Human Wildlife Interaction: The Yosemite Bear Project
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Join us this summer as we examine the serious challenges faced by Yosemite National Park with bear-visitor interactions. Team members will have a unique opportunity to take part in onsite examinations of black bear habitats in California’s majestic Sierra Nevada mountain wildlands. 
Yosemite National Park protects 1,169 square miles and is home to hundreds of wildlife species and thousands of plants. 3.5 million visitors come from around the world each year to experience Yosemite’s natural grandeur, and to see the wildlife firsthand that inhabits this spectacular place. With nearly 95 percent of the park as designated wilderness, and trails that lead to crystal clear rivers and lakes, high alpine meadows blooming with wildflowers, dramatic granite peaks, and incredible vistas, Yosemite offers endless opportunities for research, learning, and inspiration in its incredible scenic natural beauty.
In the Park, however, interactions between people and wild animals can be either a source of wonder and inspiration or a cause of conflict. Each year Park Managers are faced with hundreds of incidents of bear-human interactions. These range from bears obtaining human food, to the destruction of human property, to bears being hit by speeding cars. A priority of the Park is to promote a healthy balance between the people who visit and the bears that live here.
THE PROJECT
Team members will examine firsthand the issues and challenges surrounding wildlife management, and specifically human-bear interactions, in Yosemite National Park. The course will begin with a multi day backpacking exploration of the ecosystems just outside the Park boundary 
where black bears range and make their home. We will study the American black bear’s habitat, anatomy, physiology and biology. Through discussion on the human history of the Yosemite region, from the Native American inhabitants and original pioneers to present day residents and visitors, participants will discover how human relationships with bears evolved.
As the project progresses, we will set up a base camp in Yosemite Valley. From here we will spend our time working with various experts in the field of bear management. We will build our understanding of bear monitoring and management options in Yosemite (ear tags, radio tracking, aversive conditioning, use of bear dogs, etc.) and talk with Park Rangers and other wildlife management officials about innovative strategies used to balance visitors and bear use. Students will learn firsthand about with the challenges that wildlife technicians face in attempting to reduce negative interactions between humans and bears. By the end of project, participants will have gained knowledge and insight on the American Black Bear, and have gained a better understanding of the challenges and requirements of wildlife management in Yosemite National Park.
Read the full course description: 
PROJECT LEADER
JEN RAFFAELI is an ecologist with many years of experience teaching in Yosemite National Park. She remains interested in the balance between wildlife and visitors in wild places. She currently spends her summers working as an Interpretive Ranger for the National Park Service in Denali, AK.