk. Projects like the proposed Pebble Mine, a controversial proposed mining project near Bristol Bay, would devastate salmon populations, forever affecting brown bear habitat and local economies. 

With innumerable impending threats, informing a larger audience to inspire engaged action is critical to protect the integrity of these wild places.