EDUCATION IS A MAJOR KEY TO SURVIVAL FOR BEAR POPULATIONS WORLDWIDE

Named for a research bear named Hope, the Hope Learning Center will expand the North American Bear Center’s outreach to schools and the public—local and worldwide. Bears have been demonized for over a century. People will not coexist with animals they fear. All eight bear species are endangered or threatened in all or part of their ranges, and people are moving into bear country like never before. Each resident in bear country helps determine the future of the bears that live around him or her.

By replacing misconceptions with scientific facts, the North American Bear Center is changing attitudes about these mostly timid animals. As people learn the truth about these magnificent animals, they become more willing to preserve wild populations and species.

Hope’s name stands for the North American Bear Center’s goals.

HOPE for bear populations everywhere

OPPORTUNITY to learn what bears are really like

PROGRESS toward correcting misconceptions and changing attitudes

EDUCATING about bear life

An 8,000 square foot addition to the North American Bear Center that houses the Hope Learning Center will, hopefully, be completed by June 2013. The educational facility will house a large multimedia room for visiting students and conferences. A broadcast facility will telecast live lectures, videos, and video casts globally. The Education Outreach team will have room for the growing needs of administrative offices and storage for the Black Bear Box program. The building will also provide additional space for installation of the Northwoods Ecology Exhibit.

Projected cost is $1.25 million. An anonymous family has donated $400,000 to begin the construction. Over the past year Lily Fans and others contributed a total of $644,000. Any contributions toward the additional $606,000 needed to meet the $1.25 million goal to complete the Hope Learning Center and Northwoods Ecology Center will be deeply appreciated.

THE MISSION OF THE NON-PROFIT NORTH AMERICAN BEAR CENTER IS TO ADVANCE THE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF BEARS WORLDWIDE BY REPLACING MISCONCEPTIONS WITH SCIENTIFIC FACTS ABOUT BEAR BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY, AND THEIR RELATIONS WITH HUMANS.

The North American Bear Center is the only science museum of its kind. It goes beyond written text and lets people learn from the bears themselves. People “meet” wild research bears and follow their activities through live den cams and frequently updated videos. Attitudes change as the bears themselves refute our most deeply held misconceptions. The new trust-based research methods that make all this possible are revealing more about black bear life than was previously possible. This kinder and gentler research combines with modern technology to allow researchers and the public to learn together.

For questions or additional information on donating to the North American Bear Center, please email Giving@bear.org.