I can BEAR-ly believe it
The bear sighting was on 17th August 2024 at around 3 pm local time.
Nathan, one of the carpenters, is doing a snow gathering experiment. He was out at AWOL wandering into the wind (so not to contaminate his samples). He finished sooner than usual and decided to go up into AWO to say hi to Caleigh (one of the Science Techs). According to the log, 7 minutes later he left the building and saw the bear.
This triggered an all hands muster to the Big House. The other science team (RET) were out at their site at the end of the ski-way (with the station between them and the bear), but they were not keen on heading back to the Big House with a bear around. The loader was fired up and the crew went out to collect them. The Principle Investigator of RET does have a riffle permit, so at least they had some protection.
OK - RET dealt with, time for a head count. Where is Kunz???? Asleep in his fish hut, so the loader (driven by Bill) heads out for another rescue mission. Meanwhile, Guy stands guard by the steps of the Big House in the Big Forklift (he was here the last time a bear came to town in 2018).
Finally, time to gather the AWO people (who are well off the ground in a building so very safe). Piston bully heads off to pick them up.
All are now present and accounted for in the Big House, so most people watch the bear while the leaders talk to the National Science Foundation, Greenlandic Government, and the Greenland Police. The bear (a male according to our polar bear expert Pepper), looks healthy, is playing with flags, and is rolling in the snow. Much different to previous years where the bears have been emaciated and desperate.
He wanders through camp and then heads off North West along the IceSat traverse. He drops in on a couple of our stations before heading off to the horizon.
The bear is not an immediate threat, so none of the rifles on base can be used against it. The decision is made to wait and see what happens, so the station sets up a 24 hour bear watch from the Big House (2 hour shifts running through volunteers) and everyone else is held at the Big House. The sleeping quarters are hard sided due to the 2018 bear incident, so groups are escorted to the summer village by heavy equipment and we are told to stay put until the morning. We can leave, but have to call up for permission from the bear watch and all trips must be essential.
No bear sightings overnight, but we keep the watch running. throughout the day. We were expecting a plane this afternoon, but they decide to send two planes to Raven (an Air National Guard training facility instead). We are due 2 planes tomorrow instead.
Free movement is now allowed (it will be locked down tonight), so Nils and I went off to try to find bear tracks. Unfortunately, it has been really windy, so there is not much to see. I am on bear watch tonight with Christoph from 2 to 4 am (the Station crew have to work tomorrow, whereas we are just sitting on a plane, so we are trying to help out). Sunrise is at 4:15 am, so we will likely just stay up. We are supposed to be on a plane back to Kanger by 12 pm tomorrow, but we shall see. The C17 leaves Wednesday, so that is our deadline.
Earlier in the day I was showing one of the NSF representatives where the Saltzman holes we had been using were.........makes you realized how exposed we are up here, but bear sightings are also very rare.
I suspect the RNO-G team will required rifles and hard-sided vehicles in future years.
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