Congdon Creek campground, located south of Destruction Bay, is an important part of the Yukon Parks campground network, and lies within the traditional territory of the Kluane First Nation. There have been historical problems with conflicts between people and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) at this campground.
This is the last season of a 12-year trial to test whether simple habitat manipulations in the campground could reduce bear foraging activity. Two natural food attractants were managed. Female soapberry bushes that produced berries were removed between 2013 and 2015 and a crew in 2023 visited the site to remove any new bushes that had recovered. Starting in 2013, field locoweed (Oxytropis campestris), a yellow flower, much loved by grizzly bears, was removed each June from the central meadow in the campground with a flail mower. This did not kill the plant but was timed to remove the flower heads when they are ripe and of interest to hungry bears.
The results to date show a reduction in conflicts from bears entering the campground looking for natural foods. The field work in 2024 will collect one final season of data and then remove the camera and hair traps used to monitor bear activity. The fall and winter of 2024-25 will be spent on data analysis and write up for publication.