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In 2000, a jointly developed andapproved management plan identified ob-jectives and guidelines to protect the area’snatural and cultural resources. The planfurther identified the essential conditions toallow for commercial grizzly bear viewing inthe protected area. After fulfilling these con-ditions, a controlled pilot bear-viewing trialstarted in Fishing Branch Protected Area infall 2006.

This paper will document the stepstaken over the last ten years to prepare forcommercial bear viewing at Fishing BranchProtected Area. Comparisons will be madeto other bear-viewing operations in Alaskaand northern British Columbia. The paperwill conclude with a summary of lessonslearned related to cooperatively preparingfor and managing such activities in remotewilderness areas.

This case study demonstrates the posi-tive role land claims can have in promoting

conservation and the effectiveness of part-nerships in protected areas management,especially related to the development of anew, highly specialized activity within thewilderness-tourism industry.

Geographic, historic, and politicalcontext

The Yukon is one of Canada’s threenorthern territories and spans an area fromthe Northern Rockies in British Columbiato the Beaufort Sea. While large in area(450,000 km2), the territory is sparsely pop-ulated (30,000). First Nations (a termwhich denotes most of Canada’s indige-nous peoples) make up about a fifth of thepopulation. The city of Whitehorse is theservice center and seat of government forthe Yukon. Fifteen small, predominatelyFirst Nation villages are scattered across theterritory. The small Vuntut Gwitchin FirstNation community of Old Crow is located

The George Wright Forum52

Commercial Grizzly Bear Viewing in theFishing Branch (Ni’iinlii Njik) Protected Area,Yukon, Canada

Erik Val

IntroductionOVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, THE SETTLEMENT OF FIRST NATIONS LAND CLAIMS inCanada’s northern territories has led to the creation of national and territorial parks and pro-tected areas. Located in the Yukon Territory, Fishing Branch (Ni’iinlii Njik) Protected Areais conserved through the 1995 Vuntut Gwitchin Final Claim Agreement. The 6,500-km2

area protects cultural and natural resources, most notably unusually high concentrations ofsalmon and grizzly bear. The protected area consists of both public and First Nation lands,a first in Canada, if not North America. The area is cooperatively managed in partnership asan ecological unit by the Yukon and Vuntut Gwitchin governments.

Volume 25 • Number 2 (2008) 53

in the northern Yukon on the PorcupineRiver. Fishing Branch Protected Area islocated 100 km south of Old Crow andcrosses the Arctic Circle (Figures 1 and 2).

Over the last two decades, comprehen-sive negotiations have been conductedacross northern Canada to settle FirstNation and Inuit land claims. Similar to theeffect that the 1971 Alaska Native ClaimsSettlement Act had in creating over 100million acres of protected areas through the1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Con-servation Act, settled land claims in theYukon also have created large tracts of pro-tected areas. Land claims have established

new or confirmed existing national and ter-ritorial parks, park reserves, heritage rivers,national wildlife areas, and territorial habi-tat protection areas. These areas total about61,500 km2, or some 13% of the territory.Settled claims also define the managementobjectives for these protected areas, cooper-ative management regimes for governmentand First Nations, and how First Nationscan benefit economically from protectedarea establishment and operations.

In 1995, the Vuntut Gwitchin FirstNation of Old Crow settled its land claims.The settlement included the creation of a170-km2 territorial ecological reserve on the

Figure 1. Location of Fishing Branch Protected Area in northern Yukon. The small box indicates the areaof Yukon Parks’ ranger camp and the commercial bear-viewing site.

Fishing Branch River pursuant to theYukon Parks and Land Certainty Act. Alsothrough the claim, an additional 140 km2 ofFirst Nation settlement land was added tothis protected area.This addition is a signif-icant contribution to conservation and is agroundbreaking first in Canada, if notNorth America.

Together, these protected areas arecooperatively managed by the Yukon andVuntut Gwitchin governments under ajointly developed management plan, whichwas approved in 2000. The primary objec-tive of the plan is to manage the area as anecological unit to protect the full diversity ofwildlife (particularly salmon and grizzlybears) in a Beringian karst landscape.Whilewildlife protection is the priority, the planalso recognizes the possibility of introdu-cing commercial grizzly bear viewing as ameans to provide visitor opportunities, pro-

mote ecological awareness and wildernesstourism, and provide economic benefits forthe First Nation.

In 2004, an additional 6,200-km2 terri-torial wilderness preserve and habitat pro-tection area was added to the ecologicalreserve and the settlement lands (see Figure1).The two governments also collaborative-ly developed a management plan for thesetwo protected areas.

The ecological and cultural significanceof Fishing Branch Protected Area

The Fishing Branch River is located inthe Ogilvie Mountains of northern Yukon,and is of exceptional ecological signifi-cance. It is the seasonal gathering place forgrizzly bears that come to feed on salmon(Figure 3). Spawning salmon depend on theconstant water temperatures of the river,which wells up through the karst substrate.


Figure 2. The Yukon Parks’ ranger station and bear-viewing facility located along the Fishing BranchRiver at the base of Bear Cave Mountain (extreme left of photo). © 2008 Fritz Mueller, all rightsreserved. Used by permission of the photographer.


Karst landscapes develop over millennia aslimestone is eroded by water. This dissolu-tion process results in towers, fissures, sink-holes, complex underground drainage sys-tems, and caves, all of which help to main-tain the constant annual water temperatures(Figure 4). This provides unusually late butideal salmon spawning conditions, whichstart in mid-September and continue untillate October or early November (Figure 5).The constant water temperature also cre-ates a micro-climate that affects the river val-ley’s vegetation and wildlife habitats, there-by increasing the biodiversity of the area.

The Fishing Branch area is also of cul-tural significance. The area was not coveredin the last Ice Age and the cold, dry environ-ment in the ancient karst caves in the sur-rounding mountains are optimal for pre-serving organic matter. The caves containevidence of human occupation that date to

the last Ice Age. Altered caribou and mam-moth bones located in an area northwest ofthe Fishing Branch have been dated toabout 25,000 years ago and may be the old-est known traces of human occupation inNorth America.

For thousands of years, the VuntutGwitchin, who now live in the communityof Old Crow, have depended on the land forall aspects of life.The elders call the FishingBranch River Ni’iinlii Njik, “where the fishspawn,” and have considered the area as thesource of life and food. The continuation ofthe Gwitchin culture is based on traditionalsubsistence harvesting, which in turndepends on a healthy, stable ecosystem,such as is found at the Fishing Branch.

Preparations for commercial grizzlybear viewing

The Vuntut Gwitchin Land Claim

Figure 3. One of the annually returning grizzly bears fishing for chum salmon in front of the viewingfacilities along the Fishing Branch River. © 2008 Fritz Mueller, all rights reserved. Used by permissionof the photographer.

Figure 4. One of many caves located on Bear Cave Mountain used by bears as dens in the fall afterthe salmon run on the Fishing Branch River. © 2008 Fritz Mueller, all rights reserved. Used by permis-sion of the photographer.



Figure 5. The “ice bear”: Unique to the Fishing Branch River, the fall salmon run provides late-seasonfeeding opportunities for grizzly bears that become encrusted in ice and jingle as they move. © 2008Fritz Mueller, all rights reserved. Used by permission of the photographer.

Agreement defines the management objec-tives for Fishing Branch Protected Area,which includes the protection of the fulldiversity of wildlife, particularly salmon andgrizzly bears. The claim also identified theneed for visitor services, learning opportu-nities, public education, and economicopportunities for the First Nation.

Based on these broad objectives, theprotected area management plan states thatwhile bear viewing is secondary to protec-tion of wildlife and its habitat, effectivelymanaged viewing has the potential to (1)increase public understanding and appreci-ation of bears and bear ecology, (2) increasepublic understanding of appropriatehuman behavior in bear habitat, and (3)under controlled circumstances, increasetourism and provide economic benefits.

To ensure effective management of theprotected area, a Committee of ManagingAgencies (CMA) has been established, rep-resenting the Yukon and Vuntut Gwitchingovernments and includes Yukon Parks, theterritorial Fish and Wildlife Branch, thelocal Renewable Resources Council, andthe federal Department of Fisheries andOceans (which operates a fish-countingweir downstream from the viewing site).When required, the Archaeological Surveyof Canada and the territorial HeritageBranch participate on the CMA.

Themanagement plan defined the con-ditions and operational guidelines relatedto preparing for commercial bear-viewingoperations.The CMA oversaw these prepa-rations to ensure that the managementplan’s conditions and guidelines were fol-lowed. These conditions and guidelinesinclude:

Visitor access and use. Visitor accessto the settlement lands and ecologicalreserve during the bear-viewing season

(September 1 to November 1) is by permitonly and limited to a maximum of five per-sons per day (four visitors and one guide)with a maximum stay of seven days (Figure6). This approach maintains the wildernesscharacter of the area; avoids disturbance tofish, bears, and other wildlife; and limits theneed for facility development.

Qualified bear-viewing guide.During the viewing season, visitors arerequired to use the services of a qualifiedbear-viewing guide who is permitted to pro-vide such services. This approach providesa safe and high-quality wilderness experi-ence.

Bear–human risk management plan.Before bear-viewing operations could start,


Figure 6. Bear-viewing activities at the FishingBranch River are limited to five individuals, includ-ing the guide, for up to one week at a time inSeptember and October. © 2008 Fritz Mueller,all rights reserved. Used by permission of thephotographer.


a detailed bear–human risk managementplan was required, as was a controlled pilottrial. The operational and emergency pro-cedures defined in the plan are designedprimarily to (1) minimize the adverse effectof human activities on bears and salmon, (2)minimize the probability of conflictbetween bears and humans, and (3) provideinformation on how to respond appropri-ately if a conflict between humans and bearsoccurs.

Bear behavior research and monitor-ing. Research and monitoring is an essen-tial part of assessing and evaluating whethermanagement principles and operationalprocedures are being effectively implement-ed. Three years of research were undertak-en by a graduate student from Simon FraserUniversity before viewing operations start-

ed. This research documented bear andsalmon populations and baseline patternsof bear behavior in the viewing area, anddeveloped a bear behavior data-collectionprotocol. These data will be used in thefuture to assess the impact, if any, of viewingoperations on bear behavior, primarily onspatial and temporal patterns of feeding.

Limited facility development. Con-sistent with the management principles andin keeping with the wilderness character ofthe area, facility development was been keptto a minimum, consisting of a main cabin/wash house, two sleeping cabins, an out-house, and high-storage cache (Figure 7).Built and owned by the Yukon government,these facilities support several activities,including (1) year-round management op-erations, (2) commercial bear viewing in the

Figure 7. The Yukon Parks’ ranger station is leased for two months annually under a park use permit toa private sector–First Nation joint venture to provide grizzly bear-viewing activities according to ahuman–bear risk management plan. © 2008 Fritz Mueller, all rights reserved. Used by permission ofthe photographer.

fall under lease to an operator, and (3) non-commercial activity at other times of theyear that supports research, monitoring,and public education.

Bear-hunting prohibition. In order toprotect the bear population in the ecologi-cal reserve and settlement lands, no residentor non-resident non-aboriginal harvestingis permitted.While having the right to hunt,the First Nation has voluntarily closed thearea to bear and moose hunting by its peo-ple.

In addition to the required steps iden-tified in the management plan, a number ofother initiatives were undertaken prior toviewing operations starting, as follows:

Commercial joint venture. To effec-tively and safely provide bear-viewingopportunities, a First Nation–private sectorjoint venture, Bear Cave Mountain Eco-Adventures, was created. This joint ventureis managed by a bear-viewing guide withover 20 years of experience and who isfamiliar with area. He has partnered withthe Vuntut Gwitchin Development Corpor-ation, the business arm of the First Nation.

Bear-viewing plan. A commercialbear-viewing plan was developed by thejoint venture to demonstrate how the busi-ness would start the trial operation and thencontinue into full operations in the future.This plan is closely linked to the opera-tional and emergency procedures describedin the bear–human risk management plan.

Use permit.Under the Parks and Cer-tainty Act, Yukon Parks regulates activitiesand development in territorial parksthrough the issuance of permits. To preparefor this, the Yukon Department of Justiceundertook a thorough review of thebear–human risk management plan. As amatter of due diligence, the review ensuredthat all requirements of the plan were

recorded as legal terms and conditions ofthe activity permit. The permit was issuedto the joint venture to allow trial operationsto start in September 2006.

Partnerships leading to commercialbear viewing

Table 1 summarizes the key steps andpartnerships leading to the creation of bear-viewing operations at Fishing Branch Pro-tected Area. This process started in 1995with the settlement of the Vuntut GwitchinLand Claim Agreement and continued toSeptember 2006 when trial operationsstarted. Throughout the process, the part-ners, including the First Nation and Yukongovernments, Simon Fraser University, andthe professional bear consultant and experi-enced bear-viewing guide mentionedabove, were able to learn about the initiativein depth and share the experience of work-ing together towards a common goal.

Critical factors in the development ofthis activity hinged around the nature ofbear behavior, the careful planning and con-struction of facilities, and controllinghuman activity. The protected area and riskmanagement plans provided the steps toprepare for the operation.Outside expertiseto complete these steps was critical in theprocess. Analyzing the experience of similaractivities elsewhere was valuable. Facilitydevelopment demanded careful planningand sensitive construction practices andscheduling. Similarly, the comprehensivebear–human risk management plan wasessential to achieving a level of confidencein the bear-viewing plan and to providingdefinite guidelines for visitor operations.Monitoring the activity will be equally criti-cal in addressing operational concerns andissues at all stages to ensure visitor safetyand protection of the bears.



Table1.ActivitiesandpartnershipsleadingtocommercialbearviewingatFishingBranchProtectedArea.

Comparative analysis of viewing sitesin Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon

In order to compare the managementcontrols and safeguards developed for theFishing Branch operations, 13 other bear-viewing sites in Alaska and BritishColumbia were assessed. The work wasprepared as part of the bear-monitoringbenchmark and protocol developmentresearch undertaken by Simon Fraser Uni-versity. Only sites where the primary activi-ty is bear viewing related to spawningsalmon were considered. Both viewing siteconditions and management regimes werecompared.

The results showed the following simi-larities and differences between FishingBranch and the other sites, using 14 differ-ent characteristics:

Accessibility. Along with one othersite in British Columbia, Fishing Branch isthe most difficult and expensive to access,as visitors can only arrive by expensivecharter helicopter. Most of the other sitesare accessible by float plane or boat. Onlytwo can be reached by road.

Infrastructure. Viewing and lodginginfrastructure, as well as physical barriers toreduce bear–human interactions,were com-pared. About half the sites have all threeforms of infrastructure.The other half oper-ate on a day-use basis without lodgings. AtFishing Branch, viewing is conducted pri-marily from riverbanks without physicalbarriers, with modest visitor infrastructure.

Agency staff/qualified guides. Onlytwo of the 14 sites have no agency staff toorient or guide visitors and have no require-ment for visitors to use viewing guides.Fishing Branch has no agency staff on site,but is one of five sites that requires the useof a qualified bear viewing guide.

Bear viewing as primary use. Fishing

Branch is one of only three sites where bearviewing was the primary and originaldesigned use of the site when established.Bear viewing evolved over time in about halfof the other sites.

Managing agencies.All sites are eithermanaged by federal, provincial, state, or ter-ritorial agencies. Fishing Branch is one offour that also includes a First Nation incooperatively managing the site, and is oneof two sites where First Nations’ lands areused in the viewing operation. As notedabove, the commercial viewing operation isjointly owned by a First Nation develop-ment corporation and a qualified bear-view-ing guide.

Access rules.Almost all 14 sites, includ-ing Fishing Branch, have rules and regula-tions controlling visitor movements whenon site. Fishing Branch is one of only foursites that strictly controls visitor access andrequires viewers to be accompanied by aguide at all times.

Viewing regulations.Daily visitor lim-its vary among the 14 sites, from aminimumof four to a maximum of 64, with FishingBranch along with one other British Col-umbia site having the lowest. Six sites haveno daily limits at all. Four provide only day-viewing opportunities, with others beingmulti-day, including Fishing Branch. Threehave a permit reservation system to controlvisitor numbers, while five self-manage,including Fishing Branch, which is permit-ted under strict operating conditions,including those governing visitor numbers.Half the sites have daily viewing schedules,while the others, including Fishing Branch,allow viewing only during daylight hours.

User fees. The six sites that have adaily user fee charge between CDN$10.00and $87.50. Fishing Branch is among theeight sites that do not charge a daily user fee



per se. However, the all-inclusive commer-cial guiding fee for Fishing Branch is high,at about $1,500 per day per client. A$1,500 lease fee is paid by the commercialoperator for the eight-week use of park facil-ities.

Education/safety/interpretive pro-grams.Only one of the 14 sites provides noprior or onsite education, safety, or inter-pretive information programming. Theother sites, including Fishing Branch, pro-vide safety information that generallyencompasses viewer movement and behav-ior, including encounter response and foodstorage and disposal. Information providedat Fishing Branch by the guide alsoincludes how to respond to emergencies,viewer obligations and camp duties, and, asan ecotourism operation, extensive naturalhistory of the bears, salmon, and otherspecies, as well as cultural history of thearea and First Nations.

Viewing distances. Five sites havestipulated minimum viewing distances,which vary from 3 to 100 m, with the aver-age being 30–50 m. Five sites, includingFishing Branch, have variable distancesestablished by the guide dependent on thetolerance of individual bears—which,among other factors, is determined by view-er numbers.

Habituation. The Fishing Branch isone of seven sites that uses bear habituation(i.e., getting bears used to people, not foodconditioning) as a means to improve view-ing quality and bear–human safety. Five ofthose seven sites, including Fishing Branch,use qualified viewing guides to undertakehabituation. Seven sites do not have anactive habituation program.

Monitoring program.Only five of thefourteen sites, including Fishing Branch,have ongoing monitoring programs to

measure the impact of viewing on bearbehavior. The Fishing Branch program isbased on three years of bear behaviorresearch that led to the development of adata collection protocol, which the guideuses during viewing operations.

Emergency procedures. Eight of the14 sites have established procedures torespond to a bear mauling, including victimassistance procedures, information record-ing, communications/notification proto-cols, and post-incident reporting. Beingisolated with only one guide, FishingBranch viewers are made aware of emer-gency procedures and have quick access toa detailed onsite response manual and satel-lite phone/ HF radio.

Other permitted activities. Only fivesites, including Fishing Branch, prohibitother uses, such as angling and sport andsubsistence bear hunting. Three sites allowonly angling. Four allow both sport andsubsistence bear hunting. The size of bearhunting closure areas vary from 4 to 14,000km2. For Fishing Branch, the mandatoryclosure area is 300 km2 around the immedi-ate viewing site, and is voluntary in an addi-tional surrounding 6,000 km2.

Overall comparative summaryCompared with 13 other sites, Fishing

Branch is one of the two smallest, withremote operations that provide highly con-trolled viewing conditions through themandatory use of a qualified bear-viewingguide at a relatively high (4:1) viewer-to-guide ratio. This allows variable viewingdistances without physical barriers, as theguide can identify individual bears and isfamiliar with their tolerance to viewers. As arelatively new, government–First Nation co-managed protected area, comprehensivepre-operational planning was possible, and

focused on preparing exclusively for bear-viewing activities. These preparationsincluded (1) developing a bear–human riskmanagement plan, (2) undertaking bearbehavior research and creating a monitor-ing program, and (3) approving a detailedcommercial bear-viewing plan.

Conclusion: Lessons learned related toplanning for commercial bear viewing

The 10-year process leading up tocommercial bear viewing at Fishing Branchdemonstrated a number of important les-sons learned:

Establish protected areas throughland claims. Settled land claims providedthe legislative means to establish the pro-tected area, which included the contribu-tion of First Nation-owned lands, a first inconservation in Canada, if not North Amer-ica. This provided an equal partnershipbetween the territorial and First Nation gov-ernments.

Develop management plans withFirst Nations. The joint development ofthe management plan ensured First Nations’participation in determining the objectivesfor the protected area, which included com-mercial viewing as a means to both protectthe bear and provide visitors safe viewingopportunities.

Cooperate and partner early.Taking acooperative, shared approach to planningand management was fundamental to suc-cess. Working with other key players (i.e.,the Vuntut Gwitchin Development Corpor-ation, the bear-viewing guide, Simon FraserUniversity, and the consulting bear expert)early on, and continuously throughout allstages of planning and operating, was cru-cial.

Apply the precautionary principle.Ameasured, conservative approach to an

activity such as bear viewing was essentialand used throughout the preparation ofboth management plans. In the absence offully knowing all implications, the precau-tionary principle was used by initially set-ting restrictive use limits and conditions.

Be comprehensive and patient. Allthat needed to be done was completed priorto starting operations, even as pressuremounted to start earlier when wildernesstour operators and photographers wantedto view bears before the planning was com-plete. The viewing operations will bephased in slowly. This will allow operatingand marketing programs to be tested andadjusted if necessary.

Build capacity through joint ven-tures. The commercial joint venture withthe viewing guide and the First Nationdevelopment corporation was encouragedand provided the expertise needed for safeoperations. The joint venture also will pro-vide the training and experience necessaryfor the First Nation to eventually assumecontrol of the operation.

Integrate planning and operations.Activities leading up to viewing operationswere interrelated and nested together. Thisapproached ensured that human–bear riskmanagement plan reflected the objectives ofthe overall management plan; that the bear-viewing plan reflected the operating condi-tions of the risk management plan; and thatthe terms and conditions of the activity per-mit reflected the requirements of the riskmanagement plan.

Involve legal counsel. Legal counselwas involved in preparing the activity per-mit to ensure a degree of due diligence bydemonstrating that all reasonable stepswere taken to minimize the risk related tothe operation. The exact operating proce-dures and protocols contained in the risk



management plan were used as the termsand conditions of the activity permit toensure consistency and clarity.

Government-owned facilities. Thefacilities were built and are owned by theYukon government. They were kept to aminimum and are leased for bear viewing to

the joint venture in the fall and are used forranger operations and research for the restof the year. Government ownership ensurescontrol over the facilities and, if required,makes it simpler for Yukon Parks to cancelor not renew the activity permit for non-compliance.

AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks goes to Shelley Marshall, Master’s candidate, School of Resource and

Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, for her bear-behavior monitoringresearch, which included a thorough comparison of the Fishing Branch bear-viewing oper-ationwith 13 others in Alaska and northern BritishColumbia.Also, thanks go to Phil Timpany,operations manager and bear-viewing guide, Bear CaveMountain Eco-Adventures, and film-makerWildman Productions for taking and assembling the incredible bear and salmon videofootage for presentation at the George Wright Society Meeting in 2007.

Editor’s note: The name “Gwitchin” is rendered several ways in English: Gwichin, Gwich’in,and Gwitch’in, among others. We have adopted the spelling used on the Vuntut Gwitchin FirstNation government website, www.vgfn.ca.

ReferencesMarshall, S. 2007. Comparative analysis of bear viewing sites in Alaska, British Columbia

and Yukon. Unpublished report. Burnaby, B.C.: Simon Fraser University.Timpany, P. 2005. Fishing Branch Wildlife Viewing Plan. Whitehorse: Yukon Parks and

Bear Cave Mountain Eco-Adventures.Yukon Department of Environment (Yukon Parks). 2000. Ni’iinlii Njik (Fishing Branch)

Ecological Reserve and Settlement Reserve and Settlement Land R-5A & S-3A1 Manage-ment Plan.Whitehorse: Yukon Parks.

———. 2004. Ni’iinlii Njik (Fishing Branch) Wilderness Preserve and Habitat ProtectionArea Management Plan.Whitehorse: Yukon Parks.

———. 2006. Ni’iinlii Njik (Fishing Branch) Ecological Reserve and Settlement Land R-5A& S-3A1 Bear–Human Risk Management Plan.Whitehorse: Yukon Parks.

Erik Val, Yukon Parks, P.O. Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Y1A 2C6, Canada;[email protected]

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