Next Generation: BearWise Barbecue!
When: Friday, July 24, 5:30-7:30pm.
Where: Methow Conservancy Upstairs (414 Riverside Avenue, Winthrop.)
Join the Methow Conservancy and Defenders of Wildlife for an educational barbecue. $10 registration includes dinner and a fresh bear spray canister to take home.
Registration required. Click here to secure your spot!
This event will include a BearWise presentation from Kristin Botzet of Defenders of Wildlife, with topics including bear biology, conflict mitigation strategies, tips for recreationalists, and what to do when you encounter a bear. The training will culminate in a live demo where each participant will deploy inert, training bear spray as a life size model bear moves toward them. This is a unique opportunity to safely practice an important skill in a low consequence environment. Then, you'll take home a free bear spray bottle to keep you safe in the future!
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Please note that Next Generation events are for folks whose primary social circle is made up of people 40 years old or younger. Reach out to Bridger with any questions about this event.
About Kristin Botzet:
Kristin is a wildlife biologist specializing in bear ecology and conflict reduction and is based in Twisp. She leads Defenders' carnivore conservation efforts and human-carnivore conflict reduction program in Washington state. Prior to joining Defenders, Kristin worked several years as a wildlife research technician on projects across the nation for government agencies, nonprofits and universities. She has experience working with a variety of species from black-tailed prairie dogs and spotted skunks, to fishers and grizzly bears. She holds a BS in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and a MSc in Wildlife Sciences from the University of Tennessee, where her graduate research focused on analyzing the fates and movements of relocated black bears involved in human-bear conflicts and bear movement corridors along a major interstate highway.
