At least two bears have been spotted in areas ranging from the Eagle River Campground to the Eagle River Nature Center and several neighborhoods in between.

Chugach State Park chief ranger Mike Goodwin said bear reports started about a week ago. He said bears have not acted aggressively, though they aren't avoiding humans.

"The bears have not been yielding to people on the trails," Goodwin said.

Neil Huddleston witnessed similar bear behavior Friday near the Eagle River.

Huddleston, who lives in Parkview Terrace near mile 1.5 Eagle River Road, was walking his dog around 7 p.m.

"I looked up and saw this brown bear ambling along the other side. My dog started barking at it, but (the bear) didn't seem to care too much."

Huddleston said the bear then crossed the river and got on the path that Huddleston was on.

"It walked in our direction," Huddleston said. "It was slowly walking toward us, and we were slowly moving away. It didn't look too agitated by us and it definitely wasn't shy."

On Sunday, near the Eagle River Nature Center at mile 12 Eagle River Road, Goodwin said a similar encounter occurred when a Brown Bear refused to yield to hikers on the Albert Loop Trail. In that case, a park ranger was summoned and fired a rubber bullet at the bear, scaring it off.

"Bears just need to be yielded to as much as reasonably possible," Goodwin said. "If we think our time is more important than theirs, that's when we get problems."

Goodwin said bear behavior could soon get more aggressive as moose begin dropping their calves toward the end of the month.

Brown bears sightings have also occurred in other Eagle River Valley neighborhoods. Rick Sinnott, management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said such encounters will continue as long as the bruins find food on people's property.

"We got our first call (April 29)," said Sinnott. "A bear had gotten into a birdfeeder."

Since that time about a half dozen calls have come into Sinnott's office from people who have seen bears in residential areas, including a call Monday about a bear getting a bag of birdseed out of a backyard.

Danny Shepherd, an Eagle Ridge resident, said he saw the brown bear Monday walking through his backyard.

"I notified the (Anchorage) School District about the grizzly on the prowl in our neighborhood so they could advise their bus drivers of a potential problem before the kids were dropped off in the neighborhood," he said, referring to Gruening Middle School. "They in turn phoned (the Department of Fish and Game) who called me back to ask more about the bear."

Shepherd said the bear wasn't a problem for him; it was merely walking through people's yards.

"The bear was looking for something to eat and didn't have to look too far," Sinnott said of the bear. He said too many people are not properly storing their trash.

Last year, Sinnott and an assistant tracked two bears through several Eagle River Valley neighborhoods. The bears were getting into trashcans that were left out overnight for pickup the following day. Although bears got into dozens of trashcans during the fall, only two residents received the $110 fine for having their trash eaten by bears. Sinnott said that would change this year.

"We are going to be out fining early and often," said Sinnott, who has been in contact with the Alaska State Troopers, the agency that will issue tickets. "If we can get rid of the garbage and the birdseed, we can get rid of the bears. People out there need to understand that."

That was the message that Karen Deatherage and Lilly Goodman were hoping to convey to shoppers at the Eagle River Carrs last week.

Deatherage, a program associate for Defenders of Wildlife, and Goodman, wildlife education specialist for the Department of Fish and Game, spent several hours passing out informational pamphlets about bear activity.

"We talked to hundreds of people," said Goodman. "Most of them seemed to be aware of the bears."

Not everyone that they talked to shared their views on bear control. People walking by also said things such as they have a gun to take care of bears of that they love the taste of bear meat, said Deatherage.

"People are entitled to their opinions but shooting a bear won't get rid of the problem," Sinnott said. "If these bears are gone, black bears or other brown bears will be coming in."

Sinnott said people who are leaving out garbage are putting their neighbors' lives in jeopardy.

"I would rather we did not have to shoot them, but if they keep coming into these neighborhoods, it could mean life or death for someone's kid," he said. "If activity in neighborhoods persists, they'll have to be put down before someone gets hurt or killed."

Reach the reporter at greg.dart@alaskastar.com.