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Polar Bear Population Counts
One of the greatest challenges facing those who work with polar bears is that long-term data sets are lacking on all but three of the 19 populations of polar bears. Nine additional populations have varying degrees of data, but seven are in such remote, logistically difficult areas that knowledge is sketchy at best.
This was less of a problem when the polar bear's habitat was stable, especially after hunting was controlled through the 1973 International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. But as global warming melts critical arctic habitat, managers can no longer assume polar bear populations are remaining stable in the most remote areas. Figuring out ways to assess the health and condition of each population, therefore, is becoming increasingly important.
To address this, a global team of 19 scientists has crafted a long-term monitoring plan the five polar bear nations can use as a framework. While the proposal won't count all polar bears, it takes a targeted approach for a sensible assessment. |more
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Green House Groceries
To save polar bear habitat, we need to embrace sustainable living--not just as individuals, but as a society. A promising shift is underway in favor of local foods and away from over-processed and -packaged goods, all of which is having an impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
You can become part of the momentum for change by modifying your own grocery habits and taking action in your community in support of greener choices.
By taking both challenges, you can help move us back toward sustainable food choices and show support for a new paradigm.
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Guest Post: Living in a
Green House
By Kathryn Foat
Living sustainably was easier when I was a kid growing up on a farm in Nebraska. We raised chickens for meat and eggs, had one milk cow, and cattle for meat. We planted a large vegetable garden of peas, sweet corn, green beans, beets, and so on, and had a small fruit orchard. |more
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Arctic Species of the Month:
Barren Ground Grizzly
Brown bears are the polar bear's closest relative, so close that the two can interbreed, producing hybrid bears dubbed pizzlies. Barren ground grizzlies are the smallest of all brown bears, living on the arctic tundra and feeding on berries, sedges, small mammals, caribou, and the occasional beached whale. Scientists attribute their small size to the fact that there is less food available on the tundra.
Because the barren ground grizzly's range lies close to the polar bear's sea ice habitat, the two occasionally encounter each other, leading some to suggest that interbreeding with grizzlies might be the answer to the polar bear's problem. But as scientist Andrew Derocher says in his Q & A on the subject, if that happened, polar bears wouldn't be polar bears anymore.
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Spring Cleaning
Just as many of us clean out our closets and sheds as spring shows her lovely shades of green, here at PBI we're doing a little housekeeping of our own!
Check out blowout prices on books, selected items of clothing, and--for a limited time-- our sustainably produced stuffed bear!
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Featured Sponsor
Frontiers North Adventures
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Frontiers North Adventures supports polar bear conservation year-round as a platinum-level sponsor! Our friends up north have been unfailingly supportive of PBI's mission over the years, providing both financial and tactical support for our educational programs and field studies.
Thank you, FNA!
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Scientist Profile
Megan Owen
Bundling up in subzero temperatures to study polar bear dens is all part of a day's work for Megan Owen--who is equally at home studying
bears in zoos.
In fact, some of her zoo-
based research for PBI would be impossible to conduct with polar bears in the wild.
Her current focus?
How polar bears communicate and a cortisol study
help us understand how
polar bears respond physiologically to stress.
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Video of the Month
Did you know a polar bear is tall enough to dunk a basketball? Or that one polar bear walked all the way from Alaska to Greenland . . . and back? Find out more cool facts in our video, Polar Bears by the Numbers.
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Teaching Tool
For a fun way to learn about vampire energy--the power consumed by electronic devices that draw energy even when turned off--go on our Phantom Power Hunt. Compare your energy savings month to month, and everyone wins!
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Give as a GIFT or in HONOR or MEMORY of someone special. Or, add us to your monthly budget with an
and help us attain our goal of conserving polar bears.
You can also join us on your favorite community sites
and share PBI with your friends and family.
We thank you for your continued support.
Conservation through research,
education, and action.
Photo Credits:
Bears a Gazing, BJ Kirschhoffer
� 2013 Polar Bears International. All Rights Reserved.
Marks and text appearing in this newsletter including,
but not limited to, Polar Bears International
name, logo, and programs are trademarks, registered trademarks,
or service ma rks of
Polar Bears International.
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