Alaska and all the beautiful creatures that call it home have always been a safe place for me to learn new things and experience the natural beauty of our world. My object for the time capsule is a bear claw that I got at the age of 6 from Denali National Park. I have always admired how the bears act as watchful protectors over Alaska’s most beautiful habitats, acting as keystone species in the preservation of their home. I find myself wanting to do my part in protecting and preserving the things that make me who I am and give life so much meaning. The bears of Alaska act as a crucial part of transferring nutrients from the marine ecosystem to the forests of coastal Alaska, particularly nitrogen, which is considered to be a limiting factor in tree growth in nutrient-poor soils. The trees closer to the salmon streams grow at a three times faster rate than the trees growing farther away. Bears catch about 50–75% of spawning salmon in a typical year and drag those carcasses into the surrounding forest, eating only the nutritious parts. They leave the carcasses to feed birds, wolves, foxes, invertebrates, and even the forests. All of these beneficial feedback loops caused by the bears' niches can prevent and even heal areas affected by climate change. For instance, the healthier trees can shade the streams, prevent erosion and sedimentation, provide large woody debris to the streams, and house insects that become food for juvenile fish, creating better salmon spawning habitats. With the changes in the bear's niches from the increased climate change come serious imbalances within the ecosystem and how its inhabitants interact. I hope the world can come to learn the importance of these keystone animals and the impact that their absence can have on the environment and the health of the world. There has been malicious neglect of the environment and all the other animals who live in it with us, due to the greed of the companies taking advantage of the natural resources with an obsession for profit over sustainability.