Madsen Bear Statue Replacement Arrives

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

It’s usually bad news when brown bears wander into town, but the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center plans to set one up on its corner.

The bear is 12-foot tall, just a little bigger than the average male of its species, and made of bronze.

It replaces Kodiak’s 1954 fiberglass bear, which had begun to show its age. Members of the Kodiak Brown Bear Trust have been working for about two years to fundraise, commission an artist, and get a new bear onto the island.

Trust manager, Vic Barnes, has traveled several times from his current home in Colorado to visit the artist in Utah. He says the statue is spectacular and will attract a lot of attention, especially since it’ll be one of the first things visitors see when they get off the ferry.

“Kodiak takes a lot of pride in being associated with the Kodiak bear and so this was a community effort and I think it’s really a tribute to the town of Kodiak and Kodiak Island from the standpoint of the rich history and bear conservation work that’s been done on Kodiak.”

Barnes also says he’s relieved that the project is complete, and he has a good feeling the community will be happy with the result.

The community partners behind the new statue, including the Brown Bear Trust and the refuge, will hold an unveiling and dedication ceremony for the bear. That’ll be on August 19 at the visitor center.