COA students and faculty lead long‑term study of local black bears

Led by COA Kim M. Wentworth Chair in Environmental Studies Dr. Brittany Slabach ’09, the project aims to understand the population size, movement patterns, and genetic relationships of bears on MDI, where sightings have increased over the past decade.

The work brings together scientific investigation and community knowledge to explore how bears use the island’s mix of Acadia National Park land, villages, and private property.

“This work fills a major information gap on MDI,” she said. “We’re hoping the community will help us by reporting observations so we can have a clearer picture of the ecology of bears on the island.”

Although black bears have long been present in Acadia National Park, there is a growing need to learn more about the bear population and their interactions within the park, Slabach said. With approximately 70 percent of MDI encompassed by Acadia, and with park boundaries interwoven with towns and exurban areas, this study will provide insights into the MDI bear population that could be used to inform management and potentially reduce conflicts between bears and people.

“We need to understand how many bears are here, how they’re related, and how they move across the island’s landscape in order to support both public safety and long‑term conservation within the park,” Slabach said.

The project is being conducted in collaboration with the National Park Service and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). The latter estimates that there are approximately 25,000-27,000 black bears in the state.

Student involvement

Student research is central to the project. Nathan Morgan ’26 led the work as his senior capstone project. Shaw Fellows Greta Bernier ’27 and Jay Van Pelt ’28 will assist throughout the summer season. Additional students including Z Packard ’28, Colleen Nelsen ’27, Laila Hammoudeh ’26, Hauk Tallman ’28, and G Shoenfelt ’28 have contributed to scouting sites and setting snares. Students from Slabach’s vertebrate zoology course also participated during fall 2025.

“This project reflects COA’s commitment to experiential, field‑based learning,” Slabach said. “Our students are doing real collaborative wildlife research that will have a direct management and conservation impact.”

Studying bears through noninvasive DNA collection

Slabach and her students are using hair snares, a widely used, passive wildlife monitoring technique, to collect DNA samples. Each snare consists of barbed wire wrapped around several trees with a scent lure placed in the center. When a bear investigates the scent, it may leave behind hair on the wire, allowing researchers to extract DNA and estimate population size, relatedness, and movement patterns.

“This approach lets us gather high‑quality data in a safe, cost-effective way to better understand how bears are using MDI,” Slabach said.

Community participation encouraged

A key component of the project is gathering public observations. Because historical records of bear sightings on MDI are limited, the research team is asking residents, visitors, and regional organizations to report non‑emergency bear sightings through COA’s wildlife survey at go.coa.edu/bearreport. Email reports can also be emailed to [email protected]. Please include date of observation, location, and information about the type of observation or behavior (e.g., scat, etc.).

Conflicts, threats to public safety, or property damage should continue to be reported directly to the National Park Service or Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The MDIFW directory can be found at maine.gov/ifw.

“We want people to be aware that bears are present on the island and to follow state guidelines for reducing potential conflicts,” Slabach said. “We are hoping the community will help us by reporting observations so we can have a clearer picture of the ecology of bears on MDI.”