Brer Bear in the late afternoon sun ~ always lookin' for something to eat

The first two weeks at the facility have concluded, and I'm finally feeling as if the period of adjustment is now settling into a routine.  Along with getting to know the resident bears, I'm absorbing the inner-workings of the center, the personalities of the people behind the scene, and a ton of species-specific information.

I've set up 'home' in a small house which is wedged between a back alley and the local hiking trail that wraps around what is commonly called "Miners Lake."  In the 90 F heat / 190% humidity levels we've had this last week, I've passed the lake every day and wished to no avail for a swimmer-friendly beach to appear.  Unfortunately, it's a mirage -meant to torment even the most heat-resistant human being, as the water level is located 50 feet below a sheer drop off. Even if one could survive the impact from such a height, the anticipation of submerging into a cool, blue lake is lessened considerably by the florescent red color of the water ~ a reminder of the iron ore industry that once existed in this region of the country.  The deep, blue lakes, I'm told, are found further outside of town, so I'll wait for the next nice weekend to set off and explore.

The delicate Lady Slipper is found in abundance in the nearby forests

My days have been busy at the center.  I've immersed myself in doing bear observations -an ethogram to help the center track the activity levels of the bears, I've learned the mechanics of delivering food, and made a list of the high value vs. low value food sources.  Most importantly, I've written up a proposal that is intended to help the facility get their training program up and running.  I anticipate having to begin all over again in order to untrain much of what is in place.  I feel that by backing up, we'll be starting from a clean slate, and hopefully this will help re-establish consistency, as well as provide the training staff with the basics of operant conditioning. As it stands now,  the bears have had one year to effectively train the humans, so I  anticipate running into a few problems that are commonly associated with extinguishing unwanted behaviors.  

There is both a positive and negative side to my situation here at the facility: the negative, of course, is being the new kid on the block, who comes in with lots of new ideas and tries to present new information -and even though it is grounded in scientific theory and the practical application of learning principles, it still means a change for people.  I have already encountered the backlash, and have had to write up a proposal -in addition to obtaining approval from all department heads who will oversee the training program.  The positive? -that I am in a place where I am needed, and above all else, the bears will benefit.

Lesson learned: 

(a very valuable one, for me!)

Have a flexible guideline and shaping plan for humans when introducing a new program because:

No matter what you are defining as "a beginner's level,"

No matter how well you've simplified basic information,

if you meet up with resistance or backlash, 

you've come in too high.

Lower your criteria !!