Page 25 - Fat Bear News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Without funding for the National Park Service, the beloved celebration of Alaska's "burly" brown bears may not be able to take place as planned.

Government shutdown: Will national parks close? What’s going on with Fat Bear Week 2023? What does a government shut down mean?

The government might be shutting down, but the bears don't know that. It's time for the beloved National Park Service event that is Fat Bear Week!

Without funding for the National Park Service, the beloved celebration of Alaska's "burly" brown bears may not be able to take place as planned.

A looming government shutdown threatens to claw its way into a crowd-pleasing Alaska tradition: Fat Bear Week. Alaska's most-watched popularity contest, Fat Bear Week involves residents picking their favorite fat brown bear who's been stocking up for winter by noshing on salmon in Katmai National Park & Preserve. Problem is, national park employees count and release those votes — and a shutdown won't allow them to do so because it would trigger a ban on using the park's official social media accounts for as long as the government is closed.