Be Bear Aware Program Evaluation and
Bear Prepared Communities Program
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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. View the 2003 report >>>

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, multi-level evaluation of program success, and meetings with homeowners associations and subdivision management.

The multi-faceted handbook addresses subjects ranging from designing and obtaining education materials to creating policies that help to discourage bears from entering human areas. The manual presents steps by which communities can become recognized by the FWC as a "Bear Prepared Community." View the 2006 report >>>

Read the Newsletters: Summer 2004; Fall 2004; Spring 2005 (pdf format)

Key Personnel
Christine Denny, MS
Susan Marynowski, MS
Karen Hill

Period of Performance
2002 to 2006

Location
Florida