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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WEB SITE LAUNCHES "BEARCAM"
Visit Bear Country at ngm.com/wildcamgrizzlies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Meredith Goldblatt
(212) 843-9353
mgoldblatt@rubenstein.com
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WEB SITE LAUNCHES "BEARCAM"
Visit Bear Country at ngm.com/wildcamgrizzlies
WASHINGTON (July 21, 2006)—It's the world's largest gathering of grizzlies. From late June to early August each year, as many as 50 brown bears a day may converge on Alaska's McNeil River Falls to feed on the abundance of salmon running through the tumbling currents. Only a small number of people get the chance to visit this remote spot to see them. But now, through National Geographic magazine's "Bearcam" at ngm.com/wildcamgrizzlies, anyone can log on and watch these bears as they fish, play and run through their natural habitat.
In addition to watching the salmon-snagging bears, Web visitors can blog with bear experts, browse the online photo album, get stats on the bears and other wildlife, and learn why McNeil River Falls is such a great fishing spot.
"For decades, only a fortunate few have been able to witness this amazing event. Now the world can view it," said Valerie May, National Geographic magazine's senior editor, new media. "We hope that experiencing the wonder of these magnificent animals via the Internet will inspire people to protect and maintain the wilderness that is the bears' home."
The webcam's wireless microwave technology starts with a camera hidden in a fake boulder that sits on the riverbank at McNeil Falls. The microwave signal is relayed to a transmitter on a hillside about a mile away. It is picked up 30 miles (48 km) northeast atop volcanic Mount Augustine on Augustine Island, Alaska. From there the signal travels 70 miles (113 km) to a bluff in the city of Homer, Alaska, and on for three more miles (5 km) to Homer's Pratt Museum. The camera is controlled from the museum, where the video feed is relayed to servers at RealNetworks Inc. in Seattle. From there the live streaming video is published to the Internet through the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., where viewers access it online in real time.
This project is a partnership with RealNetworks, Lake Clark National Park, Katmai National Park, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Pratt Museum.
National Geographic magazine is the official journal of the National Geographic Society, one of the world's largest nonprofit educational and scientific organizations. Published in English and 29 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around 8.5 million. It is sent each month to National Geographic members and is available on newsstands for $4.95 a copy. Single copies can be ordered by calling (800) NGS-LINE, also the number to call to apply for membership of the Society.
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Contacts:
Meredith Goldblatt
(212) 843-9353
mgoldblatt@rubenstein.com
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