Bear Smart Community Resource Program

People and Carnivores is providing resources for community-level human-bear conflict prevention programs through the Bear Smart Community Resource Program. We offer:

• Consulting, support services, and guidance through the BSC process,

• Bear safety and conflict prevention educational materials, and

• Funding, if it meets shared goals of direct conflict prevention outcomes.

The geographic area is approximate and will depend on projects, but is focused in western Montana, the Greater Yellowstone (MT, ID, WY), and central/northern Idaho.

The resource program is meant to support initiatives that (1) are or are intended to become community-wide, (2) are designed to be sustained over time, and (3) that involve physically connected projects on the landscape (not overly fragmented). We welcome inquiries and requests from organizers or leaders of communities, municipalities, or neighborhood groups or HOAs who have started or are interested in starting a collaborative initiative to prevent human-bear conflicts across their local area.

We will accept inquiries on a rolling basis through 2025 but encourage interested community representatives to reach out sooner rather than later, as resources may be limited. The applicant should ideally be a community member, not an outside representative. To inquire or request resources, email bearresources@peopleandcarnivores.org. Let us know who and where you are, what your project idea is or what you need — we’ll keep it simple!

This program is made possible by generous support from the Volgenau Foundation.