Lucky photographers, bear-lovers win McNeil River permits

Lucky photographers, bear-lovers win McNeil River permits One of the world's premier bear viewing sites, remote McNeil River is on the Alaska Peninsula about 100 miles west of Homer. Although all five species of Pacific salmon use McNeil River, the abundant chum salmon run in July and early August attracts the most bears. "In the early 2000s, the bear numbers were going down," Weiss said. Salmon congregate there and the brown bears dine on them, with their efforts to snatch fish often yielding spectacular photographs. The permit program is administered by Fish and Game, which tightly controls visitors to the sanctuary. "The peak period is in July, and it's been good the last couple of years," said Ed Weiss of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 25. Lucky photographers, bear-lovers win McNeil River permits Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 01/04/2012