Selkirk bear project focus of program

SANDPOINT — Interested in the Selkirk grizzly bear DNA project?

Head on over to next week’s free presentation sponsored by Sandpoint Parks & Recreation and the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society where Dan Gay will be talking about the project on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Since 2015, this project has been collecting grizzly bear hair in the Selkirk Mountains for DNA analysis from scent trees that bears rub on and at sites where they are attracted by a lure. The information is used to determine the minimum number of grizzly bears in the U.S. portion of the Selkirk Recovery area and if that number is approaching the numerical goal for recovery. Information collected also yields information on grizzly bear reproduction and gene flow with other recovery areas.

Don is a retired U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist. He spent time working on Kootenai, Deschutes, Fremont, and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests. He also served in Africa with the Peace Corps and completed international work with the Forest Service in Mali, Madagascar, and Gabon. Don lives in Naples, Idaho.

For more information about the Native Plant Society or upcoming KNPS programs visit their website at nativeplantsociety.org , or visit Sandpoint Parks and Recreation at 1123 Lake St., and online at asandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation