Bear Prepared Communities

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Pandion evaluated the impact of this program and made recommendations to improve its effectiveness. Based on the results, Pandion created a Bear Prepared Community guide and education program to further encourage bear prepared behavior. 

Program Evaluation

Pandion designed an evaluation protocol to measure the impact of the Be Bear Aware program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC). A pre-program telephone survey was conducted to determine residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward bears.

A post-program telephone survey was used to compare results and to assess program outcomes. Behavior observations were conducted before and after the distribution of educational materials to determine if a change occurred after education materials were received.

Based on survey and observation outcomes, recommendations were made to improve effectiveness of the Be Bear Aware public outreach program. Significant knowledge and behavioral improvements were seen in residents receiving bear education materials. Due to the success of this project, further funding was obtained to continue the program. See the 2003 Report (PDF) >>

Community Education Program

Pandion wrote a Bear Prepared Community Guide to assist communities in creating an action plan for dealing with bear-human issues. The project includes a public education effort, incentives to encourage the practice of bear prepared behavior, multilevel evaluation of program success, and meetings with homeowners associations and subdivision management.

The multifaceted handbook addresses subjects ranging from designing and obtaining educational materials to creating policies that help to discourage bears from entering human areas. The manual presents steps by which a community can become recognized by the FWC as a "Bear Prepared Community."  See the 2006 Report (PDF) >>

Resources

Newsletters: Summer 2004, Fall 2004, Spring 2005 (PDF)
Reports: 2003, 2006 (PDF)

Pandion Team

Christine Denny, MS
Susan Marynowski, MS
Karen Hill

Period of Performance

2002 to 2006

Location

Florida