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All Education Articles
Well, the bears are waking up in Glacier National Park. Since the start of the month there have been at least three separate track sightings, and at least one bruin was compelled to dig a hole in the Belly River area.
Tracks were spotted by visitors near Many Glacier and Lake McDonald, according to park officials.
“With these early March reports of bear activity, park visitors are reminded to be alert for bear activity and to be familiar with and comply with safety regulations," said Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright.
EDMONTON — An organization calling itself No More Grizzlies has launched a campaign calling for the eradication of the grizzly bear, complete with ads that show grizzlies destroying cities.
t proclaims Alberta's Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight "Alberta's new hero" for contemplating the resumption of the annual spring hunt in Alberta — despite a new report that suggests there are fewer than 700 grizzlies in the province.
The province's recently released grizzly bear numbers don't tell the full story of what's needed to help Alberta's grizzly populations, Alberta conservationists say.
Jim Pissot, the executive director of Wild Canada Conservation Alliance, and Nigel Douglas, Alberta Wilderness Association conservation specialist, both see the report as a call to the government to limit motorized access to grizzly habitat.
Tuesday, March 9 2010 BRATTLEBORO - State Biologist Forrest Hammond received his first report of bear tracks in the snow last week, and with those reports expected to increase daily, Hammond is reminding people that it is time to take the bird feeders in.
A black bear was killed in Dummerston last year after it was found roaming around a populated area and Hammond wants to keep the same thing from happening this year. "It's getting warm outside and it's time to take the bird feeders down," Hammond said Friday. "The males are wandering around and they are hungry."
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. -- You say bears keep taking your garbage and redistributing it around your yard? Well, do something about it.
At this year's Florida Black Bear Festival, held on March 27, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have a challenge for everyone.
Figure out a way to keep them out of your garbage. If you can do that, you can win one of three $100 gift card to Lowe's.
A state wildlife agency is reminding Middlesex and Worcester County residents living near black bear habitat to remove bird feeders and other potential food sources before the hungry mammals emerge in coming weeks from hibernation.
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - When Florida's black bears come in contact with humans it often results in a death sentence for the bear involved, but it doesn't have to be that way. An event to let people know about ways to live responsibly in bear country will feature some simple steps residents can take to coexist with the Florida Black Bear.
Dave Telesco, a bear expert with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says securing trash would be a huge step in the right direction.
A status report on Alberta’s grizzly bear population and habitat, prepared by an independent scientist, is now available online.
The status report establishes a new baseline of information using the advanced technique of DNA surveys and other data.
The report estimates 691 grizzly bears ranging in density from five to 18 bears per 1000 square kilometres. Some local populations with significant habitat alteration may be declining, other populations appear stable
ARK FALLS -- The snow-rimmed hole where the tree once stood looks like any other ragged cavity left behind when fierce winds uproot white pines like ragweed yanked from a widow's flower garden. But the veteran logger knew it was no ordinary hole, so he silenced his chainsaw and approached for a closer look. The crusty snow tapering into the hole had a frothy quality -- the kind that whitens eyebrows on sub-zero days. He knew what that meant, so he knelt atop the hole and peered inside. Less-experienced eyes might glance and mistake the shadowy-black circle for a bottomless pit. The logger, however, let his eyes adjust and recognized a 3-D shape. He smiled. The old black bear -- a male, most likely -- had made it through another hunting season and returned to the dirt cave to hibernate. The logger and his friend have monitored the den for several winters. This marks the third straight year its occupant is a lone, large bruin, making them think it's an old male.
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — Jason Holley carefully lowered brother and sister bears into their new homefor winter Wednesday afternoon, hoping when they wake up in the spring, they won't see people again.
The 1-year-old black bear cubs were orphaned last June, when their mother was shot in the Carnelian Bay area. After a few months at the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care center, Holley, a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, along with others from Fish and Game and the staff of the Sagehen Creek Field Station, sent them off into hibernation north of Truckee.
A new Parks Canada report has shown that over the past two decades nearly 23 black bears have been killed annually in the Rocky Mountain national parks.
The report indicates all of the mountain national parks, including Glacier, Revelstoke and Waterton Lakes, saw a total of 477 black bear mortalities between 1990-2009.
As the number of black bears in the US grows, largely due to protection measures taken over the past century, the chances of these animals interacting with humans increase as well. Wildlife authorities managing national parks, where this threat is most severe, turned to science to help them devise the best possible methods of keeping bears away from thrash cans, and therefore reducing the risks of violent encounters with humans. Details of the work appear in the January issue of the respected Journal of Wildlife Management, Wired reports.
VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Snug in a hollow tree, cave or a shallow nest, black bears in winter in Colorado's Vail Valley may be dreaming dreams of berries and honey and lush meadows of grass during their hibernation.
But female black bears also have something else on their agenda as they lay curled up, enveloped in thick winter fur. If it is mid-January, then they will probably give birth.
I can no longer contain myself. With the latest notice from the Muni in last week's paper (Greetings Olympic Guests) I wonder if we will ever get a handle on the disconnect between disposing of our garbage and our desire to get everyone using public transit? The notice from the Muni lets visitors know that all household garbage must be disposed of at the Nesters site. But how do you get it there? It is not permitted on WAVE transit and most of these visitors have no vehicles.
When one of my sons asked a member of our current council how he could get rid of his garbage without having transport he was advised to hide it in a knapsack and take it on board the bus.
With black bears and grizzly bears roaming around northwestern Montana’s backcountry, interaction with humans will occur from time to time. In an effort to help protect the bears from getting themselves into trouble while increasing safety for campers, Kootenai National Forest this summer plans to install up to 100 bear-proof food storage boxes.Mary Laws, recreation program manager, said such types of food-storage boxes have become common in places like Glacier National Park and Canada.
As with most small mountain towns in BC, Rossland sits squarely in and is surrounded by prime real estate when it comes to our big black friends in the forest. While certainly not desired, it’s not entirely uncommon to see the occasional black bear strolling through town. Rossland has been perhaps lucky over the past number of years to have not had any major bear/human interactions to have resulted in injuries. One probable cause contributing to that and to reducing bear/human interactions in general has been the hard work of the Bear Aware society. Facing an annual funding crunch and fighting for their society’s survival has worn down the folks involved, and the program is in real danger of disappearing from our area.
As with most small mountain towns in BC, Rossland sits squarely in and is surrounded by prime real estate when it comes to our big black friends in the forest. While certainly not desired, it's not entirely uncommon to see the occasional black bear strolling through town. Rossland has been perhaps lucky over the past number of years to have not had any major bear/human interactions to have resulted in injuries. One probable cause contributing to that and to reducing bear/human interactions in general has been the hard work of the Bear Aware society. Facing an annual funding crunch and fighting for their society's survival has worn down the folks involved, and the program is in real danger of disappearing from our area.
A new competition is encouraging the designers of wildlife overpasses to think outside the box and create wildlife structures for the next generation.
The first ARC: North American Wildlife Crossing Structure Design Competition, which was announced late last year, is being used to encourage new ideas, materials, methods and thinking.
Dr. Tony Clevenger, a senior wildlife research scientist at the Western Transportation Institute at the Montana State University in Bozeman, said the question is whether overpasses can be built cheaper using recycled and new materials coming onto the market, including plastics and concrete.
CHASE: Teaching them to avoid people works best if conditioning is done right after first contact with human food.
Black bear encounters happen every summer in Alaska, and a new study suggests rubber bullets are the best way to send the bruins packing.
An article in this month's issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management based on a four-year study in California's Sequoia National Park says shooting black bears with rubber slugs from a 12-gauge shotgun is most effective -- better than pepper spray, chasing them off or hitting them with rocks. Researchers detailed 1,050 instances of so-called aversive conditioning on more than 150 bears, some of which had become accustomed to human food
Today Lily, the black bear, gave birth live, in real time, for thousands of dedicated fans to watch courtesy of a den cam. The cam is broadcasting live from her den near Ely in Northeastern Minnesota, USA, less than 30 miles from the Canadian border. Since her Facebook page was created on January 8th, she has accumulated over 50,000 devoted, enthusiastic fans. Even I can't stay away from the site. I have a window open on my computer screen so I can keep track whenever I'm at my desk. I have to admit it's been a bit addictive, but undeniably fascinating.
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