The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 7 is offering this grant to reduce human-polar bear conflicts in North Slope Villages in Alaska.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this Agreement is to support the Borough in reducing human-bear conflicts that could potentially result in injury or death to humans and polar bears. The secondary purposes of this Agreement are to conserve polar bears in Alaska, and to involve Alaska Native partners in co-management of polar bears.

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of this Agreement are: 1) administer and implement a polar bear early detection and deterrence program, hereby referred to as “polar bear patrols”; 2) organize a training workshop for Borough employees that will be conducting polar bear patrols; 3) collect and share data on deterrent actions taken and their outcomes; 4) develop semi-annual and final reports; and 4) coordinate with the Service for purposes of public education regarding this project.

BACKGROUND:

In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was passed by Congress which made it unlawful to take marine mammals; take is defined as “to harass, hunt, capture or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture or kill”. Several exemptions were included, including Section 109(h) which allows the taking of marine mammals as part of official duties if such taking is for: 1) the protection or welfare of the mammal; 2) the protection of public health and welfare; or 3) the non-lethal removal of nuisance animals. Section 112(c) the MMPA allows federal agencies to enter into cooperative agreements as necessary to carry out the purposes of the MMPA. The MMPA also designated the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the federal agency responsible for polar bear management in the United States.

Coastal communities in Alaska occur in polar bear habitat and are subject to visits from polar bears. Polar bear use of coastal habitat has been increasing; as a result, human-bear conflicts have occurred. Minimizing human-bear conflicts and replacing unnecessary lethal take with methods such as early detection and deterrence (when feasible) is a conservation goal of the Service’s polar bear program.

The North Slope Borough is a subdivision of the State of Alaska and is the regional government for the northern portion of the state. Its headquarters is based in Barrow, Alaska and includes the Department of Wildlife Management whose responsibility is to address local wildlife issues for the villages of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik, Wainwright, Point Lay, and Point Hope. The villages of Barrow, Kaktovik, Wainwright, Point Lay, and Point Hope all occur in polar bear habitat and have experienced problems with bears. Human safety is an issue of concern; one of the Borough’s missions is to provide safety for their residents by preventing/responding to problem bears. In the past, the Borough has implemented a polar bear detection/deterrence program in affected communities but has lacked sufficient funding to carry out the program to the extent necessary to provide adequate safety for its residents. Adequate funding would ensure that efforts to non-lethally remove bears from communities were employed, resulting in fewer bears killed and increased safety for human residents.

REASON FOR SINGLE SOURCE:

(1) Legislative intent – In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was passed by Congress which made it unlawful to take marine mammals; take is defined as “to harass, hunt, capture or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture or kill”. Several exemptions were included, including Section 109(h) which allows the taking of marine mammals as part of official duties if such taking is for: 1) the protection or welfare of the mammal; 2) the protection of public health and welfare; or 3) the nonlethal removal of nuisance animals. Section 112(c) of the MMPA allows federal agencies to enter into cooperative agreements as necessary to carry out the purposes of the MMPA. Coastal communities in Alaska occur in polar bear habitat and are subject to visits from polar bears. Polar bear use of coastal habitat has been increasing; as a result, human-bear conflicts are occurring. Minimizing human-bear conflicts and replacing unnecessary lethal take with methods such as early detection and deterrence (when feasible) is a conservation goal of the Service’s polar bear program.

(2) Unique qualifications – The North Slope Borough is a subdivision of the State of Alaska and is the regional government for the northern portion of the state. Its headquarters is based in Barrow, Alaska and includes the Department of Wildlife Management that addresses wildlife issues for the villages of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik, Wainwright, Point Lay, and Point Hope. The villages of Barrow, Kaktovik, Wainwright, Point Lay, and Point Hope all occur in polar bear habitat and have experienced problems with bears. Human safety is an issue of concern; one of the Borough’s missions is to provide safety for their residents by preventing/responding to problem bears. In the past, the Borough has implemented a polar bear detection/deterrence program in affected communities but has lacked sufficient funding to carry out the program to the extent necessary to provide adequate safety for its residents. Adequate funding would ensure that efforts to non-lethally remove bears from communities were employed, resulting in fewer bears killed and increased safety for human residents. No other entity exists with the expertise or infrastructure (village coordinators, regional coordinator, equipment, administrative structure for paying salaries, etc.) necessary to implement a North Slope -wide human-bear conflict avoidance program at this time.

(3) Unsolicited proposal – over the last decade, the North Slope Borough has, on several occasions, requested the Service to provide funding for this work activity; however, the Service has never had adequate base funding available to fully support the program. This Agreement would support polar bear detection/deterrence program in five North Slope Villages for approximately three years.