SITKA, ALASKA While everyone’s seen those pictures of Alaska’s brown bears feeding on salmon running up streams, not everyone has seen the real thing up close – and probably no one supplies their own fish.
Students at Sitka’s Blatchley Middle School recently held a read-a-thon to raise money to bring Ben Michaelson to town next spring. Michaelson is the author of “Touching the Spirit Bear” and other noted works of natural history writing aimed at kids.
As their prize, the eight top fund-raisers last week (10-15-08) visited Sitka’s Fortress of the Bear with some live salmon from a nearby hatchery. The Fortress’s two brown bears were orphaned last summer, and had never learned to fish.
KCAW student reporter Ryan Apathy sends this audio postcard from “fishing school” at the Fortress of the Bear.
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