I've been hearing the fuss over the bear/ human interactions there recently. We were there on vacation and house shopping in Eagle River when the girl got mauled on the bike path.

I don't want people to get hurt, but I'd rather not move there and find the same sad story for the bears either. There are plenty of preventative measures that could be taken to better safeguard the people: carry pepper spray, electric fences, to name a couple.

I'm job searching the best I can from a distance. When I land a job, my family and I will be there as soon as we can. I'm no tree hugger, but the bears are part of what I love about Alaska. My family and I have been fortunate enough to view them from a distance on our visits.

Greg Weller

Diamond Bar, Calif.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, October 2, 2008.