Alaska State Parks would like to recognize Bob Deck for his dedicated work these past three seasons as volunteer camp host at the Chilkoot Lake Campground. Bob has exceeded the usual expectations for a campground host, spending hours each day helping to educate the public on bear safety and ethical recreational use of the Chilkoot River Corridor, in addition to his campground duties. Bob’s dedication to ensuring that bear attractants are securely stored within hard-sided vehicles in the campground has been a major factor in preventing conflicts between humans and bears. Bob is returning home to Oregon due to unforeseen circumstances, but we hope that he will return next year. He has been an incredibly valuable member of the State Parks team, and we will miss him greatly this season.
State Parks is actively recruiting additional volunteers to help out with bear-awareness education, traffic and crowd control, and citizen science on the Chilkoot River Corridor this season. Interested volunteers may contact our office at 766-2292.
We’d like to take this opportunity to remind locals and visitors to Haines that bears are out and about, and we all share the responsibility of securing bear attractants such as garbage, recycling, pet and livestock feed, birdfeeders, smokers and barbecues, fish, and domestic fruit trees to ensure safety and prevent conflict and property damage in our community.
Preston Kroes, Haines District Ranger
Shannon Donahue, Park Specialist
Jenn Allen, Natural Resource Technician