LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Board Hears Plan For Expanded Bear Habitat

By BRIELLE SCHAEFFER 

Sentinel Staff Writer

Fortress of the Bear Director Les Kinnear led Gary Paxton Industrial Park board members Tuesday on a tour to see land he would like to lease for expansion of the non-profit bear habitat he already operates in the park.

Kinnear said he would like to build a fence along Blue Lake Road to create upland habitat in the city-owned industrial park.

The Fortress houses brown bears in two large enclosures used by Alaska Pulp Corp. as waste water clarifier tanks before the mill closed in the 1990s. An area between the tanks is fenced off for black bears. 

Zach Klein with Alaska & Pacific Packing stands next to a warehouse at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park this afternoon. The ground under Klein has been undercut by tidal action. (Sentinel Photo)

Kinnear told the board that in addition to expanding the Fortress area, he’s hoping to develop a third tank on the property into another bear habitat, possibly diverting some creeks through the area. He said the changes he proposes would help get the facility closer to his ultimate goal of working with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to rehabilitate bears for release.

“We want to raise orphans remotely with minimal human contact then release them to the wild,” he told the board members.

But Kinnear knows the expansion would come at a price, in view of regulations that require double fencing on such facilities. 

“We realize it’s going to cost, depending on how we do it, probably $1 million to put a fence up there,” he said. 

Kinnear, who runs the sanctuary together with his wife Evy, asked the Industrial Park Board about buying the property about a year ago. The Kinnears have been managing the three-quarter acre bear sanctuary in the industrial park since 2003 when the city gave it a favorable lease rate to make use of the old pulp mill property. Under their present agreement with the city, the Kinnears lease the land for $50 per month. They proposed buying the land, including the extra area for the expansion – roughly 150,000 square feet – for $100.

Kinnear said the Fortress, as a tourist attraction, probably generates millions of dollars for the city every year.

“We have people who tell us from around the world that they book that specific trip on Holland America to come see these bears in Sitka,” he said.

Last year, Fortress of the Bear had 30,000 visitors, Kinnear said. 

GPIP Director Garry White said the city is not yet able to sell the land because it is so close to the Blue Lake Road that a permit would be needed from the Federal Emergency Regulatory Commission. The city’s Electric Department says that would be too costly, White said. 

Leasing the land should not be a problem, however, he said.

The board prefers to sell the land but is waiting to see if the federal permit process opens up again. 

“For us it’s a good move to get that in private hands,” White said. 

The board will make a decision on expanding Fortress of the Bear’s lease area, as well as continue talking about a sale price, at upcoming meetings, he said.

During their walk-around of the industrial park Tuesday the board members also took a close look at the eroding shoreline near the warehouse being leased by Pat Glaab of Alaska & Pacific Packing. The problem was bad enough that they decided to use environmental contingency funds to fix it immediately, White said.

“Basically, that building’s foundation is at risk,” he said.

The board also talked about creating a plan to deal with the excavated rock  from the Blue Lake Dam project that is now being stored on industrial park land; the necessity for a ramp at the park for the marine services industry; and a strategic plan for the whole area.

 

Three months ago the GPIP board approved a contract with Turnagain Marine Construction Corp. to build a floating dock, using money for the project authorized by the voters in a state bond issue in 2012. Prior to negotiating the $6.8 million design-build deal with Turnagain, the park board had advertised for bids on the multi-use deep water dock and found that all offers were for more than the $7.5 million available from the bond issue.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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