Black Bears!
BLACK BEARS!
Who? What? Where? When? Why?
Winnie the Pooh and Smoky Bear were named after them...
Running faster than humans at 35 miles an hour...
At 880 pounds the largest one was found in North Carolina...
Their sense of smell is seven times more sensitive than a domestic dog...
Where can you find black bears in Durham? What do black bears eat? Who do black bears interact with? When can you see baby bear cubs? Why do they hibernate in the winter?
Join Dr. Joe Folta, District 5 Wildlife Biologist of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, to learn more about the smarter than average Black Bear!
Joe Folta was born and raised in Northeastern PA. He first moved to North Carolina to do his field work for his Master’s project on black bears from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Upon graduation he worked as a temporary wildlife technician with the US Fish & Wildlife Service at Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges. In 1999, he was hired as a wildlife technician by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. He was soon promoted to Forest Stewardship Biologist, then to the District 3 Wildlife Biologist. He left the Commission in 2011 to help his wife jumpstart her career and during the same period, he finished his PhD studying the reaction-diffusion of the black bear population in North Carolina and served as an instructor at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science & Forestry. Joe and his wife moved back to North Carolina in 2017. Joe spent 2021 as an assistant professor at Elon University. In December of 2021, he was hired back with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission as the District 5 Wildlife Conservation Biologist and promoted to District 5 Wildlife Biologist in May of 2023.
There will be no live animals at this event.
Parking is available in the library parking lot or at the North Queen Street Garage located at 115 North Queen Street which is behind the apartments directly across the street from the library. Parking at the garage is free. Please bring your parking ticket to a service point for validation.
Registration is appreciated to receive an email reminder, cancellation link, and program updates. Seating is first come first served. Registration does not hold or guarantee a seat.
