The Mad River Valley Bear Initiative invites the public to submit black bear stories from 2022. The MRV Bear Initiative is a working group represented by conservation organizations in Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren, as well as representatives from Friends of the Mad River, Sugarbush, and Stark Mountain Foundation. Their goal is to collectively improve how humans coexist with calorie-seeking, black bears.
"We all share our community with a healthy bear population and it’s just a matter of time before these neighbors stop by to introduce themselves. The MRV Bear Initiative wants to help community residents (of the human form) to bear-proof our homes and businesses, and wants to hear real stories of how it's going! Two lucky storytellers will win a bear-proof trash container for their homes," said Janet Bisbee of Duxbury, one of the organizers of the bear initiative.
Stories should be based on true sightings and/or interactions with black bears and preferably from the 2022 calendar year. Submit entries to https://www.madrivervalley.com/stewardmrv/living-with-bears/5-great-amazing-bear-contest/ before Sunday, March 12, 2023. <<LINK>> Each story only needs to be long enough to capture attention, ideally less than two pages. People may submit any or multiple formats of recorded media -- pictures, drawings, a link to a video, a poem, an essay, etc. Selected stories will be shared with the community as educational and inspirational opportunities for all to enjoy. Valley residents will be entered to win either a 64- or a 96-gallon animal proof/resistant trash container by Toter®.
Questions may be directed to
