Fortress of the Bear
Fortress of the Bear is a nonprofit bear refuge and education center in Sitka, Alaska. It was founded in 2003 by Les and Evy Kinnear at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park, the former Sitka Pulp Mill site.
Local conservation groups opposed keeping wild bears in tanks for visitors. To show they could care for animals, the Kinnears started by raising pigs and other farm animals on the site while they worked to get the needed permits. After several years, the refuge earned the required city and state approvals.
The sanctuary’s first brown bear, Killisnoo, arrived in 2007, and its first black bear, Smokey, in 2013. By 2016, about 20 percent of cruise ship passengers stopping in Sitka visited Fortress of the Bear. In 2017, three black bears and five brown bears lived there, and the refuge had about 30,000 visitors each year, with revenue around $1 million.
Les and Evy Kinnear met in Portland, Oregon. Evy had been a math and science teacher, and Les was a hunting guide who had lived in Alaska since 1978. They planned the project in 2002 and formed Kootznahoo, a nonprofit. Sitka’s city government then leased the land at Gary Paxton Industrial Park for 10 years to house bears. The pulp mill site had two large concrete tanks that the founders planned to use as bear enclosures, adding water and greenery to resemble the bears’ natural habitat. A bear expert approved the idea, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game required a demonstration period.
To meet that requirement, the Kinnears ran a pig farm at the site for a year. This helped prove they could care for animals properly. The refuge’s first operations included other farm animals and a small petting zoo, funded by Evy’s embroidery business and donations. By 2005 they had invested about $40,000 to build the farm and prepare the site.
The project faced opposition from some conservationists who argued that wild bears should not be kept in tanks for public viewing. Despite criticism, the refuge moved forward and obtained the necessary permits. The Star Tribune called Fortress of the Bear “the world’s first bear-cub orphanage.” It serves as an education center to teach visitors about human–animal interactions.
Bears are rescued and cannot be released back into the wild, so the sanctuary provides a home and care. The bears’ housing includes a 4,000-square-foot brown bear area, later expanded about tenfold, and a separate black bear area built for safety during hibernation. The site features a viewing platform, water, trees, shrubs, and a creek, plus a visitor center with a gift shop and classroom.
The fortress runs annual events like Bear Awareness Day in June, teaching visitors how to stay safe around bears and how fences and bear spray work. When crowds grew, the refuge added a larger viewing area and a higher-capacity facility, including a $1 million visitor center.
From time to time, bears have been relocated to zoos. In 2009, the Bronx Zoo took three brown bears from Fortress of the Bear. Other bears have moved to facilities in Montana, New York, and Texas. Some bears have died or been euthanized due to age or illness, including Balloo in 2017 and Killisnoo in 2020.
Today, Fortress of the Bear remains open from May through September, welcoming visitors who want to learn about bears and see them up close in a controlled, educational setting.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:08 (CET).