CONGRATULATIONS to LODIDODGER to be the First to Find!!
Brand new container is in play. Thanks for your patience. Loads of bear swag is in the cache ... please take one per log signer so that everyone can enjoy a premium cache.
The photograph is Les Kinnear, one of the founders with one of the original orphaned bear cubs.
This geocache is placed at the non-profit organization "The Fortress of the Bear". The compound is closed M-F in the winter, but open on the weekends (their bears are hibernating). Geocache was placed with permission from the foundation founder, Les Kinnear.
Bears ruled Alaska long before fishermen, gold miners, or cruise ships arrived. As their territory has diminished, more and more bear cubs have become orphaned and sick. The state of Alaska has no bear rehabilitation program in place, and unfortunately orphaned cubs are routinely shot by the Department of Fish and Game for lack of an alternative. Until now. At Fortress of the Bear, their mission is to rescue cubs, bring them back to health and provide a long life full of enrichment.
The rescue center opened in 2007, and now houses 8 bears. More than 20,000 visitors per year come to experience the majesty of these amazing creatures. Since opening, they've sent bears to the Bronx Zoo, Montana Grizzly Encounter and the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. Their goal is to work with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to someday release rehabbed bears back into the wild. As a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization, they rely solely on admission fees and donations for funding.