PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife will be hosting a variety of virtual outreach programs this fall, in partnership with several libraries. These programs aim to spread awareness of wildlife management and conservation efforts across the state in a fun, interactive setting. The first two programs will focus on black bear monitoring efforts and wildlife habitat management.

"All About Bears" will be presented on Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m., in partnership with the Warwick Public Library. Attendees will learn about the history of black bears in Rhode Island, test their knowledge of bears with trivia questions, and hear some stories from the field. DEM Wildlife Outreach staff will be joined by Amy Gottfried Mayer, a research associate for the University of Rhode Island's Wildlife Genetics and Ecology Lab (WGEL). DEM has partnered with the WGEL to study genomics of Rhode Island's black bear, bobcat, New England cottontail, and brook trout populations, through funding provided by the Federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.

On Saturday, October 3, at 10:00 a.m., Wildlife Outreach staff will guide a virtual tour of the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area, in partnership with the South Kingstown Public Library. Attendees will learn about the various habitat types at Great Swamp and the techniques used to manage this property as habitat for the many wildlife species that live there.

"This summer, we received a lot of positive feedback on our virtual turtle and coyote programs," said Mary Gannon, Wildlife Outreach Coordinator for the Division of Fish and Wildlife. "We even had people from other states tune in to learn about RI's wildlife; we're very excited to present additional virtual programs this fall!"

Both programs are free and open to all, but registration is required to receive a link to access the program via Zoom. Each program will run for about an hour. Links to the registration forms are listed below.

Bear registration form: https://forms.gle/PhY3XKi5MK2LU9247 Habitat registration form: https://forms.gle/7PbrEDvgG8ijP1Qw7

For more information on Rhode Island's wildlife, visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/. Follow the Division of Fish and Wildlife on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RIfishwildlife and Instagram (@RI.FishandWildlife) for timely updates.