Are you and your family as “bear aware” as necessary?

Please Participate in an Upcoming “Be Bear Aware” Educational Seminar Upcoming in Driggs, Idaho, sponsored by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition in partnership with Idaho Fish& Game and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 from 5-7 pm
Driggs Community Center
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC –DRIGGS- Gregg Losinski, the Regional Conservation Educator for the Upper Snake Region with the State of Idaho, Department of Fish and Game, is the featured speaker for this event. Based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Mr. Losinski serves on the team of agency representatives who are working to delist the grizzly bear in the Yellowstone Ecosystem (Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee, YES). He leads the committee responsible for information and education regarding for grizzly bear recovery (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, IGBC) in the lower 48 states. Diane Probasco, Wildlife Biologist with the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, will also be a featured speaker and will address bear storage orders on the forest, ways to keep yourself and bears safe and provide a demonstration of materials that are bear resistant. Participants will have the opportunity to discharge inert bear spray. From a hunter who recently was charged by a grizzly bear near Dubois, WY, Kenneth Wells said, “It’s not just enough to buy the bear spray. Are people practicing with it, pulling it out of the holster, popping off the safety? Because in the instance you’re going to need it, you’ll have no time.”

“The next three months are particularly critical for keeping conflicts with bears down. With hunters out scouting and backpackers trying to squeeze in a few last trips before the snow flies-all at a time when grizzlies are on the hunt for food to get through the long, cold winter-the potential for conflicts grows. Common sense practices like always carrying bear spray and storing food appropriately can make a big difference, keeping bears and people safe,” said Kathy Rinaldi, GYC’s Idaho Conservation Coordinator.

Grizzly bears were added to the Endangered List in 1975 when their once vast numbers, estimated to be over 50,000, were drastically reduced to just a few hundred in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) due to western settlement and a dramatic reduction in habitat. The GYE is one of five areas in the lower 48 states that supports a population of grizzlies estimated today to be around 700 bears. After nearly 40 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act and millions of more Americans living in the west, Greater Yellowstone’s grizzly population has increased and expanded its range. The success of grizzly bear recovery is due in large part to many collaborative efforts to better protect and manage grizzly bear habitat coupled with more research, education and outreach.

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. GYC has offices in Bozeman, MT, Cody and Jackson, WY and Driggs, ID. GYC has an international membership that helps the organization through advocacy and financial contributions. To learn more, visit www.greateryellowstone.org. To learn more about grizzly bear recovery visitwww.igbconline.org.