FWC to hold workshops on Bear Management Unit for Eastern Panhandle

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold six public workshops in April and May to discuss management of black bears in the eastern portion of the Florida Panhandle.

                                     

 They would also like to get people involved in working with the FWC on local bear issues.

Under the Florida Florida Black Bear Management Plan, approved in 2012, seven bear management units will be established throughout the state.

The bear management unit approach will allow the FWC to manage bears based on the characteristics of bears, people and habitat in different parts of Florida.

The first steps are being taken now to create the East Panhandle BMU to manage the bear subpopulation in the Apalachicola National Forest and surrounding areas.

The East Panhandle BMU covers 13 counties including Franklin, Gulf, Liberty, and Wakulla counties.

The workshops will offer the public a chance to provide input on local bear issues and allow interested individuals to sign up to be active members of the East Panhandle Bear Stakeholder Group.

Locally the meetings will be on May 15^th at the Carrabelle Municipal Complex and on May 20^th at the Gulf Coast State College Gulf/ Franklin Campus in Port St. Joe.

The workshops will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. local time.

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