Glacier Bay Basin - Flora and Fauna

Flora and Fauna

The environment of the Glacier Bay has been categorized under four main land ecosystems namely, the wet tundra, the coastal western hemlock/Sitka spruce forest, the alpine tundra, and the glaciers and ice fields; within the Bay proper, further break up into three major marine ecosystems are marked namely, “within in and around continental shelf, wave-beaten coasts, and fjord estuaries.”

Plants progressively moved in as the glacier retreated, so a 200-year-old spruce and hemlock forest presently exists at the entrance, grading up to more primitive plants such as mosses and lichens at the head of the bay. Because of current local climate change some glaciers are now retreating at a rate of up to a quarter of a mile per year.

The retreat of the glaciers exposed land areas and as a result “Plant communities and animal populations ranging from "pioneer species" in areas recently exposed by receding glaciers to climax communities in older coastal and alpine ecosystems” have emerged.

Wild life

In general, wild life in the Glacier Bay, has been identified under aqua fauna, avifauna and fauna; 160 marine and estuarine fish species, 242 bird species and 41 species of mammals have been recorded.

Bears

A Black Bear Yearling

Bears, both black and brown bears, are seen in the Glacier Bay in the intertidal zone which they frequent for foraging. They are also seen “scraping barnacles off of rocks and munching mussels.” Invariably they are spotted wandering alone along the beaches of the Glacier Bay in search of Salmon fish. The habitats of the black bears are generally the southern forested areas of the bay. However, the brown bears are mostly found in the northern, more recently glaciated zones of the Glacier Bay. Occasionally, black bears are sighted near the glaciers or near Gustavus town. Black bears with black dots and brown bears with brown dots have been seen over the last 10 years. Their travel routes have been identified as along the easy tracks such as along beaches, stream beds and river valleys. The most commonly identified locations for sighting bears in the Glacier Bay are: The Bartlett Cove, the Bartlett River, the Beardslee Islands and North and South Sandy Cove locations for Black bears, while Brown bears are seen to the north of Tidal Inlet in the west arm of glacier and north of Adams Inlet in the east arm. They are also seen swimming in the Bay, crossing from one bank to the other. Salmon are their favorite food, apart from bumblebees, sand fleas, bird eggs, birds, voles and marine mammal carcasses.

Salmon

Salmon are very important food of bears, particularly in the late summer and fall. In the southern part of the bay, there are streams which abound in salmon. They are also seen colonizing in the northern bay, consequent to the retreat of many glaciers and the streams emerging. These salmon fish food sources are expected to support more bear populations in the years ahead.

Whale

A Sea Lion underwater in the Glacier Bay

Humpback Whales have been sighted in the lower region of Glacier Bay; also in Sitakaday Narrows, Whidbey Passage and the waters around South Marble Island. For kayakers, Hugh Miller Inlet and the Beardslee Islands are good locations to see Humpback Whales from a safe distance of about a quarter mile. Other marine whales sighted are Grey, Minke, Fin, and Killer Whales (Orcas).

Seals

Harbor Seal, Northern Fur Seal, Ringed Seal, Sea Otters, Harbor Porpoise, Dall Porpoise and the Steller's Sea Lion are also seen in the Glacier Bay.

Other fauna

Land mammals sighted in the Glacier Bay are: Blue bears (glacier), Moose, Sitka Black Tailed Deer, Mountain goat, Wolf, Coyote, Lynx, Wolverine, Marmots, Land and River Otters, Weasels, Ermine, Mink, Squirrels, Beaver and Red Fox. Porcupines, Voles, Shrews, Hares, and Bats are also found.

Avifauna

Young cotton wood trees growing out of round mats of nitrogen-fixing Dryas

200 species of avifauna have been recorded in the Bay. These include: the Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Raven, Northern Hawk Owl, Sandhill Crane, Loon, Stellar Jay, Murre, Cormorant, Puffin, Murrelet, Oyster catchers, Herons, Geese, Ducks, Ptarmigan, Crow, Osprey, Blue Grouse, Woodpecker, Pidgeon Guillemot, Sparrow, Sandpiper, Plover, Arctic Tern, Kittiwake and Gulls.

Fishes

Fish species found in the bay are: Chinook, Chum, Sockeye, Pink and Coho Salmon, Halibut, Trout, Steelhead, Dolly Varden, Lingcod, Whitefish, Blackfish, Char and Herring. As for shellfish, there are Dungeness Crabs, Scallops, Shrimp and Clams.

Vegetation

Plant recolonization and succession has occurred in Glacier Bay as a result of the retreat of the glacier bay in the last about 300 years. The succession, which occurred in the new wilderness of Glacier Bay was stated to be a raw landscape. A simile given is that “It was like seeing an owl with no feathers”. A vegetative wilderness has been created, which has resulted in the coastal forest. 333 Vascular plant species of individual taxa have been recorded in the Glacier Bay. Dense thickets of Sitka alder and devil's club abound along the shoreline.