A grizzly bear is surrounded by tourists at the Chilkoot River at the Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site near Haines, Alaska. The bear was trying to access the nearby hillside following eating salmon on the river.  <br /> <br /> The Chilkoot River outlet of Chilkoot Lake offers some of the best salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska. Four salmon runs are an open invitation for bears to feast on the spawning salmon. At times, the Chilkoot River Corridor has some of the highest bear activity in the state. The Chilkoot River corridor area is extremely narrow with room for an equally narrow road with few pullouts for tourists and fisherman causing traffic and congestion. This creates a serious conflict between humans and bears. This image is a good representation of the problem.<br /> <br /> Care must be taken by visitors to the area to protect themselves and the bears. Bear and human conflicts have been increasing in recent years to the point that a special human free zone was established to give bears access to the river. In addition a bear viewing platform is under development to provide a safer location for visitors to view bears feeding in the river. The area is part of the Chilkoot Lake State Recreational Site located near Haines, Alaska at the head of the Lutak Inlet in the Lynn Canal.<br /> <br /> The Chilkoot River ranks second in popularity for Southeast Alaska freshwater sports fishing. The area is also an important cultural area for the Tlingit people and site of a culture camp.
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