Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Visit to Bear Country with FWC Biologist Tom Shupe

VISIT BEAR COUNTRY
$7.00 fee
Pre-registration is required--call 352-357-3995
Ocala National Forest is home to one of Florida's largest black bear populations. On Friday March 7th at 9:00 am join Trout Lake Nature Center and Lake Eustis Institute Dabbler's Series for a visit to bear country.
If Ocala is the place to go for bears, Tom Shupe is the man to go with. Tom is a biologist with FWC; you may have seen his face and heard his calming voice on TV discussing a nuisance bear, and its visit to a suburban home. This trip will be to true bear habitat in the Juniper Wilderness. There, we will see lots of bear sign: scat, marked trees, even old den sites. Tom will show us how biologists trap bear to collect data and maybe, just maybe we will see a bear cross the trail ahead of us.
Registered participants will meet at Trout Lake Nature Center. To reach TLNC travel north of Eustis on Rte. 19, turn right or East onto CR 44 (Publix /Winn Dixie intersection), and proceed .3 mile to the entrance on the right. There is a $7.00 fee for this activity and pre-registration is required, if interested, call 352-357-3995. Participants will drive their own vehicle or share a ride with a friend. We will park near the site. While there is a rough trail into the backcountry, participants must be able to walk about 1.5 miles on an uneven surface and step over obstacles on the trail.
If tromping in the woods creates an appetite you can join us after the hike for some country cookin' at the Mason Jar (lunch is not included in cost).

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