Chilkoot Lake, near Haines, is a popular destination for fishing, camping and brown bear viewing. But the state recreation area’s 32-site campground has just one food storage container, which has raised concerns about bear-human interactions.
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That’s about to change. Later this month, the campground will get two more bear-resistant food lockers thanks to a donation from Defenders of Wildlife, a national nonprofit.
“Campers can use them to store their food, to store their toiletries, to store really anything strong smelling that they’ve brought,” said Isabel Grant, the organization’s human-bear coexistence representative in Alaska.
Grant said they encourage tent campers and car campers to use the containers.
Safely storing bear attractants is crucial to avoid bears becoming too accustomed to human food. That keeps bears safe, and people, too.
“If bears are commonly seeking food around campsites in towns, those are bears that usually wind up being killed,” Grant said. “Obviously, that’s not good for the individual bear. If that happens enough, and over a long enough period of time, that’s not good for the populations.”
It’s happened at least once before at the Haines-area lake. In 2024, the state shot and killed a young female brown bear named Zulu. The bear had a history of doing things like digging through personal belongings, tearing up campsites and stealing food, the Chilkat Valley News reported at the time.
Alaska Division of State Parks acting regional superintendent Brad Garasky said there have also been some issues with anglers leaving out coolers and unattended catch. Earlier this summer, the park hired a technician to educate tourists and fishermen about bear safety and awareness.
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But Garasky said the Chilkoot campground hasn’t had a major issue with bears. Still, he added, “we gladly accepted their donation and coordinated with them to get them here on site.”
Grant, from Defenders of Wildlife, said the lockers are expensive, heavy and difficult to maneuver, which complicates installing them in remote areas. Purchasing the two containers and shipping them to Haines cost more than $5,000.
Exactly when campers will get to use the new lockers at Chilkoot Lake remains to be seen. State Parks never opened the popular campground this season, citing insufficient staffing.
A State Parks spokesperson said the division is in the process of hiring a Parks Technician for the area, which means the campground should open later this summer.
The group also sent two of the containers to Juneau, which will be placed at Eagle Beach State Recreation Area.
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