Eastern Black Bear Workshop

26th Eastern Black Bear Workshop

"The Next Generation of Black Bear Management"

April 7th to 11th 2025 | Lake Placid, New York

“The purpose of the Eastern Black Bear Workshop is to bring together state/provincial biologists, federal biologists, and university researchers with responsibilities for managing black bear populations in the eastern USA and Canada to discuss issues important to the management, conservation, and perpetuation of those black bear populations. EBBWs are inherently different from general conferences. Whereas conferences have the purpose of sharing information through the presentation of research and management papers, EBBWs are designed not only to share information but more specifically to discuss and find solutions to problems of managing bear populations at the regional level.”

- Eastern Black Bear Workshop

Group photo at the 'Dancing Bears' Restaurant in Lake Placid! [Left to Right, Fang Chen, Carl Tugend, Katie Martin, Brogan Holcombe, Madison Thurber, and Bella Sciarrino]

Fang Chen, PhD Student, WERC Lab

Fang Chen with her poster titled "Impact of Sarcoptic Mange on American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Population".

This was my first time attending the Eastern Black Bear Workshop, and I learned so much from the incredible community of managers and researchers. It was inspiring to hear about the diverse bear management challenges across the eastern U.S. and to see innovative tools and techniques aimed at improving human-bear coexistence.

A personal highlight was connecting with researchers and students from the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), who are also working on sarcoptic mange in black bears. As mange continues to emerge in new areas, there's still a lot we don’t know—including its origin and long-term impact on bear populations.

Thanks to the many great conversations at the workshop, I came away with new ideas and a clearer picture of how my work fits into the broader mange research landscape. I'm excited to bring these insights back into our project as we continue to investigate the ecology and management of mange in Virginia's black bear population.

Madison Thurber, MS Student, WHAPA Lab

Madison at her poster titled "Assessing the Impact of Mange on Black Bear Densities in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia"

Attending the Eastern Black Bear Workshop was an incredible experience that I truly enjoyed.

I was excited to meet wildlife managers who were passionate about their work, and their dedication to management inspired me. I look up to them as mentors and aspire to follow in their footsteps as a biologist one day. The poster session was also a highlight, where I had fun answering the biologists' questions and received valuable feedback and suggestions that will help guide my own research project. Listening to the talks over the course of the week was very interesting, and witnessing collaborative science in action was a truly engaging experience.

My favorite part of the workshop was the snowball fight on top of the mountain–it was a perfect way to end a great week and feel like I made lasting connections. Very excited for Florida next!!!

Brogan Holcombe, PhD Student, WERC Lab

Brogan Holcombe at her poster titled "Utilizing Tri-Axial Accelerometers to Classify Behavior of Free-Ranging American Black Bears"

This was my second time attending the Eastern Black Bear Workshop, and I find the conference to be one of the most impactful for refining research questions and objectives. Talking with black bear managers helped me better understand how to conduct impactful research that can be applied to wildlife management. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with fellow graduate students who are also engaged in researching black bears. It was incredibly enlightening to discuss various methodologies they are employing in their studies. Additionally, I appreciated the opportunity to share insights about my own research with them, fostering a collaborative environment. 

I came away from this conference with connections to fellow graduate students and black bear managers to further refine my research project and objective.

Bella Sciarrino, MS Student, WHAPA Lab

Bella at her poster titled "Preliminary Analysis of Camera Trap Data from the Virginia Bear Mange Study"

The Eastern Black Bear Workshop offered a great opportunity to learn about the research and management of black bears.

Beautiful views and wild winds on the mountain! [From left to right: Marcella Kelly, Bella Sciarrino, Brogan Holcombe]

Clear skies and stunning views from the top of Whiteface Mountain.  [From left to right: Fang Chen, Marcella Kelly, Bella Sciarrino]

Behind the scenes of a professional shoot with our posters. [From left to right: Katie Martin, Madi)