A polar bear walks along a gravel road on the North Slope. Photo courtesy of Fairweather, LLC
“When they put the gate up, all those bears that were getting a free meal became real problems for the camps around there,” Blank says. “Once a bear gets trained, gets foodconditioned, it’s hard for them to switch back to their natural diet, back to hunting. They’ll become problem bears nine times out of ten.” Officials in Deadhorse killed ten bears that had broken into buildings, according to a bear fact sheet published by ConocoPhillips. More than a dozen other bears were killed in defense of life and property. But in the early 1990s, the landfills were fenced off and stricter controls over food implemented, including the installation of bear-proof dumpsters at remote sites. Oilfield operators increased education and training efforts for workers and a Slope-wide Wildlife Avoidance and Interaction Plan was implemented.
Working in Bear Habit Much of the development on the North Slope is in grizzly bear habitat along rivers and wetlands and polar bear habitat near the ocean. It’s rare for polar bears to go more than fifty miles inland, Blank says. He estimates there are about 2,000 polar bears in Alaska. And while grizzlies were rarely seen on the North Slope before the oilfields were constructed, there are an estimated 1 to 2 bears per one hundred square miles near the coast, according to an Alaska Department of Fish and Game study, with higher densities near the Brooks Range. 18
“There are a variety of potential wildlife threats to safety [on the North Slope], just like there are in many places in Alaska. TAPS covers 800 miles through the Alaska wilderness, so the potential for human/wildlife interactions is present every day in nearly every location.”
— Bill Bailey Spokesman Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company spokesman Bill Bailey says there have been no sightings of polar bears at Pump Station 1 for nearly two decades. However, grizzly bears are occasionally seen nearby and all personnel are trained on bear safety. North Slope security personnel regularly patrol the road and marine systems in and around Prudhoe Bay, and TAPS security regularly patrols the pipeline right-of-way, Bailey says. The perimeter around Pump Station 1 is fenced. “There are a variety of potential wildlife threats to safety [on the North Slope], just like there are in many places in Alaska,” Bailey says. “TAPS covers 800 miles through the Alaska wilderness, so the potential for human/wildlife interactions is present every day in nearly every location.” Prevention is key, he says, and includes proper storage of food and waste, situational
awareness in areas where bears and other large mammals may be present, reporting and communicating to managers and workers if wildlife is present, and a strict policy against feeding wildlife. “All wildlife has the right-of-way, regardless of species,” Bailey says. “TAPS employees yield to animals and discontinue work that may interfere with their natural environment.” All workers have a standard protocol in bear country, Bailey says. Check the area before leaving the safety of a building or vehicle. Safely dispose of garbage. Do not leave food outside. Move to, or remain in, a safe location if a bear of any kind is seen. Do not approach polar bears for any reason.
Alaska Business Monthly | March 2017 www.akbizmag.com