Colorado author Linda Masterson dispels myths, replaces fear with respect, and lays the foundation for improving human-black bear relations with an inside look at the fascinating world of these highly intelligent, adaptable and resourceful animals found in 41 U.S. states and every province in Canada. With over 900,000 black bears roaming North America today, people from Florida to British Columbia are encountering bears more often, and as a result, human-bear conflicts are on the rise. This guidebook to life in bear country is packed with a wealth of useful and often surprising information, and down-to-earth advice from bear experts all over the continent, along with real-life stories from wildlife managers, organizations and communities who've discovered creative, workable ways for people and bears to share space. - Understanding Black Bears and Their Behavior - Bear-Proofing Your Home - Safe Trash Stashing - Hiking, Camping & Playing in Bear Country - Birdfeeding, Bee-Keeping in Bear Country - Gardening, Orchards & Farming in Bear Country - Bear Behavior Modification - Avoiding Encounters & Attacks - Appendix: bear organizations, volunteer groups, state agencies, resources and index Case Studies from National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and communities in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, Nevada, California, Minnesota and Canada.
My first "book" was a 90-page narrative written in long hand in the loopy cursive of a thirteen-year-old dreamer. I penned a tale of a lost dog that after many misadventures was finally rescued and lived happily ever after. Throughout high school and college my term papers and reports were returned with notes scribbled in the margins urging me to consider a career in whatever I'd been writing about.
Apparently I was not that quick of a study when it came to my own future; it took me several more years to figure out that the passion my teachers mistook for interest in a field was a passion to communicate.
When the light bulb finally went off I took an abrupt left turn out of the insurance industry and into the world of advertising, where I got to put my ability to write enthusiastically and convincingly about anything to good use. Along the way I also wrote a couple of small mystery novels, several children's books and umpteen million articles.
Fast forward a couple of decades, as my husband and I decide to abandon our corporate careers in the big city before we need to consider assisted living, and turn our dream of living on a mountaintop out West into reality.
Lifelong hikers, adventurers and lovers of wild things and wild places, one of the first things we did was volunteer for the Colorado Division of Wildlife's newly formed Bear Aware team, which was dedicated to improving human-bear relations. We quickly learned that not everyone is comfortable having four footed neighbors that could theoretically eat you.
We also learned that the vast majority of problems people have with bears are caused by people, not bears. And that inspiring people to be more responsible could save millions of dollars in property damage - and the lives of thousands of bears each year who are routinely put to death for the crime of trying to make a living in people country.
Passion and ability fused, I decided my new job was going to be creating a handbook for safe, smart living and playing in bear country. Something that would give people the information, inspiration and motivation they needed to prevent problems with bears. I wanted it to be fun to thumb through, easy to read and hard to forget. Or ignore.
Today LIVING WITH BEARS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BEAR COUNTRY has become the essential getting-along-with-bears bible. It's been favorably reviewed and endorsed by countless bear experts. And it's used by hundreds of communities, organizations, parks, forests and wildlife management agencies across North America. It has dispelled myths and made life easier for homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts. And bears.
There's nothing I love more than walking into a park office and having the staff reach for their well-thumbed, dog-eared, beaten up copy and ask for an autograph. Or having someone come up to me at a presentation and say "I used to be afraid of bears, but then I read your book. Now I yell at my neighbors about their garbage and bird feeders."
After all these years, I'm still a sucker for a happy ending.
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