This is a web cam set up in McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, 250 miles southwest of Anchorage, so that people can see live video of grizzly bears in one of their favorite spots. The camera is hidden in a fake boulder at the falls. The microwave signal travels from the camera to a nearby museum through a series of repeater stations. From the museum, the video feed is relayed to servers in Seattle, and from there is published on the National Geographic's Web site, where viewers can access it online in real time. The bear cam is turned on from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. and has eight presets to zoom in on where the animals are likely to be at any given hour. During the afternoon, an interpreter at the museum controls the solar-powered camera to get the best views.

Other than the bear cam, the only way to see these grizzlies is to win a state lottery held each year that allows 250 visitors to visit the sanctuary where bears often come to within 10 feet of a viewing platform as they use steps built into the hillside to get down to the falls.

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/n...s/wildcam.html