The Bears Have It

The public is invited to join the San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club for their monthly meeting on Aug. 5 where Kim Bosell, Natural Areas Administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, will give a talk and slide show on “The Urban Black Bear”. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands. American black bears (Ursus americanus) roam through urban neighborhoods and down trash-lined streets each summer and are typically captured in photos and videos. They are often the lead story on the nightly news. This is the urban black bear: bears that are second and third generation born and raised within city limits. These opportunistic creatures are mastering the techniques of living with humans. Bosell spent three years with the California Department of Fish and Game as a scientific aide on an urban bear study which trapped and radio-collared bears. She tracked the bears to determine how much time the bears were spending in urban areas, what they were eating and where they were sleeping while there. Later she worked for the City of Monrovia Parks and Police Departments, handling all black bear and mountain lion calls and running their Bear-Be-Gone program for five years. Currently, Bosell administers the natural areas in the Los Angeles County park system, which include over six thousand acres in fourteen wildlife reserves and several notable natural parks, such as Eaton Canyon, Devil’s Punchbowl and Vasquez Rocks, all frequent destinations for San Gorgonio Chapter hikers. She works out of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted for room rental. The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands.