Daisy Wolf Studio - Photography of Sherri Cassel

08/27/2026

It is a beautiful day in today!

08/24/2026

08/22/2026

Those claws.

Lake Clark National Park bear viewing is mostly unregulated. It’s really rather heartbreaking.

During low tide when bears come to the shore, bear viewing tours either land by plane ON the beach or arrive via boat from across the Cook inlet. Then, wade onto the beach from the boat. THIS PART - low tide exposure - is NOT in the park! So the bears are being approached from assorted groups - all claiming to be following some protocol. But believe me - it seemed not uniformly enforced or followed. There were people and bears everywhere, people between sows & cubs, bears approaching from behind, and bears walking within ten feet of people.

Now, yes, the bears are “used” to this and simply go about their business digging for clams. BUT - always, their eyes were on us or other bears. We DID affect where they went and how they went. If they could see or sense another predating bear - or not. They are smelling for clams - does our scent through that off? Are they getting fewer clams because we are standing in the way? The list goes on.

I heard a story from our guide (yes, just some Alaskan, capitalizing on bear tours with his boat) that, once, a National Park Ranger DID come out to low tide area and asked people to give the bears space. One of the airplane pilots who felt entitled by his seasons there, told her to “F” off and started berating her. Knowing very clearly that her boundary was up on the beach - away from low tide by some 100 yards or so, that guy kept defying her. That Ranger stood her ground, and the pilot fired back harder. I don’t know the end result - only that the Ranger was relocated to another park.

Bears cross the beach, that the planes land on, to get to the ocean!

I had no idea this was the chaos they call bear viewing. It was surreal and unethical. I felt like part of the problem.

The solution - give Lake Clark National Park the authority to regulate the beach during low tide. Then, as it is in all other National Parks, they hold a competitive process to allow QUALIFIED/EDUCATED/REGULATED guides to bring people bear viewing. I plan to write and let them know I support them in better regulation

08/22/2026

Photographing the sea otters was so difficult… we were moving at a good clip and it was windy & bouncy. But these three came out ok enough to share. It’s about cuteness not quality.

08/22/2026

Aialik Glacier - Kenai Fjords National Park - Alaska.

08/21/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bv3iyq1MB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/21/2026

New observation, some bears have eyelashes 🤎

08/21/2026

Sea Lions - Kenai Fjords National Park.

08/20/2026

Kenai Fjords National Park/Seward, Alaska - oceanic beauties. Glaciers, puffins, scenery, otters, whales, and family. Never ever have I seen SO many otter “floats” (cute bunches of them all together drifting about)….. collectively we saw over 50 otters!

08/18/2026

Side by side.

This cub walked in step with Mom as she roamed the beach trying to SMELL clams a foot below low tide sand.

Seeing bears adopt to the environment they’re handed is mind blowing. The MORSEL they got was minuscule, but packed with nutrients for an otherwise plant based day.