Spring is upon us and the return of warm weather also means the return of our black bears! Emerging from hibernation and hungry for calories, our bears find trash cans, bird feeders, and compost piles to be easy meals. They mean no harm, but this behavior leads them to losing their wariness of people and can result in damage to property, cars, and homes.

Please join the Mad River Valley Bear Initiative for a presentation on this topic from Sarah Crockett, educator and advocate for human/bear coexistence. The presentation will cover black bear ecology, common causes of conflict between bears and our community, and practical ways we can change our behaviors to reduce conflict. Expect to walk away with a greater appreciation for bears and useful strategies for keeping food and attractants away from them, ensuring we can keep our bears wild for years to come.

The presentation will take place in the Mini-Bear Room in The Schoolhouse at Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak (84 Warren Dr, Warren, VT).

About the presenter: Sarah Crockett, M.D., is an emergency department physician with Dartmouth Health, specializing in wilderness medicine. Her passion for the outdoors and wilderness medicine as well as mentorship from Ben Kilham of the Kilham Bear Center has led to her interest and involvement in providing community education on black bear coexistence.

About MRVBI: The Mad River Valley Bear Initiative is a local volunteer group that raises awareness about the bears that live around us in this community. We are made up of folks from the five towns in our watershed: Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, Duxbury, and Moretown. Learn more about our work and find resources for living alongside black bears at https://MRVBears.org.