ACTIVITIES
Sitka’s
Sanctuaries
Animal Rehabilitation
the Alaska Raptor
Center has been serving as a
rehabilitation center, housing birds in
need from across the state.
FOR DECADES,
sits
Fortress of the Bear, a sanctuary that offers top
care to Alaska’s rescued bears.
JUST A FEW MILES FROM DOWNTOWN SITKA
In Alaska, it’s illegal to release rescued bears back into the wild, so
Fortress of the Bear provides a home for them in Sitka or at another
high-quality wildlife center. Owners Les and Evy Kinnear, however,
are working to change that law.
Executive Director Jennifer Cross explains, “First
and foremost, the Alaska Raptor Center is an avian
hospital and the only full-service avian hospital in
Alaska.” Their mission is to treat bald eagles and
other birds for release back into the wild, to educate
Les explains, “The long-term goal is to rehabilitate and release bears the public on raptors and conservation, and to
into the wild. They’d be raised in a wild enclosure to learn social skills further bald eagle research.
with one another until they’re strong and old enough to be released.”
The Kinnears worked for five years to prove they could provide
the proper care and facilities to obtain the needed permit to house
rescued bears. Just days after receiving their permit, they welcomed
their first two orphaned bear cubs. The community also contributes
to the bears’ wellbeing by donating produce, high-quality dog food,
fish, and leftover wild game. Additionally, hatcheries provide fresh
salmon for the bears to catch in their ponds.
The idea began in 1980 when two Sitkans helped
an injured bald eagle. From there, a group began
treating eagles in their garages and backyards until
a small shed was implemented at Sheldon Jackson
College. The sanctuary has since moved to its
current location, and in 2020, it will celebrate its
40th year anniversary.
Though the operation has grown since its
Today, the bear sanctuary offers visitors an up-close experience
with three black bears and six Alaska coastal brown bears from with
ground level windows and a viewing platform; the new visitor center
also provides educational talks about these magnificent beasts.
conception, the local community continues to play
a key role in the success of the center. Jennifer
explains, “Alaska Seaplanes and Alaska Airlines will
transport the birds for free to us from anywhere in
the state. Locals donate game from their freezers,
and businesses contribute items for our annual
fundraiser auction.”
Visitors can watch bald eagles soar around the Flight
Training Center and feast on locally sourced fish,
or say hello to the 25 Raptors in Residence who,
due to health reasons, call the Raptor Center their
forever home. In addition, guests can wander the
on-site, quarter-mile trail to experience the diverse
Southeast Alaska habitat in the form of marshy
muskeg, temperate rainforest, and a river system
with salmon running upstream to spawn.
Do
»
Alaska Raptor Center alaskaraptor.org / Fortress of the Bear fortressofthebear.org / Sitka Sound Science Center sitkascience.org
Trumpeter swans
V I S I T
S I T K A
M AG A Z I N E
20
V I S I T S I T K A .O R G
V I S I T
S I T KA
M AG A Z I N E
21
V I S I T S I T KA .O R G