Black Bear Research

Nevada’s bear program, which includes public education and the Karelian Bear Dog program, has benefitted immensely by its relationship with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Working together since 1999 the NDOW/WCS team with Jon Beckmann of WCS and Carl Lackey of NDOW led the way in urban bear research. It is one of the longest running studies in North America and has produced several peer-reviewed publications in professional journals. As of early 2013 they have handled nearly 1,000 bears and marked well over 350 bears. Their most recent publication in the Journal of Wildlife Management revised historical range maps for black bears in North America and documented the expansion of the species back into some of this habitat in Nevada
(see JWM 77(4) 2013).

They are currently partnered with the University of Nevada, Reno on a bear DNA project, the University of Tennessee on an isotope analysis of bear hair, and Columbia University in New York analyzing GPS data to learn just how bears utilize their habitat.

 

 

Download - 10th Western Black Bear Workshop [PDF]

Research Publications

• Using Black Bears to Test Ideal-Free Distribution Models Experimentally
• Rapid ecological and behavioural changes in carnivores: the responses of black bears to altered food
• Are Desert Basins Effective Barriers to Movements of Relocated Black Bears
• Carnivores, urban landscapes, and longitudinal studies: a case history of black bears
• Evaluation of Deterrent Techniques on Altering Behavior of Black Bears
• Using Genetic Relatedness to Investigate the Development of Conflict Behavior in Black Bears

Other Research

• Shifting perceptions of risk and reward: Dynamic selection for human development by black bears in the western United States
• Going into the 21st Century: A Perspective on Trends and Controversies in the Management of the American Black Bear
• How agencies respond to human–black bear conflicts: a survey of wildlife agencies in North America

The full manuscript is available through The Journal of Wildlife Management