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Human-Bear Coexistence
Project Overview
In the Methow Valley, hotter summers, bigger wildfires, and more development are bringing black bears and people into contact more often. Natural foods like wild berries are changing with the climate, and bears are turning to human areas for food.
As part of a larger effort to help our community live safely with bears, we have been collecting data on the occurrence of five fruiting shrubs that bears eat: serviceberry, chokecherry, currant, elderberry, and dogwood. By monitoring the trends of each shrub over time and comparing them to the amount of human-bear conflict in the community, we can better understand how to coexist with bears in a changing climate.
Three-Year Progress Report, 2023-2025
Analysis from the first three years of data were compiled into a report in April 2026. The report explores several key topics, including bear space use across the landscape, patterns in natural food availability, and the influence of environmental factors. It also outlines human–bear conflict patterns and the role of prevention efforts in shaping coexistence outcomes. This report reflects a major collaborative effort, drawing on hundreds of thousands of trail camera images, data from community science surveys, and partner contributions across the Methow Valley.
The report is available in two formats: a community report and a technical report. The community report provides a more accessible overview of key findings and themes, while the technical report includes detailed methods, analyses, and full results from the first three years of the project. View the community report below, and read the technical report here.
Help Make the Methow Bear Aware
Human-bear coexistence is a community effort. Here are some ways you can help:
Where this work is happening
We are sampling 37 randomly selected cells, roughly the size of an average female black bear's home range, throughout the Methow Valley Watershed using a combination of camera traps, field surveys, and remotely sensed data.
How community scientists are helping
From monitoring natural food availability along transects, to sorting camera trap images and identifying seeds found in bear scats, we couldn't do this work with out our community science volunteers!
What we are doing to foster coexistence
Our research supports the Methow Bear Coalition, a collaborative effort to improve human-bear coexistence through education, outreach, and programs to help mitigate conflict in our community.
Methow Valley Community Bear Assessment
Published in 2024, the Methow Valley Community Bear Assessment identifies areas of current and potential human-bear conflict within the Methow Valley, WA, and outlines next steps for human-bear coexistence. Read the full Assessment here.
2022 Pilot Findings
Thank you to our project partners!
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