LDWF to present black bear population research

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the University of Tennessee (UT) will hold public meetings in Morganza on Monday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. and in Franklin on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. to present information about black bear population research.

The Aug. 5 meeting will be held at the Pointe Coupee Communication Center located at 7011 Mitchell Lane in Morganza and the Aug. 6 meeting is scheduled for the Franklin courthouse in the St. Mary Parish Council meeting room at 500 Main Street.

UT graduate students will present an update on the recently completed population research, including population estimates and density of bears in the area. The future goals of LDWF bear management and the necessary steps to reach those goals will be discussed.

Following the presentation there will be a question and answer period to allow for general discussion about bears in Louisiana and living with bears. There will also be examples of various bear deterrent devices on display.