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Dredge Lakes Area trails re-opened JUNEAU, Alaska, July 3, 2017
– Dredge Lakes Area trails are now open to the public. Over the weekend, the Forest Service closed the Dredge Lakes Area trails due to a black bear incident. The closure was for visitor
safety, due to a black bear with cubs making contact with a person on one of the trails. There have been several bear incidents in the Dredge Lakes Area this month. Dogs off leash and female bears with cubs were common factors in all incidents. Female black
bears will protect their cubs, and act aggressively toward dogs and humans if they are harassed. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game and Tongass National Forest staff spent time over the weekend searching for
the bear involved in Friday’s incident, in order to assess the female’s behavior and overall bear activity in the area. No bears were observed during this period, but bear sign was detected indicating bears are still active in the area.
Dredge Lake Area trails are popular with locals and visitors, and are used heavily by dog walkers. Currently,
several female black bears with cubs are frequenting the Dredge Lakes and Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center area. Bears are drawn to the area by food availability, including the Steep Creek sockeye salmon run. The presence of people and dogs near an important
food source can put bears on edge, especially sows with cubs. If you do use the Dredge Lakes Area trails, please control your dog(s) while in the area. We recommend that you
keep your dogs on a leash when in the area, stay on the main trails when possible, do not approach or allow your dog to approach or chase bears, travel in groups and make noise to alert bears, and stay alert. Signs with this information are posted at the trailheads.
Please contact ADF&G at 907-465-4265 or the Juneau Ranger District at 907-586-8800 for more information. You can
also find more bear information and safety tips at the Know Before You Go website:
https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/know-before-you-go/bears
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