Bears have been sighted all over the City and Borough of Juneau recently and the calls have been coming in, said Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Ryan Scott.

He said bears are definitely awake and will be browsing on spring greens in available areas. In Juneau, this includes avalanche chutes, roadsides and areas low in elevation where vegetation has begun to spring forth.

Despite the calls, Scott said there’s no reason for alarm.

“There’s nothing (in the reports) that gives me a high level of concern,” he said. “We just need people to really be thinking about garbage and attractants.”

As officials have stated before, things like bird feeders should be put away he said, and garbage secured.

Deer are another animal that may be showing up close to residential areas locally. They too like roadside ditches, Scott said, where grazing is easy and vegetation often plentiful. Scott said motorists should be alert for animals while on the road.

“It’s bear season,” he said. “Folks need to be paying attention.”