Bear Fair, a free, fun, public outreach event for children, adults and anyone who enjoys outdoor recreation, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in “Bear Country” near the Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom and in the Garden Court at Brigham Young University.
Bear Fair is being held in connection with the 2013 International Conference on Bear Research and Management (IBA) underway this week at the Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center hosted by BYU Conferences and Workshops.
Renowned bear researcher Andrew Derocher will discuss “An Inconvenient Species: Polar Bears in a Changing Climate” from 8 to 9 p.m. in the Ballroom.
Participants can find out how to stay safe while in bear country. Bear spraying will be demonstrated, and a real grizzly bear trap will be featured. Campers can learn how to secure their “picnic-type” lunch and trash from bears.
They can also discover how researchers use bear scat to count the bears in an area, assess how the bears are doing and learn what they are eating. Children and adults can crawl around inside a bear den, courtesy of BYU’s Monte L. Bean Life Sciences Museum, and find out how big those bears really are by measuring themselves against full-size bear cutout shapes.
Stuffed bears, including Nanook, the 2013 IBA Conference’s official bear ambassador, will be available for photographs in the hallway near the Ballroom.
Children’s activities at Bear Country will include coloring pages, bear-shaped balloons and a bean bag toss.
The BYU Bookstore will have bear treats and bear-related books — and, of course, bear claws. Prizes and giveaways will be available.
For more information, visit Bear Fair on Facebook: facebook.com/BYUBears
Writer: Cindy Moorhead
