Jordan Pruszenski, an assistant area biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks, is conducting research on barren ground grizzly bears in northeastern Alaska. This region stretches from the Dalton Highway and Yukon River to the Canada border and the Arctic Ocean.
Pruszenski works with Ellery Vincent, a graduate student at Washington State University, to place cameras on female grizzlies’ necks. The goal is to answer basic questions about these animals. “How many are there? We don’t have a good population estimate,” Pruszenski said. “We (also) want to get a better understanding of how they are interacting with their environment during the short summer season.”
The research involves tranquilizing bears from helicopters using darts aimed at different parts of their bodies depending on the season. Once sedated, GPS collars with video cameras are fitted, and measurements are taken.
“The kind of work we do involves spending large amounts of time in confined spaces and high-stress situations together, and Jordan is able to get the job done and still make me laugh through all of it,” Vincent said.
Pruszenski highlighted her team’s commitment to animal welfare: “It’s pretty amazing, but we all realize the responsibility for the well-being of that bear,” she said. “Everyone is willing to take a step back — like if they see an animal is too hot, they will let it cool down before taking data. There’s no reason to rush.”
Vincent added: “When you are doing this kind of work you are ultimately responsible for that animal’s well-being while you are handling it. So, I am primarily focused on the seriousness of that responsibility.”
Among other tasks, Pruszenski measures each bear’s girth by wrapping her arms around them briefly. She described their scent as “A little musty. Kind of like dry tundra.”
Her father Stan Pruszenski commented on his daughter’s unique career: “She’s hanging out of an R44 helicopter darting moose and bears,” he said from Arizona. “That’s unique for anyone, especially a woman. Her mother (Mary Jo) and I are extremely proud of where she’s come and how she’s gotten there.” He noted that Jordan has achieved success independently: “A lot of people know the name, but I think (Jordan)’s gotten where she is in spite of me,” he said. “She shines on her own.”
Jordan Pruszenski began working closely with wildlife during a wolf-monitoring project in Idaho before earning her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota studying wolves in northern Minnesota.
Her interest in biology was sparked by a high school teacher rather than early childhood pets or family influence.
Following her father’s example as a pilot, Pruszenski has started training as a pilot herself for state agency work in Fairbanks by accumulating flight hours at flight school in Arizona.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Lincoln Parrett remarked: “She has been avid in her pursuit of the necessary hours and accomplishments needed to begin flying state aircraft,” adding that he often saw her flying whenever he was also airborne over the summer.
With piloting skills combined with fieldwork experience, Pruszenski will be able to more efficiently study various species such as sheep, musk oxen, grizzlies, and caribou across northeastern Alaska.
Stan Pruszenski summed up his family’s pride: “We’re impressed every day,” he said about himself and Mary Jo. “To hug these animals and smell their breath — I can’t even imagine.”
Since the late 1970s, columns from Ned Rozell have been provided free by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute alongside UAF researchers.
