Alaska Peninsula brown bear, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

© Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures

Alaska Peninsula brown bear, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Is it just us, or does this brown bear cub look like he’s hugging a tree? If we’re correct, it might be because this tree-hugger is celebrating Earth Day, an event that falls during National Park Week this year. It’s a fitting alignment of events, because national parks protect important habitat for so many species and help to preserve Earth’s natural resources for us all. This bear cub lives at Katmai National Park and Preserve, an area of rich and diverse ecosystems in southern Alaska that spans 4 million acres and is home to one of the largest protected bear populations.