UPDATE: For the second time in four days, a brown bear was spotted in the Salmon Creek Trail area.
On Wednesday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game received a report from a group of hikers who saw a brown bear along the shore of the reservoir.
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On Sunday, a brown bear charged a runner on the trail.
In a report to ADF&G, the Juneau resident said he was running along the trail when a brown bear came out of the brush, charged at him twice and “roared,” all in a matter of seconds. He said the bear then ran into the woods, turned around and went back down the trail.
The man wasn’t injured in the encounter that happened about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, a release from ADF&G said Wednesday. The runner said he has lived in Sitka and is familiar with brown bears and has also seen black bears on the same trail, according to the report.
The Division of Wildlife Conservation said it found the report credible, and is is posting signs at the trailhead warning people of the bear. The division recommends people avoid the trail for the time being, or travel in groups, carry bear spray and make noise to avoid surprising a bear.
Brown bears are rare near downtown Juneau, but wolves have been seen in recent years in the Salmon Creek area. Brown bears are occasionally spotted in the Mendenhall Valley and Montana Creek.
In 2017, a brown bear was shot in a defense of life and property incident on Douglas Island.
• This is a Juneau Empire report.
