WWU Student Katherine Bilsky Particpates in Missouri Black Bear Project

2013 Nov 12

WWU's ecology class had a once-in-a-lifetime experience this fall when the students aided in the Missouri Black Bear Project, which aims to document the state's growing black bear population.

Katherine Bilsky of Knightstown, Ind., was one of the students who particpated.

"Leading up to the lab, I was excited, but definitely nervous that things could go wrong. With any field lab there is always the chance things won't go as planned," Dr. Robin Hirsch-Jacobson, assistant professor of biology, explained.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website, black bears in Missouri had nearly vanished in the 1940s, but have recently begun recolonizing in areas of Missouri and Arkansas.

With the black bear population increasing, so has interest in the species. The MDC recognized this and created the project to track the mating patterns in an attempt to study and regulate steady population of the black bears.

In an effort to proactively address bear issues, resource personnel from the MDC, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, United States Forest Service and the National Park Service have identified key information needs to minimize conflicts with humans, while encouraging population expansion into suitable habitats.

The Missouri Black Bear Project is an effort to determine the size of the bear population and its distribution across southern Missouri by use of hair snares, live trapping and GPS-equipped collars.

The William Woods students traveled to Seymour, Mo., about 50 miles east of Springfield, to help track the bears. Two state representatives joined the six classmates for the amazing experience, as well as the opportunity to become better informed on the issue.

Cameras are mounted in several of the bears' habitats and, with them, scientists count and note their movements. Some bears are trapped and sedated, then weighed, measured, and fitted with a GPS tracker.

After the conservation staff had humanely trapped a black bear at a private owner's land, it was time for the ecology class to get their hands dirty. The students assisted in carrying the bear to safe ground, then helped take measurements, weight and other demographics of the bear. They also took time to snap a few pictures with the gigantic creature.

Cody Kern, a senior biology major from Benton, Mo., enjoyed the opportunity. "I never imagined I would get to interact with live bears through a William Woods class. It was an amazing opportunity and a thrilling way to learn outside a classroom setting."

"Overall, I think the trip was very successful," Hirsch-Jacobson said.

"We all got the experience of being close to a 300-pound bear, but additionally everyone left with a greater knowledge of bears in Missouri, how they are being studied, as well as some of the other projects currently being conducted by the MDC."