Page 145 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

122 The Americas

Alaska’s volcanoes are potentially hazardous more than 10,000 years of being dormant. The
to passenger and freight aircraft as jet engines park also contains many archaeological sites, which
sometimes fail after ingesting volcanic ash. On 15 indicate a long history of human occupation, and
December 1989, a Boeing 747 flying 240km is well known for brown bears and salmon, which
north-east of Anchorage encountered an ash attract some 6000+ people (Miller et al, 1998).
cloud erupted from Redoubt volcano and lost Katmai contains the world’s largest protected
power in all four jet engines (Rosi et al, 2003; brown bear population, estimated to number in
Casadevall, 1994). The plane, with 231 passengers excess of 2000. Bears are especially likely to
aboard, lost more than 3000m of elevation before congregate at the Brooks Falls viewing platform
the flight crew was able to restart the engines. when the salmon are spawning, and many well
After landing, it was determined the airplane had known photographs of brown bears have been
suffered about $80 million in damage (Brantley, taken there. The vast majority of Katmai visitors
1990). It is estimated, based on information come to Brooks Camp, one of the only developed
provided by the US Federal Aviation Administra- areas of the park, and few venture further than the
tion that more than 80,000 large aircraft per year, bear viewing platforms. Rangers at the park are
and 30,000 people per day are in the skies over extremely careful not to allow bears to obtain
and potentially downwind of Aleutian volcanoes, human food or get into confrontations with
mostly on the heavily travelled great-circle routes humans. As a result, bears in Katmai Park are
between Europe, North America and Asia. uniquely unafraid of and uninterested in humans,
Volcanic eruptions from the Cook Inlet volcanoes and will allow people to approach (and photograph)
(Spurr, Redoubt, Iliamna and Augustine) can also much more closely than bears elsewhere (Miller
have severe impacts on local communities and the et al, 1998).
state’s tourist trade, as these volcanoes are close to
Anchorage, the state’s largest population centre. Risk management
Tourism Risk management in these circumstances involves
a mixture of requirements relating to the volcanoes
Tourism marketing efforts emphasize Alaska’s as well as to wildlife. Redoubt volcano, for example,
outstanding scenery, wildlife, parks, museums and is located within a few hundred kilometres of
dining opportunities, as well as the ability to travel more than half of the population of Alaska. This
independently. Nearly all visitors perceive Alaska volcano has erupted explosively at least six times
as an excellent place to see wildlife in its natural since historical observations began in 1778, the
habitat and see Alaska’s natural beauty and scenery. latest being in 2009 (Dorava and Meyer, 1994).
Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks (6000 and Based on new information gained from studies of
5500 visitors per year respectively) are two of the 1989–90 eruption, an updated assessment of
those favoured destinations. The 19,122 km² the principal volcanic hazards is now possible.
Katmai Park and Preserve was established on 2 Volcanic hazards from a future eruption of
December 1980 on the Alaska peninsula south- Redoubt and the other volcanoes of Alaska require
west of Anchorage. Originally, the area was public awareness training and logistics planning so
designated a national monument on 24 September that risks to life and property are reduced as much
1918, to protect the area around the 1912 eruption as possible (Dorava and Meyer, 1994).
of Novarupta, which formed the Valley of Ten In 1996 the National Park Service (NPS)
Thousand Smokes, a 100km² in area, 100–700 completed a Development Concept Plan (DCP)
foot deep pyroclastic flow. and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for
Activities at Katmai include hiking, back- the Brooks River area of the Katmai National
packing, camping, cross-country skiing, fishing, Park. The DCP presented six alternatives for the
kayaking, boat tours and interpretive programmes. management, use and development of the area.
There are at least 14 active volcanoes within the The proposed action called for a reorientation of
national park, including the Fourpeaked volcano, management and use to more adequately preserve
which became active on 17 September 2006 after and interpret the area’s globally significant Alaskan

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