Friday Find: The time surveyors crashed a teddy bear’s picnic

NOAA’s survey teams spend a great deal of time outdoors making sure maps and charts are accurate, so it’s no surprise they’ve had brushes with wildlife over the decades. Petersen’s cartoon shows a light-hearted version of what was probably a scary encounter: surveyors at the plane table setup (far right in the cartoon) noticed that their rodman (far left) was running to each surveying spot, then frantically waving at them to hurry up and get their readings.

According to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey’s Seasons Report 1938, No. 59, “the reason for his agitation was soon apparent. For rounding the point about a hundred yards astern of him, was a large black bear of no mean proportions! Each time the rodman stopped to give a reading, Mr. Bear stopped still and stood upright, almost in imitation.”

The surveying team was working in a strawberry field and as the bear came closer to the plane table, they realized that they had probably interrupted his feast. The only weapon they had handy was an axe, so they brandished that and some impromptu clubs, waving them and yelling loudly. The bear was not impressed. Just as the team was about to make a run for their boat, the bear stopped about 30 yards away, then slowly turned and ambled away.

The survey parties on this mission saw many bears during their time in Glacier Bay, often eating strawberries. One bear even spent a whole day wandering near the survey party, only to disappear into the brush whenever someone attempted to photograph him.